Aria stood frozen in the hallway. Her silver hair glowed under the lights, and her face showed a mix of many different feelings.
She couldn't believe it. Her "useless" brother—the person the family always made fun of—had looked her in the eye and treated her like a bother.
Is he serious?! she screamed in her head. Her pride was hurt by how much he had changed.
Kai saw that Aria was stuck in shock and made a noise of annoyance. He didn't want to wait for her to start talking again. He stepped back and began to shut the heavy wooden door. He looked at her like a king looking down at a peasant.
"If you're not going to kill me, then leave me alone," he said. His voice was cold. "I have better things to do than play your games, Aria."
SLAM.
The sound of the door hitting the frame woke Aria up. Her confusion turned into hot anger. She pounded her fist against the door, and her ice magic sent thin lines of frost across the wood.
"You ungrateful loser! How dare you!" she screamed. "If you don't open this door right now, I will make your life a nightmare! I'll freeze the blood in your veins!"
From behind the door, Kai's voice came out. He didn't sound scared. He sounded calm and very tired, as if her threats were just a loud fly buzzing around his head.
"Come on, Aria. Can't you leave me alone for just today?" he sighed. "I really have things to do. The world doesn't stop just because you're throwing a tantrum."
Hearing him sound so tired—not like his usual whining, but like a man with a lot on his mind—made Aria feel a strange bit of pity. It was a new feeling for her. She stopped and held her hand over the door handle.
"Whatever you're doing can't be that important," she said back, but her voice was softer now. "What is it? What could a failure like you be busy with?"
As soon as she said it, Aria went stiff. Why did I ask that? she thought.
She quickly tried to sound mean again to hide her curiosity. "Hey! I don't actually care! It's just... if you don't finish quickly, my room won't get cleaned!"
Inside the room, Kai sat on the bed with a small smile. He had her right where he wanted her. His "Seduce and Conquer" quest was already working.
"Alright," Kai said, keeping his voice sounding tired. "I don't know what you want, Aria, but if you really want to help... I could use someone who knows what they're doing. Like you."
He pulled the door open again. This time, he didn't look like a victim. He stood tall and looked like a man who had finally woken up.
"I have an ability," he said. He looked into her eyes so deeply it made her catch her breath. "I want to test it, and I need someone to watch. Can you help me?"
Aria's mouth fell open. Her mind raced. Awakening an ability this late was impossible. "You... you have an ability? Since when? What is it?"
Kai raised his right hand, his eyes calm but focused. With a sudden, violent crack, bright blue-white lightning exploded from his palm. The electricity didn't just flicker; it hissed and snapped, dancing between his fingers like a living thing. The intense light filled the dim hallway, casting long, jumping shadows against the walls.
"I can use lightning," he said simply. He looked at the sparks as if they were nothing special. "I'm not sure if it's any good compared to your ice magic. Is it?"
Aria couldn't move. She stared at the dancing bolts, her mouth slightly open. The sharp smell of ozone filled the air, stinging her nose, and the static electricity made her silver hair drift and stand up on her arms. Even though she usually looked down on him, she was a high-ranked ability user, and she knew raw power when she saw it. This wasn't a weak spark; it was dangerous.
"It's... it's clearly not trained yet," she admitted quietly, her voice losing its sharp edge. "But lightning is an elemental power. Any ability that uses the elements is rare and very strong."
"Then I want to see what it can really do," Kai said, closing his fist to snuff out the light. "The house has a training room in the basement, right? Take me there."
Aria nodded slowly, her mean attitude completely gone, replaced by a burning curiosity. She turned and led him through the winding halls toward the lower levels of the mansion. They stopped in front of a giant, reinforced metal door covered in glowing symbols meant to keep magic from leaking out.
Inside was a massive, high-tech fighting hall. The floors were made of special stone that could absorb shocks, and the walls were lined with protective shields. Kai stepped into the very center of the room, finding his balance. He could feel the lightning surging through his veins like liquid fire, begging to be let loose.
He pointed his hand at a heavy-duty training dummy. It was a thick target made of reinforced ironwood and capped with heavy metal plates—built to take hits from professional soldiers. Kai didn't just let a small spark out this time. He thought about the years of bullying the "old" Kai had suffered and channeled all that anger into his palm.
BOOM!
A thick bolt of lightning tore through the air with a deafening crash that shook the room. It hit the dummy with so much force that the metal plates melted instantly. Pieces of wood exploded outward, and a cloud of black smoke rose into the air. The smell of burnt wood and scorched metal filled the hall.
Kai looked down at his hand, which was still humming with energy, then at the smoking, blackened crater where the dummy's chest used to be. "Pretty strong," he muttered with a dark, satisfied smile.
Next to him, Aria stood in total silence. She didn't say a word. Her blue eyes were wide with shock as she stared at the wreckage. She realized in that moment that the brother she used to kick around was gone, and someone much more dangerous had taken his place.