Morning came, and the atmosphere in Aunt Eladra's house felt warm and peaceful. Everyone was seated at the dining table, except for Ardyn, who still appeared sleepy, with slightly darker bags under his eyes than usual. Uncle Darius sat at the head of the table, looking at his nephew with a questioning gaze.
"Ardyn," said Uncle Darius, setting down his spoon and crossing his arms. "You look like you haven't slept all night. Were you staying up late again?"
Ardyn yawned widely, then nodded sluggishly. "Just a nightmare, Uncle."
Elysia, sitting next to him, looked at him with concern. "Another nightmare?" she asked gently. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Ardyn shook his head slightly. "No, it's not important."
Aunt Eladra appeared from the kitchen, carrying a large plate full of food. "Come on, everyone! Breakfast is ready," she said cheerfully. They began to eat, and the table was filled with light chatter, small laughter, and the clinking sounds of cutlery on plates.
During breakfast, Uncle Darius spoke again, glancing at Ardyn before turning to Elysia. "So, Elysia, you're heading back to the Elven Forest tomorrow, right?"
Elysia smiled softly, though there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Yes, Uncle. It's time for me to return. I'm afraid my family is worried about me."
"Can't you stay a little longer?" asked Eldric, one of Ardyn's younger twin brothers, in a hopeful tone. "I haven't learned much about magic from you yet, Elysia."
Elysia leaned slightly toward Eldric and smiled. "I'll miss you too, Eldric. But don't worry, I'll definitely return. When I come back, I promise to teach you more about magic."
Aunt Eladra looked at Elysia with affection. "You are always welcome here, Elysia. Consider this house your home too," she said warmly.
Ardyn, who had been mostly silent, glanced briefly at Elysia. There was something he wanted to say, but as usual, the words got stuck in his throat. Finally, he just nodded slightly, as if accepting the reality that Elysia would leave. Yet, a heavy feeling lingered in his heart.
After breakfast, Uncle Darius stood up and gently patted Ardyn's shoulder. "Come on, kid, let's train. You need more practice to control your elements. Let's head to the backyard."
Ardyn nodded despite his body still feeling heavy. He followed his uncle out of the house toward the spacious backyard, which bordered the forest. Elysia, Aunt Eladra, and Ardyn's twin brothers chose to sit at the edge of the yard to watch. They seemed excited, especially Eldric and Lyron, who greatly admired their uncle's power.
"Come on, Uncle! Show my brother how strong you are," shouted Lyron, Ardyn's younger brother.
Hearing this, Ardyn retorted, "Do you think I'll lose to Uncle, Lyron?"
Ardyn and his uncle prepared and stood facing each other in the middle of the backyard. "Be careful. Don't overdo it and make sure no one gets hurt," said Aunt Eladra.
The battle began.
"I'll start," said Ardyn, taking a fighting stance. Without hesitation, he raised his hands, and lightning immediately surrounded his body, creating sparks of energy that made the air around them tremble.
Uncle Darius smirked slightly. "Good. But remember, power isn't everything. You need to control your elements with calmness."
Ardyn dashed forward, directing a bolt of lightning at his uncle. The lightning struck quickly and dangerously, but Uncle Darius calmly raised his hand. The earth, his favored element, responded by forming a solid wall of earth that easily absorbed the lightning.
"Focus, Ardyn," said Uncle Darius, lowering the earthen wall. "Your attack is strong, but you haven't found the balance between power and control."
Frustrated that his attack was easily deflected, Ardyn decided to change tactics. He lowered his hands and began summoning the fire element. A large fireball formed in his palm, which he quickly hurled at Uncle Darius.
Once again, Uncle Darius moved his hand. This time, the ground beneath him rolled up, forming a stone shield that absorbed the heat from the fireball. "You'll need more than that, kid," he said with a smile.
Feeling increasingly cornered, Ardyn decided to combine different elements. He channeled the wind element into his attack, combining wind and lightning. Ardyn fired a thunderstorm at Uncle Darius, which this time threatened to shatter his earthen defenses.
Uncle Darius stepped back slightly, realizing this attack was more dangerous. He quickly manipulated the earth element, creating pillars of earth that rose from the ground to counter the thunderstorm. The clash of elements produced a loud explosion, and Ardyn saw an opportunity to press the attack further.
"This is it!" Ardyn muttered to himself.
He summoned the water element within him, creating a wave of water that enveloped his feet, boosting his speed. With a combination of wind and water, he rapidly closed the distance to his uncle, attempting to overwhelm him with close-range attacks.
However, Uncle Darius was equally agile. The ground beneath his feet shifted, forming a protective ring that made it difficult for Ardyn to find an opening. "You've gotten faster, Ardyn, but you're still too hasty," said Uncle Darius as he prepared a counterattack.
At that moment, Kael, Rian, and Nolan arrived in the backyard, drawn by the sounds of the battle. They quickly stood at the edge of the field, watching intently.
"They seem serious this time," said Kael, leaning against a tree.
"The fight is pretty intense," added Nolan, folding his arms across his chest, his eyes never leaving Ardyn.
"Ardyn has improved, but his uncle... he's too calm," remarked Rian, observing with great interest.
