The wind moved gently across the peaks, brushing past the tall grass and whispering through the trees. Kian sat at the edge of a stony overlook just behind the cabin, his legs drawn up, arms resting loosely on his knees. The mountain stretched before him like an ancient sentinel silent, towering, endlessly.
It had been three days since the fight. His muscles still sore. His thoughts hurt more.
He was strong, yes… but still he was a Tier 9 the bottom of the barrel. He was stagnant he didn't know how to move up from here.
Why?
His eyes traced the horizon, the slow rising sun setting the clouds alight in golden orange. The world looked so peaceful from up here yet he knew just beyond that calm were cities full of fear, men engineering chaos, and the ones who wanted him gone.
So what do I do? Just wait to grow? Train until I drop?
A quiet shuffle of feet behind him broke the silence. Chandler approached, holding two steaming cups of tea in a wooden tray. He said nothing at first just sat down beside Kian and handed him a cup.
They sipped in silence for a few moments. The warmth seeped into Kian's fingers.
Then Chandler finally spoke.
"Your veins," he said softly, "are the key."
Kian looked over, curious.
"You're not stuck, boy. You're just trying to move like a human in a world that demands something more. Our power comes from the world around us sunlight, wind, stone, and storm. Energy is always there. But it doesn't enter through willpower or brute force."
He tapped Kian's chest lightly with a finger. "It flows through your veins. They're not just biological. They're… channels. Bridges. The better your control, the more energy you can absorb. The stronger your veins, the more they hold."
Kian's brow furrowed. "So if I learn how to absorb the energy around me my veins will… feed me power?"
"Exactly," Chandler nodded. "Absorb enough, maintain your body and mind, and eventually… you move up."
Kian looked down at his hands. "And if I don't?"
"You'll plateau. Like most. And in this world, if you plateau… you die."
Kian was quiet again.
After a moment, Chandler looked out toward the horizon, voice dipping low with an edge of nostalgia. "I once knew someone who forced himself up too fast. Burned brighter than anyone I'd ever seen… but his veins gave out before his soul did."
Kian turned to him. "Who was he?"
Chandler sipped his tea. "A fool. A brother. A legend."
That was all he said. Kian didn't push.
The two of them sat in silence again teacher and student, old and young watching the wind race across the tips of the mountains.
But deep down, something inside Kian stirred.
A seed was beginning to bloom.