I couldn't stop moving.
My legs burned. My arms screamed. My lungs felt like fire. My chest was heavy, every breath a struggle.
The creatures were everywhere. Circling. Lunging. Watching. Waiting. Their hollow eyes glinting in the dim light of the Lower Field.
Every time I threw a spark, I saw the reaction. Stagger. Recoil. Fear.
Small victories.
Not enough to survive long if I stayed messy.
I realized something.
I couldn't just react. I couldn't just dodge and hope the sparks hit.
I had to control it.
Control me.
Control them.
Control the spark.
I clenched my fists. The sparks in my hands flickered wildly, unstable, dangerous.
I could feel them burning through my skin. Pain shot up my arms. My shoulders trembled under the strain.
But I didn't drop them.
I couldn't.
Not now.
A creature lunged.
I ducked. Rolled. Fired a spark instinctively.
Hit.
Good.
But not enough.
It lunged again.
I realized I was still thinking too fast. Too chaotic.
I needed a rhythm.
Step. Spark. Step. Spark.
I forced myself to breathe. Slowly. One beat. Two beats.
Focus.
The sparks were wild. Crackling. Leaping. Hot. Painful.
But I could feel them responding to me.
A little.
Tiny movements.
Tiny control.
I forced it.
I focused.
Tighter.
Stronger.
Step. Spark.
Another step. Spark.
I was still messy. Still scared. Still weak.
But… I was starting to control it.
One spark hit a creature squarely in the chest. It screeched, staggered back violently.
I felt my heart jump.
"…I did that," I whispered.
Pain shot through my arms again. Sparks leaping unpredictably.
But I felt… power.
Not control. Not perfect. But power.
I rolled. Rolled again. Fired a spark mid-air. Hit another creature. Another stagger. Another opening.
I realized something.
I can't control everything.
But I can control the important things.
Step. Spark. Timing. Position.
I don't have to hit every creature perfectly. Just enough to survive.
Step by step.
I started moving smarter. Not just faster. Not just harder.
Smarter.
I led the creatures toward a narrow part of the field. Cracked ground. Sharp rocks. Limited space.
Step. Spark. Step.
They lunged. I dodged. I fired.
Some staggered. Some got stuck in the cracks. Some screamed.
I didn't stop.
I didn't hesitate.
I couldn't.
I felt the spark reacting to me differently.
Stronger. More focused.
Less wild.
Still messy. Still burning. Still painful.
But… listening.
I clenched my fists. Sparks flared violently, crackling around my arms. Pain seared through my skin, but I didn't drop them.
I moved again.
The creatures came at me in waves, faster now. Hungrier. Smarter.
I met them head-on.
Step. Spark. Step. Spark. Step.
I hit another. Staggered another. Blocked one mid-lunge.
I felt… control.
Not perfect. Not total.
But enough.
Enough to survive.
I started seeing patterns. The way they moved. The way they hesitated. The way I could make them collide.
I led a creature into a trap of its own.
Step forward. Spark. Side-step.
Two of them collided. Screamed. Recoiled.
I breathed hard. Sparks crackling wildly, but stable enough.
"…I can do this," I whispered.
Pain still burned. Arms raw. Chest heavy. Legs aching.
But I was alive.
And now… I was learning.
Step. Spark. Step. Spark.
The creatures hesitated. They weren't just attacking. They were testing me. Adjusting. Reacting.
I smiled, messy, exhausted, sweaty.
Good.
I could see it now.
They were predictable. Just like me.
Step. Spark. Step. Spark.
Another lunged at me from the side. I ducked, threw both sparks at once. Controlled chaos. Two of them staggered.
I staggered too. Pain everywhere. Arms burning. Sparks flickering uncontrollably.
But I stayed standing.
Not perfect. Not safe.
Just… alive.
I felt my chest tighten. Fear creeping back. Exhaustion screaming.
But something else…
Determination.
A fire.
Small. Fragile. But real.
I focused.
Tighter. Stronger. Pain sharp, burning. Sparks crackling violently.
Step. Step. Spark. Step. Spark.
I hit another. Another stagger. Another opening.
I started moving faster. Smarter. Not just reacting. Leading. Controlling.
The sparks were still messy, wild, painful.
But they were responding to me.
Listening.
I wasn't perfect. Not by far.
But I had… control.
Step by step. Spark by spark.
I was surviving.
Thriving.
Learning.
The creatures circled me again. Faster, hungrier.
But I wasn't scared.
Not like before.
I could see them. I could anticipate. I could control… enough.
Pain everywhere. Arms screaming. Sparks burning. Chest tight. Legs heavy.
But alive.
I clenched my fists. Sparks flared stronger.
I threw a massive burst forward.
It hit one creature square in the chest. It staggered, fell back. Screamed.
I moved forward. