The training grounds were quiet. Not the peaceful kind of quiet—the uncomfortable kind.
Like the moment before a storm.
Like the world itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
I stood in the middle of the courtyard, gripping a wooden training sword so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Across from me, Felix Regas, walking thunderstorm and general pain in my ass, leaned against the fence, arms crossed.
His expression? Mild disappointment.
Which, frankly, felt offensive.
I exhaled through my nose. "You wanna stop looking at me like that?"
Felix raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"Like I'm a lost puppy that just peed on the floor."
He smirked. "I mean. You are struggling."
I gritted my teeth. "Struggling is a strong word."
Felix tilted his head. "Is it?"
"Look, I get the concept," I said, rolling my shoulders. "Mana is supposed to flow through the body, like breathing, or blinking, or—whatever. I understand."
Felix's smirk didn't waver. "And yet?"
I exhaled sharply. And yet—nothing.
No flicker of magic. No warm pulse of energy. Just me, standing here, waving a wooden sword around like an idiot while Felix got to be smug.
I narrowed my eyes. "What's your point?"
Felix pushed off the fence and took a few lazy steps toward me. "My point is that you're thinking too much."
"Oh, am I?" I deadpanned. "Wow, what a breakthrough. If I stop thinking about it, I'll quickly become an expert."
Felix snorted. "Not stop thinking—stop resisting."
I frowned. "I'm not resisting."
Felix just gave me a look.
Okay. Fine. Maybe I was resisting a little.
Maybe I didn't want to think about why this wasn't working.
Because I already knew.
The magic wasn't the problem.
I was.
I sighed, adjusting my grip on the wooden sword. "Alright, Professor Lightning, what do you suggest?"
Felix hummed, like he was considering whether or not to tell me something. Then he pointed at my chest.
"Close your eyes."
I raised an eyebrow. "And let you kill me? Pass."
Felix groaned. "Kael."
"Fine, fine."
I exhaled and closed my eyes.
Instantly, the world sharpened.
The distant hum of magic in the Academy walls. The quiet crackle of Felix's natural electricity. The faint breeze that ghosted against my skin.
But beneath that—beneath everything—was something else.
Something deeper.
Something waiting.
My father's voice echoed in my mind.
"You are my son."
I remembered.
The moment Hades placed the Helm of Darkness on my head.
That pulse—that overwhelming sensation of power flooding through me. Not crushing. Not foreign. Right.
Like I had always been meant to carry it.
I hadn't fought it then.
I had let it in.
So why was this different?
I breathed in.
For the first time since this training started, I stopped trying to command my magic.
I stopped trying to force it.
Instead, I let it be.
I let it flow.
A spark.
Small. Subtle.
Like a second heartbeat, buried under my skin.
I exhaled.
And the mana moved.
Not because I forced it.
Because it was always supposed to be there.
I lifted the wooden sword—not as a weapon, but as an extension of myself.
The energy followed.
A low, golden glow curled around the blade, faint but steady.
Felix inhaled sharply.
I opened my eyes.
And for the first time in my life—
I wasn't afraid of my own power.
Felix let out a slow whistle. "Well, damn. You actually did it."
I blinked, still half-stunned. "I—what?"
Felix smirked. "Took you long enough."
I snorted, shaking my head. "Okay, Lord of Thunder, let's not get ahead of ourselves."
Felix raised a brow. "You sure? Because now that you get the basics…"
He lifted his own sword. Lightning snapped to life along the edge.
"…let's see if you can actually use it."
I grinned, twirling my sword.
This time?
I was ready.