Starcrest City never truly slept.
Even as the sun dipped below the horizon, spiritual lamps flickered to life along the streets, illuminating runic carvings embedded into stone and metal. The hum of cultivation never stopped—whether in training halls, underground arenas, or quiet apartments hidden above the noise.
Power was currency here.
And those who possessed it stood higher than the rest.
---
The academy's Outer Training Arena was packed.
Students gathered in tiers around the circular platform, excitement buzzing through the air like static. Even instructors stood at the edges, arms crossed, observing with interest.
At the center of it all stood Rayden Wolfe.
Calm.
Focused.
Confident.
Opposite him was Marek Thorne, a third-year Earth-type cultivator known for his near-impenetrable defenses.
"Another challenge?" someone whispered.
"Rayden again?"
"He's not even tired anymore."
Kayden stood near the back of the crowd, blending in effortlessly.
Ever since the classifications were discussed openly in class, students had begun testing themselves—trying to prove which path reigned supreme.
Rayden didn't seek these battles.
They came to him.
Instructor Halden raised a hand. "This is a controlled duel. No lethal techniques."
Marek slammed his fists together, stone crawling up his arms and across his chest.
"Don't hold back," Marek said. "I won't."
Rayden didn't reply.
Lightning flickered faintly around his eyes.
---
Lightning vs Earth
The signal was given.
Marek moved first, stomping the ground. The arena trembled as stone pillars erupted upward, attempting to cage Rayden in.
Gasps echoed through the stands.
"That's a third-layer Earth technique!"
"He's serious!"
Rayden vanished.
Not stepped aside.
Not jumped back.
Vanished.
A crack of thunder split the air.
In the next heartbeat, Rayden reappeared above Marek, lightning spiraling around his leg.
He struck.
The impact shattered the stone armor like glass.
Marek crashed to the ground, skidding across the arena, smoke curling from his shattered defenses.
Silence followed.
Then—
The crowd erupted.
"Again!"
"He didn't even use a named technique!"
"That speed is insane!"
Rayden landed lightly, lightning fading.
He looked… bored.
Instructor Halden stepped forward. "Match concluded. Winner—Rayden Wolfe."
Marek groaned, staring up at the sky.
"I didn't even see it," he muttered.
Rayden extended a hand, pulling him up.
"Your foundation's solid," Rayden said. "But Earth can't keep up with perfected Lightning."
It wasn't arrogance.
It was fact.
---
Why Rayden Stands at the Top
As the crowd dispersed, whispers followed Rayden wherever he went.
Lightning cultivators were already rare.
But Rayden was different because of three things:
1. Perfect Affinity – His lightning didn't resist him. It obeyed him.
2. Control – He wasted no energy, no motion.
3. Foundation – His cultivation was unnaturally stable.
Instructors often said:
"If Rayden continues like this, he'll enter the upper academies without resistance."
Some even whispered about military recruitment.
Rayden Wolfe wasn't just strong.
He was a future pillar of Starcrest City.
Rayden's gaze drifted briefly through the dispersing crowd—and once again, landed on Kayden.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, lightning flickered.
Kayden looked away first.
---
High above the arena, behind a reinforced viewing window, two figures observed.
One was an academy elder.
The other wore a dark cloak, face partially hidden.
"The lightning boy grows faster than expected," the cloaked figure said.
The elder nodded. "He will draw attention soon."
"And the sealed one?" the cloaked figure asked.
The elder hesitated.
"…Still sealed."
The cloaked figure smiled faintly.
"Good," they said. "Let sleeping disasters rest."
---
That night, Kayden returned to the modest apartment near the city center.
Master Leonhart was already awake, scribbling notes by lamplight.
"You watched the duel," Leonhart said without looking up.
Kayden blinked. "How did you—?"
Leonhart smirked. "I can feel lightning shaking half the district when that boy fights."
Kayden set his bag down. "He's strong."
Leonhart nodded. "Rayden Wolfe is walking the peak of a known path."
Kayden hesitated. "And me?"
Leonhart finally looked up.
"You," he said, "aren't on a path yet."
He closed his notebook.
"Which means tonight," Leonhart continued, "we see what your system considers a beginning."
Kayden's heart skipped.
"You're serious?"
Leonhart stood. "You didn't think I'd let you awaken alone, did you?"
---
Leonhart cleared the living room, pushing furniture aside until only a wide open space remained.
He drew a small circle on the floor using powdered crystal.
"This isn't cultivation," Leonhart said. "It's observation."
Kayden sat at the center.
The pendant grew warm.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
PRIVATE ENVIRONMENT CONFIRMED.
CULTIVATION MODE: AVAILABLE.
Kayden swallowed. "So… what do I do?"
Leonhart folded his arms. "Nothing."
"…Nothing?"
"Let it show itself," Leonhart said. "Power that needs force isn't ready."
Kayden closed his eyes.
The world faded.
Then—
Something opened.
Not energy flooding his body.
Not pressure crushing his senses.
But awareness expanding outward.
He could feel the walls.
The air.
Leonhart's steady breathing.
And beneath it all—
A quiet, endless current.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
HOST HAS ENTERED INITIAL SYNCHRONIZATION.
Leonhart's eyes widened.
"…Interesting."
---
Minutes passed.
Kayden didn't sweat.
Didn't strain.
Didn't hurt.
He simply… understood.
The system wasn't forcing energy into him.
It was adjusting him to the world.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
STAT GROWTH INITIATED.
Physical Reinforcement: +1
Mental Clarity: +2
Energy Sensitivity: +3
Leonhart felt it.
Not pressure.
But absence.
Like the room itself had become quieter.
Kayden opened his eyes.
"That's it?" he asked.
Leonhart stared at him.
"That was your first step," Leonhart said slowly. "And you didn't follow a single known principle."
Kayden frowned. "Is that bad?"
Leonhart laughed.
"No," he said. "It's terrifying."
---
Across Starcrest City, Rayden Wolfe stood atop his dorm balcony, lightning dancing idly across his fingers.
He looked toward the city center.
Somewhere out there—
Something felt… different.
"Probably nothing," he muttered.
Lightning surged.
In a modest apartment below, Kayden sat quietly, unaware that his presence had subtly shifted the balance.
One stood at the peak of what the world understood.
The other had just taken his first step into what it had forgotten.
And Starcrest City—
Was not ready for either of them.
---