Arin sat cross-legged on a stone platform high in the mountains, the winds howling around him like restless spirits. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was steady, matching the rhythm of the elements that now pulsed within him. Since the trial at the Temple of the Convergence, everything had changed. His connection to the elemental forces had deepened, becoming more intuitive, more powerful. But with that power came an undeniable weight.
Every day, the elements seemed to whisper to him, their voices growing louder, more insistent. It wasn't just about control anymore—it was as if they were trying to show him something, trying to awaken something deep within him. Something ancient. Something forgotten.
"Focus," came Enacra's voice from behind him, steady as ever.
Arin exhaled slowly, releasing the tension in his shoulders. His focus shifted inward, to the currents of energy swirling through his body. Fire, water, earth, air—they were all there, waiting for his command, but it was the fifth element, the one that had remained elusive for so long, that now tugged at the edge of his awareness.
"Lightning," he whispered to himself. He could feel it now, like a static charge in the air, crackling just beneath the surface of his skin.
In the weeks since his trial, Arin had grown more attuned to the elemental forces, but lightning was different. It was volatile, unpredictable, and every time he tried to harness it, the power would slip through his fingers like sand. But he couldn't ignore it. The vision from the temple—the figure in the gleaming armor, wielding lightning with such mastery—haunted his thoughts.
He opened his eyes, staring out at the horizon where dark clouds gathered in the distance, rumbling with the promise of a storm. A flicker of determination sparked within him.
"You're distracted," Enacra said, stepping closer. The tronoid sage's voice was soft, but there was an unmistakable sharpness to his words. "I can sense the storm in you. Your thoughts are scattered. You must learn to quiet them."
Arin clenched his fists, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "It's not that simple. Ever since the temple, something's changed. It's like… the elements are louder now. More demanding. They want something from me, but I don't know what."
Enacra regarded him with his usual calm, his robes fluttering in the wind. His glowing eyes studied Arin with an intensity that made the young warrior feel exposed, as if the tronoid could see every doubt, every fear he was trying to suppress.
"The elements do not want anything from you, Arin," Enacra said finally. "They are part of you, just as you are part of them. What you perceive as a demand is your own uncertainty, your own fear of what lies ahead."
Arin turned to face Enacra, his jaw tight. "Fear? You think I'm afraid of my power?"
Enacra raised a hand, silencing him with a single look. "Fear is not always a matter of cowardice, young one. It is the mind's way of protecting you from the unknown. You fear what you do not yet understand. And there is much you still do not understand."
Arin's fists loosened, the frustration draining out of him as quickly as it had come. He knew Enacra was right. The power he was beginning to wield was unlike anything he had ever experienced, and with it came questions—questions that had no easy answers.
"Then teach me," Arin said, his voice quieter now, more controlled. "Help me understand."
Enacra was silent for a moment, his gaze drifting to the storm clouds on the horizon. When he spoke again, his voice was softer, almost wistful. "There is only so much I can teach you, Arin. The rest you must discover for yourself. But for now… let's start with the storm inside you."
Enacra stepped to the edge of the platform, raising a hand toward the gathering clouds. The wind howled louder, and the sky seemed to darken as if responding to the tronoid's presence. A low rumble of thunder echoed across the mountains.
"Lightning is the most elusive of the elements," Enacra said, his voice barely audible over the wind. "It is not like fire or water, which can be summoned and shaped with will alone. Lightning is a force of nature—a raw, untamed energy that cannot be commanded by force. You must become one with it."
Arin watched as the clouds above swirled, the first flickers of lightning dancing within the storm. His heart quickened. He had faced powerful enemies, fought battles that tested the limits of his abilities, but this was different. This was a force he had never fully controlled.
He took a deep breath, stepping forward until he stood beside Enacra at the edge of the platform. The wind whipped through his hair, and the air crackled with energy. He could feel the storm all around him, pressing against his skin like a living thing.
"Close your eyes," Enacra instructed. "Feel the energy in the air. Do not try to control it—let it flow through you."
Arin did as he was told, closing his eyes and extending his senses outward. The wind whipped around him, but he focused on the static in the air, the charge that hummed just beneath the surface. It was wild, chaotic, and yet… there was a rhythm to it, a pulse that matched the beat of his heart.
He raised his hand, reaching out toward the storm. The first bolt of lightning cracked across the sky, splitting the heavens with a deafening roar. Arin flinched, but he didn't withdraw. He let the energy wash over him, feeling it surge through his veins.
"Good," Enacra murmured. "Now, let go of your fear. Let the lightning find you."
Another bolt of lightning flashed, closer this time, and Arin felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. His breath caught in his throat as the energy surged toward him, but instead of retreating, he embraced it. He opened himself to the storm, letting the lightning flow through him, not as something to be controlled, but as something to be experienced.
For a moment, time seemed to stop. The wind died, the world fell silent, and all Arin could feel was the pulse of the storm within him.
Then, with a sudden, explosive force, the lightning struck.
The bolt of energy crashed into him, but instead of being thrown back, Arin stood his ground. His body absorbed the lightning, and for the first time, he felt the true power of the element. It wasn't just a force of destruction—it was life itself, pure and untamed.
His eyes snapped open, glowing with the same electric energy that now coursed through his body. He felt alive—more alive than he had ever felt before.
The storm began to dissipate, the clouds retreating as quickly as they had gathered. Arin lowered his hand, the crackling energy fading, though the memory of its power still lingered in his bones.
Enacra nodded, a small smile playing at the edges of his lips. "You are beginning to understand."
Arin exhaled, his heart still racing, but this time it wasn't from fear. It was from exhilaration. He had felt the raw power of lightning, and for the first time, he had embraced it without hesitation.
But as the energy settled within him, the vision from the temple returned—the figure in the gleaming armor, wielding lightning with such mastery.
"Who was he?" Arin asked, more to himself than to Enacra.
Enacra didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the horizon, his expression unreadable. "There are some answers you will have to find on your own, Arin."
Arin nodded, though the question still burned in his mind. He had passed the trial, mastered another element, but the deeper mysteries remained. Who was the figure in the vision? And why did it feel like his destiny was tied to a past he couldn't remember?
The storm inside him had quieted, but Arin knew it was far from over.