Episode 5 : Control...Or Destruction
1341 Words
"It’s starting sooner than I thought.”
Kael’s words echoed in my head long after the room fell silent again.
Starting?
What exactly was starting?
I pulled away from him slightly, my chest still rising and falling too fast. The energy from before had faded—but not completely.
It lingered.
Like something just beneath my skin… waiting.
“What do you mean?” I asked, my voice unsteady. “Starting what?”
Kael didn’t answer immediately.
That alone was enough to make my stomach twist.
Instead, he stepped back, his expression returning to that cold, unreadable mask I was beginning to hate.
“Get dressed,” he said.
I blinked.
“What?”
“You’re training.”
Training?
I let out a small, disbelieving laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I can barely stand without something exploding inside me and you want me to *train*?”
“Yes.”
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Just certainty.
I stared at him.
“You think this is something I can just… control?”
“I know it is.”
The confidence in his voice irritated me more than it should have.
“You don’t even know what this is,” I snapped.
His eyes darkened slightly.
“I know enough.”
There it was again.
That same answer.
Vague. Controlled. Infuriating.
“Stop saying that!” I stepped closer, frustration bubbling over. “If you know something, then say it. I deserve to know what’s happening to me!”
For a moment, something flickered in his expression.
Gone almost instantly.
“Not yet.”
Two words.
And somehow… they felt like a wall slamming down between us.
My hands curled into fists.
“Then why should I trust you?” I shot back.
Silence.
Heavy.
Then—
“Because I’m the only one who can keep you alive.”
The bluntness of it stole the air from my lungs.
Alive.
Not safe.
Not protected.
Alive.
That alone told me everything I needed to know.
Whatever was happening to me…
It wasn’t normal.
And it wasn’t harmless.
“Get dressed,” Kael repeated, turning away. “We start now.”
--------------
The training ground was worse than I expected.
Much worse.
It wasn’t just a field.
It was a pit.
Circular. Surrounded by stone walls, worn and cracked like they had seen years of violence.
Bloodstains marked the ground in dark patches.
Old.
New.
Too many.
My steps slowed as we approached.
“This is where you train?” I asked quietly.
“This is where you survive,” Kael corrected.
That didn’t make me feel better.
At all.
A few warriors were already gathered, their eyes immediately shifting to me the moment we stepped into the open.
Judging.
Measuring.
Waiting.
“She’s the one?” one of them muttered.
“She doesn’t look like much.”
I clenched my jaw.
Here we go again.
Different place.
Same reactions.
Kael didn’t acknowledge them.
He walked straight into the center of the pit, then turned to face me.
“Come here.”
I hesitated for half a second… then stepped forward.
Because backing down now?
That wasn’t an option.
“Today is simple,” he said. “You learn control.”
“And how exactly do I do that?” I asked.
“By using it.”
Of course.
“Use what?” I pressed.
“The power inside you.”
Easy for him to say.
I crossed my arms, frustration rising again. “I don’t even know how to access it, let alone control it.”
“You will.”
“And if I don’t?”
His gaze locked onto mine.
“Then people get hurt.”
A chill ran down my spine.
Before I could respond, he turned slightly.
“Attack her.”
My eyes widened.
“What—?”
One of the warriors stepped forward immediately.
No hesitation.
No warning.
He lunged.
Fast.
Too fast.
I barely had time to react before he was right in front of me, his fist coming straight toward my face.
Instinct took over.
I stumbled back, raising my arms defensively—
And something snapped.
The same energy from before surged violently through my body.
Hot.
Wild.
Uncontrolled.
“Stop!” I shouted—but it was too late.
The power exploded out of me.
A shockwave burst from my body, sending the warrior flying backward like he’d been hit by something far stronger than a simple strike.
He slammed into the ground hard.
Too hard.
Silence fell instantly.
My heart stopped.
“I didn’t—” My voice shook. “I didn’t mean to—”
The warrior groaned, struggling to move.
Relief hit me—but it didn’t last.
Because when I looked up—
Everyone was staring at me.
Not with doubt.
Not with dismissal.
But with something else.
Something far more dangerous.
Fear.
“She didn’t even touch him…” someone whispered.
“That wasn’t normal…”
Of course it wasn’t.
I looked down at my hands, my breath uneven.
What did I just do?
“Again.”
Kael’s voice cut through the silence.
I snapped my head up.
“What?! No—I just hurt him!”
“He’s alive,” Kael said coldly. “Again.”
My chest tightened.
“No.”
The word came out before I could stop it.
“I said again.”
“I said no!” I shot back, anger and fear mixing inside me. “I don’t know how to control it! What if I kill someone next time?!”
“Then you learn from it.”
The words hit me like a slap.
“You want me to risk someone’s life just to ‘learn’?” I demanded.
“I want you to understand what you are,” he corrected sharply.
“And what is that?!” I shouted.
Silence.
For a split second.
Then—
“Dangerous.”
The word landed heavy between us.
Final.
Unavoidable.
Something inside me cracked slightly.
Because deep down…
I was starting to believe it.
“I don’t want this,” I whispered.
“You don’t get a choice.”
Of course I didn’t.
I let out a shaky breath, my gaze dropping to the ground.
Then slowly…
I lifted my head again.
“Fine,” I said quietly.
“If I’m doing this… then do it properly.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Attack me.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
A ripple of shock moved through the watching warriors.
Even Kael went still.
“Do you understand what you’re asking?” he said slowly.
“No,” I admitted. “But I know I won’t hold back if it’s you.”
A dangerous glint flickered in his eyes.
For a moment… I thought he might refuse.
Then—
“Good.”
He stepped forward.
The air shifted instantly.
Heavy.
Charged.
Deadly.
“Show me,” he said.
My pulse pounded.
Fear crawled up my spine.
But beneath it…
Something else stirred.
That same energy.
Waiting.
Hungry.
I took a breath.
And let go.
The power surged.
Stronger than before.
Faster.
Uncontrolled.
I moved without thinking, the energy exploding outward as I lunged toward him—
And this time…
It didn’t just push.
It struck.
Hard.
The impact echoed through the pit—
But Kael didn’t move.
Not an inch.
My eyes widened.
How—
Before I could react—
His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist mid-motion.
The moment he touched me—
Everything snapped.
The power.
The movement.
Even my breath.
Gone.
Like he had shut it off completely.
My body froze.
My heart raced.
And suddenly… I was very aware of how close he was.
Too close.
His grip tightened slightly as he looked down at me.
Not impressed.
Not surprised.
But certain.
“Now you understand the problem,” he said quietly.
My breath hitched.
“What problem…?”
A pause.
Then—
“You’re not just powerful.”
His eyes darkened.
“You’re unstable.”
- Writer
