The morning sun stretched long golden fingers across the training grounds as Kaien and the others gathered for another day of relentless training. The air was crisp, carrying the distant scent of wet stone and the faint hum of the city beyond the walls. Aedric stood before them, his expression as unreadable as ever, his cane resting lightly against the ground.
"You had your day of rest, now prove that it wasn't wasted," he said, his voice sharp but never raised. "Form pairs. We begin immediately."
The group split as instructed. Kaien took his stance against Thorn, a fellow Tide Shaper. Their task for the day was precision—crafting Tide Constructs that could withstand impact without breaking apart. It was a lesson in both endurance and control.
Kaien inhaled slowly, summoning the current of power within him. The energy of the Tide Shaper ability he had stolen obeyed him, swirling around his arms like liquid light. A translucent blade formed in his grasp, its edges shimmering. Thorn mirrored his actions, crafting a jagged spear of hardened tide energy.
They clashed.
The impact rang out like a bell, their weapons pressing against each other before dispersing into mist. Thorn was quick, his movements sharp and practiced, but Kaien was getting faster. He conjured another weapon mid-motion—a hooked scythe this time—swinging it in an upward arc.
Thorn barely dodged, his eyes widening. "Shit—Kaien, that was—"
But then it happened.
A cold surge—deep, consuming, and wrong—erupted from within Kaien's core. It was a familiar sensation, one he had barely managed to suppress before. The Negative Current.
It was awake.
Kaien felt his pulse quicken as his own power twisted against him. The blade in his hands shifted unnaturally, its edges darkening, vibrating with an eerie energy. He clenched his jaw, trying to force it back down, but it was like holding back a storm with bare hands.
His breathing faltered. His vision blurred.
And then, without warning—
The construct shattered, but instead of dispersing, it lashed out. A jagged tendril of black, crackling energy shot forward—straight for Thorn.
Kaien's heart seized.
Thorn barely managed to deflect it with his spear, but the force of the impact sent him skidding backward, his feet dragging through the dirt. A deep gash burned across his forearm where the stray energy had grazed him. The others turned at the sound of the collision, their gazes snapping toward Kaien.
Aedric's cane slammed against the ground, silencing the moment.
Kaien stumbled back, his chest heaving. The energy had already receded, but the damage was done. They had seen it.
Aedric's piercing gaze fixed on him. Not angry. Not surprised. Just… watching. Calculating.
"Kaien, with me. Now."
The rest of the group hesitated, their eyes flickering with confusion, concern, and in some cases—fear. But no one spoke.
Kaien exhaled, shaking, and followed Aedric into the building.
The room was dimly lit, lined with shelves filled with old tomes and strange artifacts. Aedric stood by the wooden desk, his hands resting against the surface.
For a long time, he said nothing.
Kaien shifted uneasily. He could still feel the remnants of the Negative Current beneath his skin, coiling, waiting. He swallowed hard.
"Explain." Aedric's voice was calm, but firm.
Kaien hesitated. His mind raced, searching for an answer—an excuse, a lie. But the old man's gaze was like iron, stripping away any chance of deceit.
So Kaien told the truth.
Not everything. Not about how he had stolen his Tide Shaper ability, not about where this power truly came from. But he admitted to the dark surges, the loss of control, the way it clawed at him when he least expected it.
Aedric listened in silence. When Kaien finished, the old man leaned back slightly, exhaling.
Then, to Kaien's surprise, he chuckled. A dry, humorless sound.
"So that's what's been lurking in you."
Kaien's stomach twisted. "You knew?"
Aedric's expression didn't change. "Not exactly. But I suspected. A current that rebels against its own user… It's rare. And dangerous." He tilted his head slightly. "How long have you been keeping this from the others?"
Kaien's jaw tightened. "Since the beginning."
Aedric nodded as if he expected that answer. "And yet you still train. You still push yourself. Even though it could kill you."
Kaien didn't respond.
Aedric tapped his fingers against the desk. "You have two options."
Kaien's shoulders tensed.
"First, you can walk away. Stop training. Bury this power deep and pray it doesn't consume you."
Kaien's fists clenched. That wasn't an option.
"Second," Aedric continued, "you learn to master it. But understand this—controlling something like that? It's not about suppressing it. You can't lock it away forever."
Kaien swallowed. He already knew that. He had felt it, every time the Negative Current reared its head.
Aedric leaned forward slightly. "The only way to truly control it is to understand it. To let it in. Not be its enemy, but its master."
Kaien exhaled slowly.
Let it in? That sounded like madness.
But wasn't that what had been happening anyway? Every time he tried to suppress it, it came back stronger.
"If I do this," Kaien said quietly, "what if it… changes me?"
Aedric studied him for a long moment. Then, in a voice far softer than before, he said:
"That's up to you, boy. Power doesn't change who we are. It only shows us who we've always been."
For the next few days, Kaien stayed out of training. Aedric had ordered it. Not as punishment—but as a chance to regain control.
The others didn't ask questions, though he caught their lingering glances. Thorn's wary eyes. Lyra's quiet concern. Tessa's sharp curiosity.
Kaien spent the time in solitude, meditating, reaching inward. Trying to listen to the power that had nearly taken over.
At night, he dreamed of it. A vast, shifting tide—black as ink, stretching beyond the horizon. It called to him. Whispered in a voice he couldn't understand.
And at the edge of that vast sea, he stood alone.
Waiting.
Waiting for the moment he would finally step in.