The sun had just started dipping below the mountains when Kian found Chandler sitting near the edge of the training field, an old ceramic teapot balanced on a stone slab beside him. The old man poured two cups slowly, his motions fluid, deliberate.
"You finally came," Chandler said without looking up.
Kian stepped into the clearing and exhaled. "Yeah. I'm ready."
Chandler glanced at him now sharp silver eyes scanning Kian's face, his posture, his presence. There was a difference. Subtle, but real.
"You figured out your 'why,' didn't you?" Chandler muttered, passing Kian a cup.
"I did." Kian took the tea, sitting across from him. "I want to protect you. And Nia."
There was a long silence. The older man sipped his tea, eyes squinting at the distant horizon.
"…Then you're finally ready to begin," he said, voice low.
"No more guessing," Kian added. "Teach me how to move up. I want to reach Tier 8."
Chandler set down his cup and leaned forward slightly.
"There's no core in your body, Kian. No 'power seed' or glowing gem to tap into like some stories tell. All you have are your veins and the strength of your spirit."
Kian's eyes narrowed in focus.
"To rank up, you must absorb. The world is flooded with energy in the air, the earth, the storms, the sun. Your veins are the channel. But just having them isn't enough. You need stillness, Purpose, and Balance."
Kian blinked. "Balance?"
Chandler gave a small, amused grunt. "Control, boy. If you drink too fast, you drown. If you drink too slow, you starve. Your lightning? It's impatient. Violent. It needs to learn rhythm."
Kian took this in, nodding slowly. "So I need to draw the energy in… carefully."
Chandler stood and pointed toward the sky, where dark clouds pulsed far in the distance.
"When I was your age," he said, his tone shifting, just slightly colder, "I thought strength was about crushing the world before it crushed me. My veins nearly ate me alive."
There was something dangerous in his voice then a memory not fully buried.
"I hurt people," Chandler said. "A lot of people. People I cared about. When the world finally caught up to me, I vanished took Nia and ran."
Kian looked at him, eyes wide. "What were you running from?"
Chandler smirked, that sharp glint returning. "Not what. Who."
Kian felt the air shift around them.
"And one day," Chandler said, pouring another cup of tea, "you'll learn what it means to be hunted for the potential you carry."
Kian's lightning flickered faintly at his fingers.
"I'm not afraid," he said.
"Good," Chandler said. Then he grinned. "Because it's about to get a whole lot harder. You're about to irritate every atom in your body. Call the energy in and keep it inside without losing yourself. You ready?"
Kian stood, finishing the last of his tea.
"Let's do it."