Episode 10 : Break Me Or Build Me
1180 Words
“Again.”
Kael’s voice cut through the cold morning air.
I clenched my fists.
“I just did—”
“Again.”
Of course.
No rest.
No pause.
No mercy.
I sucked in a breath, trying to steady myself as I stood in the center of the training pit. The ground beneath my feet still bore cracks from yesterday.
From me.
A reminder I couldn’t ignore.
“Focus,” Kael said.
Easy for him to say.
He stood a few feet away, completely still, arms at his sides like he wasn’t even trying.
Like I wasn’t a threat.
Like I couldn’t hurt him.
That irritated me more than it should have.
“Stop holding back,” he added.
“I’m not holding back,” I snapped.
His eyebrow lifted slightly.
“Then that’s a problem.”
My jaw tightened.
“Maybe I just don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“Then you’ll never learn control.”
There it was again.
That word.
Control.
Everything came back to it.
“Fine,” I muttered.
I closed my eyes.
Took a breath.
And reached for it.
That energy.
That thing inside me.
At first—
Nothing.
Just silence.
Then—
A flicker.
Faint.
Distant.
But there.
I focused harder.
Pulled.
And this time—
It answered.
The power surged through me like a sudden storm, fast and overwhelming. My breath hitched as it spread through my chest, down my arms, into my fingertips.
Stronger than before.
Sharper.
Alive.
“Good,” Kael said quietly. “Now hold it.”
Hold it?
I frowned, trying to steady the flow.
But it didn’t want to stay still.
It moved.
Shifted.
Pushed against me like it had a will of its own.
“I can’t—” I gritted out.
“You can.”
“I said I can’t!”
The energy spiked suddenly.
Violently.
The ground beneath me cracked again with a loud snap.
A ripple of force shot outward, kicking up dust and debris.
I staggered.
“Too much!” I gasped.
“Then control it,” Kael snapped.
“I’m trying!”
No.
I wasn’t.
Not really.
I was fighting it.
Pushing it down.
Trying to suppress it like it was something to be feared.
Like it was the enemy.
“Stop resisting,” Kael said.
The words cut through the chaos.
“Let it move.”
My breath hitched.
Let it… move?
That felt wrong.
Dangerous.
But—
Fighting it hadn’t worked.
So slowly…
Carefully…
I loosened my grip.
And everything changed.
The energy shifted instantly.
Still strong.
Still powerful.
But not as chaotic.
Not as violent.
It flowed instead of crashing.
Moved instead of exploding.
My eyes snapped open.
“I…” I whispered. “I feel it.”
“Then use it.”
Right.
Of course.
I turned toward Kael, my heart pounding.
“Don’t move,” I said.
A faint smirk touched his lips.
“I wasn’t planning to.”
That confidence again.
It made something in me snap.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I muttered.
Then—
I moved.
Faster this time.
Stronger.
The energy surged with me, not against me.
I didn’t just swing—
I *channeled* it.
The force shot forward, hitting Kael head-on.
The impact echoed through the pit—
But just like before—
He didn’t move.
Not even a step.
My eyes widened.
“How—?!”
Before I could react—
He grabbed my wrist mid-motion.
But this time—
The power didn’t disappear.
It reacted.
It surged.
Stronger.
Faster.
Like it was pushing back.
Kael’s grip tightened.
His expression shifted slightly.
“Interesting,” he murmured.
The energy crackled between us, sharp and unstable.
My breath hitched.
“I can’t hold it—!”
“Don’t hold it,” he said.
“What?”
“Direct it.”
My mind raced.
Direct it… how?
The power pulsed again, stronger than before.
Too strong.
It was slipping.
“I’m losing it!” I gasped.
“No,” Kael said firmly. “You’re not.”
“Yes, I am—!”
“Look at me.”
I froze.
His voice—
It wasn’t just a command.
It was grounding.
Pulling me back.
My eyes locked onto his.
Dark.
Steady.
Unshaken.
“Focus on me,” he said.
“Not the power.”
My breath slowed.
Just slightly.
The energy flickered.
Unstable.
But not exploding.
“You control it,” he continued. “Not the other way around.”
The words settled deep.
I swallowed hard.
Then—
I tried again.
Instead of fighting it…
I guided it.
Just a little.
Just enough.
The energy shifted.
Moved through me instead of against me.
My body steadied.
My breathing slowed.
And for the first time—
It felt like mine.
A shaky breath escaped me.
“I… did it.”
“Barely,” Kael said.
But there was something different in his voice.
Something… approving.
I pulled my hand back slowly, the energy fading with it.
Not gone.
Just quieter.
Controlled.
My heart raced.
But this time—
Not from fear.
From something else.
Something almost like—
Relief.
“I’m getting better,” I said.
It wasn’t a question.
It was a realization.
Kael studied me for a moment.
Then nodded once.
“Yes.”
The single word hit harder than I expected.
Because it wasn’t just acknowledgment.
It was confirmation.
I wasn’t helpless.
I wasn’t completely out of control.
I could learn this.
I could handle it.
Hope flickered inside me—
Small.
Fragile.
But real.
Until—
A sudden pressure hit my chest.
Sharp.
Violent.
My breath caught.
“What—?”
The energy surged again—
But this time—
It wasn’t coming from me.
My eyes widened.
“Kael—”
He felt it too.
I could see it in the way his expression changed instantly.
Alert.
Focused.
Dangerous.
“That’s not you,” he said.
Panic shot through me.
“Then what is it?”
Before he could answer—
The air shifted.
Darkened.
Heavier than before.
The same feeling from the forest.
From the room.
From the moment everything started.
Watching.
Waiting.
Awake.
My heart pounded.
“It’s here,” I whispered.
Kael stepped in front of me instantly, his body tense.
“Stay behind me.”
The command was sharp.
Protective.
But it didn’t matter.
Because whatever it was—
It wasn’t outside.
It was closer.
Much closer.
The energy inside me reacted violently, surging in response.
Not fear.
Recognition.
My breath hitched.
“No…” I whispered.
Because I realized something terrifying.
It wasn’t coming for me.
It was already here.
A low voice echoed in my mind again.
Cold.
Ancient.
Unfamiliar.
*“You’re waking up…”*
My body went rigid.
“What did you hear?” Kael demanded.
I swallowed hard.
My voice barely a whisper.
“It knows me.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Then—
Kael’s next words sent a chill through my entire body.
“Then we’re out of time.”
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