Meanwhile, Ardyn continued to pressure his uncle with combined attacks from the elements he mastered. However, Uncle Darius was still able to keep up with him, using the earth element to create walls, shields, and pillars that stopped every attack.
Frustrated, Ardyn began losing control of his emotions. His breaths quickened, and suddenly, he felt something strange within him—a feral instinct that had been dormant until now. Without realizing it, Ardyn drew a dagger he had purchased at the Mana Festival a few days ago.
The crimson dagger immediately radiated a tremendous mana aura, and suddenly, an extraordinary energy enveloped Ardyn's body. The aura was so powerful that the surrounding air vibrated. Everyone watching from the sidelines was shocked by the surge of energy that erupted from Ardyn.
"Ardyn! What are you doing?" shouted Uncle Darius, sensing something was amiss.
Ardyn didn't answer. The instinct within him had taken over, and his once-focused eyes now appeared empty and full of rage. Standing in the middle of the field, his body emanated waves of overwhelming mana. "W-what is this? Is my brother truly this strong?" said Eldric, Ardyn's younger sibling.
The dagger was drawing all of Ardyn's strength and mana. Everyone was shocked by the untapped power Ardyn possessed. "The aura he's emitting right now might be equal to an S-class adventurer," Nolan exclaimed. The onlookers felt the intense tension radiating from the battlefield.
"What's happening to him?" screamed Elysia, her eyes widening in fear as she watched Ardyn, who now seemed completely out of control.
"Ardyn! Stop!" shouted Uncle Darius, struggling against the wild mana waves that Ardyn was unleashing.
But Ardyn heard nothing. He began attacking his uncle with increasingly brutal moves, combining assaults from various elements. Bolts of lightning, bursts of fire, creeping vines, earth tremors, waves of water, and gusts of wind relentlessly bombarded Uncle Darius, causing his earth defenses to begin cracking.
Kael, Rian, and Nolan realized the situation was becoming dire.
"We have to help him," Kael said, stepping forward. "He's not aware of what he's doing."
Nolan nodded, his eyes sharp with determination. "If this continues, someone could die."
The three of them leaped into the fray, joining Uncle Darius to try to restrain Ardyn. Kael, wielding the light element, created a radiant shield to block the raging mana emanating from Ardyn.
Rian quickly summoned his wind element, creating a barrier of air around Kael and Uncle Darius, trying to hold back the wild mana emanating from Ardyn's body. "I don't know how long we can keep this up!" Rian shouted.
Meanwhile, Nolan, using his shadow element, attempted to approach Ardyn from behind. Dark tendrils rose from the ground, forming bindings that tried to entangle Ardyn's arms and legs. However, the mana aura surrounding Ardyn was so strong that even Nolan's shadows were repelled.
"He's too powerful!" shouted Nolan. "That mana wave deflects everything we try."
With firm resolve, Kael decided to take a big risk. "I'll try to get closer!" he yelled. He began pushing through the mana storm around Ardyn, his body illuminated by protective light magic.
As Kael got closer, Ardyn's hand suddenly moved on its own, ready to unleash a massive attack—one imbued with the blood element.
Kael was stunned, not expecting Ardyn to wield such an element. But before the attack could hit him, Nolan acted quickly, restraining Ardyn's arm with shadows, while Rian fortified the wind barrier around them.
Kael shouted, "Ardyn, snap out of it!"
But there was no response. Ardyn seemed completely consumed by his killing instincts. Uncle Darius, despite his injuries, refused to give up. He quickly summoned his earth element, creating a net of soil that managed to entangle Ardyn's legs, forcing him to pause briefly.
"This is our chance!" shouted Uncle Darius. "Kael, get to him now!"
With the wind protection from Rian and shadow reinforcement from Nolan, Kael successfully broke through Ardyn's mana defenses. He rushed forward and punched Ardyn in the face, causing the young man to stagger and break free from his instincts. The dagger in Ardyn's hand gradually dimmed, and his body began to weaken.
"Ardyn!" screamed Elysia, her voice full of worry as she ran toward the fallen Ardyn.
"Elysia, be careful!" Aunt Eladra shouted, her face filled with panic at what had just transpired.
Ardyn slowly opened his eyes, his face full of fear. He panted heavily, recalling what had just happened. "What... have I done?" His voice trembled, heavy with regret.
Uncle Darius, Kael, Nolan, and Rian, all injured from the fight, looked at Ardyn with deep concern. Aunt Eladra quickly ran to Uncle Darius, her eyes filled with worry. "You're hurt!" she exclaimed, examining the wounds on her husband's body.
Meanwhile, Eldric and Lyron stared at their brother with pale faces. They were still too young to fully comprehend what had just happened, but they knew their brother had almost done something terrible.
Elysia crouched beside Ardyn, holding his trembling hand tightly. "Ardyn… are you okay?" she asked softly, though the deep worry in her voice was evident.
Ardyn nodded slowly, but his face was still shaken. "I almost… I almost killed Uncle," he said in a hoarse voice, his eyes brimming with tears.
Uncle Darius, though injured, gave a weak smile. "You didn't kill me, kid."
Ardyn sat on the ground, staring intently at the dagger still in his hand. He knew there was more to this than just his strength—this was the beginning of something far darker.