CHAPTER 28: AWAKENING THE ELEMENTAL SPIRIT [PART-2]

Awakening the Elemental Spirit [Part-2]

He breathed slowly, a soft sigh that appeared to hold years of control and sacrifice. "For you, son... I have purposefully held myself back. I have kept my guidance in check, kept myself from fully utilizing this power. It would have swamped you, or possibly even me. But now, it is time for you to learn, to master it by yourself. Otherwise... it would destroy everything in its path."

Victor’s chest constricted as a tempest of feeling crashed through him—amazement, incredulity, and a spark of illicit excitement commingling together in a beat that sent his heart pounding. "I... you mean this... this is all mine to command?" His voice trembled, suspended between wonder and something shadowy, a thrill he hardly knew in himself.

Ben’s smile was subtle, sharp, like a shadowed knife glinting with a potential for harm, holding within it the weight of unseen expectations. "Yes, son. And remember this—if you don’t get through, I will take over. But I would rather you don’t. I believe in you." There was a hidden steel to his words, a challenge couched in promise, and Victor sensed it push against his chest with promise and threat.

Anna leaned in, the faint scent of her nearness brushing against him like a soft warning. Her voice was firm but gentle, with the weight of experience and concern. "And don’t forget, Victor... even a child can control lightning with this spirit beside them, but power comes only from discipline.". The Fallen Lightning will challenge you, but never betray you—unless first betrayed by you." Every word settled deep, and Victor could feel the thrill of the spirit’s spark thrumming back, impatient and eager, demanding respect.

Victor nodded, a shiver of excitement inching up his spine, curling in his veins like living lightning. He lowered himself to the floor, allowing his legs to fold beneath him as he sat cross-legged in the middle of the huge, resounding training hall. Even the air itself appeared to hum in reaction, tension-heavy and making the fine hairs along his arms rise. Shards of lightning flashed across the shining floor, dancing in eagerness as if the spirit already knew his purpose.

His dark raven hair cascaded down his shoulders, caressing his collarbone, flowing with him as he leaned forward ever so slightly. Violet eyes, bold and unflinching, fixed on the spirit held before him, and the excitement within him sparked, a living flame twisting just under the surface, straining for the initial instruction, the initial caress, the initial jolt of naked power he would make his own.

Ben’s voice cut through the heavy, electric quiet, relaxed but with a hint of command. "Now, son... take off your outer clothes. Feel the current. Let your body merge with it. Do not be afraid of the burn—it is not to hurt you. It is to awaken you."

Victor’s chest heaved hard, every beat a drum in his veins, but he complied, stripping off his shirt with shaking hands. The flesh of his chest touched the air, and at once he felt it—the low thrum that tickled over his muscle, the way all his nerves stirred awake with a sharp, agonizing delight. His muscles tensed automatically, muscles tightening like bunched springs, but there was no fear, just the fine, heady bite of expectation. The room itself vibrated with energy that swirled around him, touching every hair, every pore, every exposed inch of skin.

Anna and Ben watched him with intensity that spoke volumes without words. There was pride in their eyes, but underlying it was a guarded reserve, the type that weighed a father’s heart when a child toes the line of something risky but beautiful. They watched his every spasm, every tremble, as if taking the precise measure of when lightning would see fit to notice him.

Victor’s violet eyes were open wide, shining, mirrors to the storm that capered across the room in front of him. Sparks arced in arcs that looked somehow alive, twisting as though challenging the edges of his perceptions. He could sense the intelligence behind each flash, the delicate probing skirting his mind, measuring him, weighing him, challenging him. It was not energy—it was aware, sentient, and waiting for him to demonstrate worthiness.

Anna’s voice, smooth, warm, a whisper against the thundering face of the lightning. "Steady, Victor. Breathe. Feel its beat. Be the conductor, not the storm." Her words enveloped him, a soft silk to keep him anchored in the midst of the electrical turmoil.

Ben’s voice came next, unyielding and strong, hauling him back from the brink. "Concentrate, son. Will it with your mind, not fear.". Let the lightning see you as master." Every word pounded into him, a beat he could hold onto. The knot in his shoulders, the knot in the air, even the slight shiver of his hands—he started to take it in, bend it, coax it, sense himself as vessel and master. Each jolt of power against his skin was a beat that he could dance with, each spark a challenge to which he could respond, and within the charged environment, Victor understood: the storm wasn’t outside of him. The storm was him.

Victor’s mouth parted a little, a shiver passing through him as the bolts of power stretched out, sliding against his skin like fluid fire, hot but curiously soft, exciting rather than scorched. Each nerve in his body hummed, pulsating with a raw, unprocessed energy that sent his pulse pounding. He felt it rousing inside him, the elemental spirit power blending into his sinews, urging his muscles to react, leading him wordlessly. His body went almost of itself, curving, flexing, fitting into something ancient and greater than he was, something that had waited generations to stir.

The corridor around him vibrated, every shadow and gleaming surface echoing the tense silence, the expectation heavy in the air. His parents stood beside him, quiet but close, their eyes weighed down by anticipation, pride, and something they did not speak that constricted Victor’s chest. They did not touch him, did not guide him; rather, they allowed him to stumble into the rhythm of his own heritage, to sense the rush and the burden simultaneously.

A thrill coursed through his veins, not fear but exhilaration, as the feel of power closed around him, familiar and heady. Each beat reverberated in the great chamber, blending with the gentle thrum of the elemental flows. For the first time, Victor realized what it was to bear a legacy, to support the weight of a bloodline that expected reverence and mastery. His mind, body, and spirit felt merged, merged with something infinite and deep.

And then, completely, he accepted it. He accepted the full weight of his bloodline—the power, the duty, the legacy. And he accepted it.