The morning after the incident, tension still hung in the air. During breakfast, my sister Aria couldn’t hold back her need to share what had happened with her teammates, Thalor and Zephyr. Selene, the fourth member of her team, had already left for the academy, leaving just the three of us at the house.
As we enjoyed a quiet morning in Profundia—a place eternally steeped in underground twilight—Aria recounted in detail how I had caused such an uproar with my mana shot. Thalor, large and easy-going, let out a disbelieving laugh as he ate his breakfast.
“A four-year-old did all that?” he asked, surprised. “Aria, your brother is a Maugl.” (In dwarven, meaning “wise one” or “scholar.”)
Zephyr, with his sharp eyes and graceful movements, nodded and added with a wry smile:
“Yes, it seems Kaion has more power in his little body than we imagined. Impressive!”
Feeling overwhelmed by their comments, I decided to slip out to the courtyard, away from their curious stares. I needed a quiet moment to reflect and practice the breathing technique my mother, Lysa, had taught me. I took a deep breath, visualizing mana circulating through my body, focusing particularly on my eyes.
Suddenly, I noticed a change in my vision. I could see flows of mana around me with surprising clarity. Fascinated, I looked around the courtyard, every plant and rock glimmering with energy. But then, a chill ran down my spine. I turned slowly and there, at a short distance, I saw something I never expected to find: a specter or ghost, watching me with empty eyes.
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Fear seized me, and instinctively, I fired an enhanced mana shot at the entity. I felt the mana course through my body, especially my eyes, allowing me to aim with incredible precision. The specter, realizing it had been discovered, tried to flee. However, my shot, compressed and spinning like a bullet, reached it before it could react, dispersing it in a burst of energy.
The commotion immediately drew Aria, Thalor, and Zephyr, who came rushing down to see what had happened.
“Kaion! Are you alright?” Aria asked, her voice filled with a mix of concern and anger.
I explained what I had seen, describing the specter in as much detail as I could. As Aria listened, her face darkened with rage, lightning beginning to crackle around her—a clear sign of her lightning element.
“Ragna!” she exclaimed, her voice trembling with fury. “Only he would dare to control ghosts in Draconia. Why would he send one of his specters to spy on my brother?”
Thalor tried to calm her, placing a reassuring hand on her back.
“Aria, there might be a reasonable explanation…” he began, but she cut him off with a sharp gesture.
“No, Thalor. I want an explanation as to why Ragna is sending specters to spy on Kaion and our home. And if his answer doesn’t satisfy me, the God of Thunder himself will have to stop me from doing what I’ll do if I get any angrier.”
With that fierce determination in her eyes, Aria turned and left the house, enveloped in lightning, heading toward the Bone Mask Clan’s territory. As we watched her go, Zephyr stepped closer to Thalor and me.
“I’m going to follow her from above to make sure she doesn’t go overboard,” he said firmly.
Zephyr transformed into a majestic giant owl, his feathers glowing faintly under Profundia’s artificial light. He spread his massive wings and took to the air, following Aria as she marched forward with fierce resolve.
Thalor placed a protective hand on my shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Kaion. Aria only wants to protect you. We’ll get to the bottom of this together.”
I nodded, though a sense of unease lingered in my chest. Zephyr’s figure receded in the subterranean sky as Aria advanced, fierce as a lioness defending her cub. I knew she would do whatever it took to protect me, but I also knew this confrontation could have consequences none of us could foresee.
I stayed in the courtyard, trying to calm my mind and focus my energy on the breathing technique my mother had taught me. I took a deep breath, visualizing the mana circulating throughout my body, concentrating on my eyes once more. The enhanced vision allowed me to see details and mana flows that had previously been invisible to me.
As I practiced, I reflected on what had happened. The specter’s appearance and Aria’s reaction indicated that there were forces at work far greater than I could comprehend. I had much to learn about this world and my place in it, but I was determined to face those challenges with the same resolve my sister had shown.
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Aria reached the Bone Mask Clan’s territory, a dark region filled with an unsettling energy. The dwellings here were carved directly into the rock, and the atmosphere was steeped in a sinister aura. She didn’t have to search long; Ragna was already waiting on a raised platform, surrounded by his masked followers.
“Ragna, show yourself and face me!” Aria shouted, her voice echoing in the cavernous space.
Ragna, wearing his bone mask adorned with intricate engravings, stepped forward. His eyes gleamed with an enigmatic light, and a malicious smile played on his lips.
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“Aria Graves, what a surprise to see you so soon. To what do I owe the honor?” he asked with a mocking tone.
Aria approached, lightning crackling around her—a manifestation of her anger and power.
“What are you playing at, sending specters to spy on my brother? Explain yourself, or I’ll make you!” she demanded, her voice steady and resolute.
Ragna raised a hand, signaling his followers to stay back.
“Oh, Aria, always so impulsive. I was merely ensuring that your little prodigy didn’t pose a threat. You can’t blame me for wanting to protect my clan’s interests,” he replied calmly, though his eyes held a latent threat.
Aria summoned her mage’s staff from a ring on her right hand—a powerful staff capable of channeling the energy of a Fifth Circle mage. She whispered a spell and quickly raised her hand, letting lightning crackle around her arm.
“Protecting your clan’s interests? Lies! You only seek to intimidate and control. This ends now!” she shouted, hurling a lightning bolt directly at Ragna.
