Kian walked back toward the cottage as the sun began its slow descent behind the trees. The warm light glinted off the dew-soaked grass, and though his legs still felt slightly heavy from the surge, there was a bounce in his step that hadn't been there in weeks.
The door creaked open.
Inside, Nia looked up from the kitchen table, where she had spread out some dried herbs and a half-folded map. Her eyes lit up when she saw him.
"You're glowing," she said with a crooked smile. "Again."
Kian let out a breathy laugh. "Tier 8."
She rushed over before he could finish. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, a tight, impulsive hug that made him freeze for just a second then melt into it.
"Proud of you," she whispered into his chest.
He didn't reply at first. His arms came around her, slower, steadier.
"I figured it out," he murmured, his voice quieter now. "Why I want to get stronger. It's not to prove anything."
She pulled back slightly to look at him.
"It's to protect you and Chandler."
A faint blush crept up her cheeks, and she looked away with a smirk that failed to hide it. "Took you long enough."
Kian grinned. "Had to be sure."
Behind them, Chandler stepped in through the back entrance, drying his hands with a cloth. "If we're done with the emotional revelation," he said, though there was no sharpness in his tone, "we've got work to do."
Kian stood a little straighter. "I'm ready."
Chandler tossed the cloth onto the counter. "You think lightning is all you've got? You're walking around like a blade with only one edge sharpened."
Kian blinked. "You're saying there's more I haven't tapped into?"
The old man nodded. "Your mother could bend space itself. Your father could manipulate chaotic energy and lightning was just one facet of that. That blood is in you. All of it. But you've only been leaning into what's loud and easy to trigger."
Kian frowned slightly. "So… how do I start?"
Chandler folded his arms, his expression turning thoughtful. "We build a foundation. One that doesn't collapse the second your lightning misfires. You've got three forces inside you lightning, space, and chaos. If we train only one, the others will rot or worse… fight back."
Kian swallowed. That made sense. He had felt the instability during battles moments where his power bent too far or pulsed with energy that didn't feel like pure lightning.
"You're going to learn how to resonate not just with the world," Chandler added, "but with the parts of yourself you've been ignoring."
Kian looked down at his hands, where faint green sparks still danced across his fingertips.
"Then let's sharpen the whole blade."