Chapter 5: Unseen Growth
After a full day of soaking in the hot spring, Kael finally woke up. His head throbbed slightly, a dull ache that pulsed at his temples, but beyond that, his body felt… strange.
Warmth surrounded him, the soothing heat of the water seeping into his skin. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the dim glow of the cave ceiling above. His mind was hazy, slow to register where he was or how he got there.
"Where… am I?"
The last thing he remembered was lying down to sleep. But now, he was submerged in water, floating in a natural hot spring. His heart pounded as confusion set in.
"You're finally awake."
A familiar voice cut through the silence.
Kael turned his head toward the source. Kazuki stood a few feet away, arms crossed, his sharp gaze studying him carefully.
Kael struggled to sit up, his body feeling lighter than it should.
"What… happened?" he asked, his throat dry.
Kazuki let out a slow exhale before answering.
"You tell me. I found you lying outside, bleeding from the mouth. I carried you back, but not long after, you started coughing up more blood. You were completely drained of innergy—so I had to transfer some just to keep you conscious."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Not that it did much. You passed out anyway."
Kael furrowed his brows, trying to recall, but there was nothing. Just a vast emptiness between the moment he closed his eyes and now.
"I… don't remember any of that."
Kazuki remained silent, his expression unreadable. But inside, he was deep in thought. Something had happened to Kael—something that even Kazuki couldn't explain. Innergy wasn't something that just fluctuated on its own, especially not at this scale.
One thing was certain—Kael's innergy had increased. Exponentially.
Kazuki turned away, hiding his concern behind indifference.
"Are you okay now?" he asked.
"There's food in the shelter. Eat. We're resuming training soon."
Kael nodded slowly and moved to stand. But the moment he did, a strange sensation rushed through him.
His body felt… off.
Not weak. Not sore.
Light. Too light.
He flexed his fingers, curled them into fists, then unclenched them. His muscles didn't feel fatigued. If anything, they were too responsive, as if they had been rewired overnight.
"This is… weird," he muttered under his breath.
Still, he shook it off and headed toward the shelter. He needed food first—answers could come later.
As he ate in silence, an odd feeling tugged at the back of his mind. A sense that something important had happened.
A memory just out of reach.
He tried to grasp it, tried to force himself to remember, but it was like chasing shadows. No matter how hard he focused, the details slipped away before they could take form.
What happened to me?
Before he could dwell on it further, Kazuki's voice called out.
"Hurry up. Training's about to start."
Kael swallowed the last of his meal and stepped outside. Kazuki was waiting for him, a sword in hand. Without a word, he tossed it toward Kael, who caught it midair with surprising ease.
It felt natural.
Kazuki nodded slightly. "That'll be your weapon. Every Sentinel wields a sword called a Katanada. The one you're holding is called Plain Steel—the first form of a Sentinel's blade."
Kael turned the weapon over in his hands. It was simple, unadorned, yet… balanced.
Kazuki continued.
"A sword can evolve into a release state, known as Relascio Armamento. But we'll get to that later. Right now, we focus on innergy control—how to shape it, refine it, and apply it efficiently."
Kazuki gestured toward a massive boulder standing in the middle of the training grounds.
"Unsheathe your blade."
Kael obeyed.
"Your task," Kazuki said, "is to cut that boulder in half."
Kael's brow furrowed.
"A boulder? With this?"
"A normal strike won't work," Kazuki explained.
"You have to channel just enough innergy into the blade—sharpen it without overloading it. Too much, and the sword shatters. Too little, and it won't cut at all. You need precision."
Kael nodded, gripping the hilt of his Katanada. But as he prepared to strike, a strange sensation welled up within him.
A feeling like… déjà vu.
Something deep inside stirred. His body moved as if it already knew what to do. His innergy responded before he even willed it to.
And then it hit him.
The dream.
The battlefield. The suffocating weight. The knight.
He had been forced to push his innergy beyond its limits in that dream. He had adapted, endured. His body didn't remember—but something deeper did.
Without hesitation, he adjusted his stance. His breathing slowed.
His innergy flowed. Not too much. Not too little. Just enough.
Then—
SLASH.
A clean cut.
The boulder split perfectly in two. The ground beneath it cracked, a deep scar carved into the earth.
Silence.
Kazuki's expression remained neutral, but Kael could sense the brief flicker of surprise in his eyes.
That was too clean. Too precise. Too controlled.
Kael stared at his blade, breathing heavily. His grip was steady, but his mind was racing.
How?
How did that feel so… natural?
Kazuki exhaled through his nose.
"Hmph. Looks like I don't need to teach you anything else."
Kael blinked.
"Wait… that's it?"
Kazuki nodded.
"That was your lesson on innergy manipulation. You passed. There's nothing more I can teach you on the basics."
Kael glanced between the destroyed boulder and the sword in his hands. Something still didn't feel right.
Kazuki turned away.
"But that doesn't mean your training is over."
Kael tensed. "What do you mean?"
"You'll have a final exam," Kazuki said, his voice unreadable.
"And no, I won't tell you what it is."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"So… how am I supposed to prepare?"
Kazuki smirked faintly.
"You're not."
Kael stiffened.
"You'll either pass… or you won't." Kazuki started walking away.
"Rest up. You'll need it."
Kael stood there, heart pounding.
A test he couldn't prepare for?
He didn't know what Kazuki had planned.
But one thing was certain.
He had to be ready for anything.