Ragna dodged deftly, countering with a wave of death energy in the form of a giant cobra, which Aria blocked with a Lightning Shield. The battle became fierce, both of them casting spells with lethal precision. Ragna, a Qi user cultivating the Death Edict, summoned Qi phantoms to attack her. The ghostly humanoid forms lunged at Aria, but she destroyed them with storms of electricity, her lightning zapping through the air and dissolving the spectral figures into a greenish mist.
“Is that all you’ve got? These phantoms are as weak and useless as their master,” Aria taunted, launching another bolt that disintegrated more spirits.
Ragna scowled, intensifying his attacks. The Qi phantoms surrounded Aria, attacking from all angles, but she repelled them with a burst of electricity that lit up the entire territory.
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“I’ll make you pay for this, Aria!” Ragna shouted, summoning more phantoms with renewed fury.
Aria sneered, preparing her next attack. But Ragna raised a hand, pointing at her, and paused for a moment.
“Wait, Aria. How about a deal? If I defeat you, you’ll have to marry me,” Ragna said, his voice dripping with arrogance.
Zephyr, watching from above, saw how Ragna’s proposal infuriated Aria even further. He knew this would only escalate the situation and tried to intervene. However, the clash of powers between Aria and Ragna was so intense that he couldn’t get close.
“You arrogant bastard!” Aria shouted, her lightning intensifying. “I’d never marry you! Not in a million years!”
“Then prove it to me,” Ragna retorted, lunging forward with superhuman speed, unleashing a barrage of strikes and spells.
Zephyr, in his giant owl form, circled high above the clan’s territory, watching the clash between these titans. He knew he had to intervene since Aria, famous for her fiery temper, was nearly impossible to calm when enraged. However, the electrical storm Aria had conjured made it difficult for him to get close, forcing him to dodge lightning bolts to keep her in sight.
Below, Ragna unleashed an especially powerful attack that Aria barely managed to block. She stood, her eyes filled with fury and determination.
“This isn’t over, bastard! I won’t let you threaten my family,” she shouted, launching a final chain lightning attack that lit up the entire cavern.
Ragna staggered back, his mask slightly cracked from the intensity of the attack. He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain of the electrical surge coursing through his body. With a swift movement, he released a spectral claw of Death Qi, attempting to capture Aria, who resisted his attacks.
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From our home, Thalor and I could see the electrical storm Aria had unleashed. The lightning illuminated Profundia’s subterranean sky, drawing the attention of the townsfolk, who gathered to see what was happening.
“Thalor, we need to go see what’s going on,” I said, feeling a mix of worry and curiosity.
Thalor nodded, and together we headed toward the battleground. As we ran, Thalor decided to tell me something about Aria.
“You know, Kaion, Aria is known among her enemies as the Fury of the Celestial Thunder. Her temper and power make her a fearsome force in battle,” Thalor said, his tone serious but with a touch of admiration.
I grinned at the revelation, though I knew it was best not to test my sister’s temper.
“Then I should probably never make her angry,” I joked, trying to ease the tension I felt in my chest.
Thalor, smiling under his thick beard, lifted me onto his shoulders so we could reach the battleground faster. When we arrived, we spotted Zephyr in the sky, struggling to intervene in the battle but having difficulty approaching due to Aria’s electrical storm.
Suddenly, Ragna, enraged by Aria’s resistance, unleashed a powerful Death Qi pressure. Qi pressure is a manifestation of power drawn from the user’s emotions. Aria had once explained to me that it was used as a form of intimidation among cultivators to send a clear message about who was stronger. The pressure affected everyone present, myself included. I felt a sharp pain and an icy sensation running through my body, making me shiver. But I wasn’t the only one affected; others watching the conflict were also hurt by the Qi pressure, and I could see children in the crowd crying from the shock of this energy in their bodies.
Seeing this, Aria’s rage intensified. She prepared a powerful spell that darkened the storm clouds and the entire area. A massive lightning bolt was ready to descend from the sky, poised to end Ragna’s life once and for all. But just as she was about to unleash her attack, a booming voice filled the air.
“Stop at once!” exclaimed the Great Elder Eldric, appearing out of nowhere. His imposing presence and authoritative voice made both combatants halt and look at him with respect and fear.
Eldric glared at Ragna with disdain.
“How dare you unleash your vile Death Qi pressure on our town?” he said furiously, then turned to Aria. “And you, Aria Graves, are you trying to destroy this place? Is this how you honor your family’s teachings?”
Aria lowered her head, though her anger still simmered. Ragna, meanwhile, tried to maintain his composure, but it was clear that Eldric’s presence had unsettled him.
“You both will be punished for your recklessness,” declared Eldric, his voice firm and unyielding.
Zephyr, who had been watching from above, landed near us and returned to his human form, shaking his head to let us know he hadn’t been able to intervene.
After the Elder’s intervention, Aria spotted us from afar and walked over while Eldric discussed the incident with the Bone Mask Clan leader.
“I’m sorry, Little Brother. I shouldn’t have put you in danger,” Aria said, her voice soft but resolute.
“It’s okay, Aria. I understand why you did it. Just… let’s be more careful next time,” I replied, feeling a mix of relief and concern.
Eldric approached us, his expression stern yet understanding.
“Young ones, there is much to learn and many battles ahead. But never forget the importance of protecting the innocent and maintaining peace. Now, let’s go home. We have much to discuss.”
With those words, we began our walk back home, knowing that the coming weeks would be crucial for understanding more about our powers and how to control them.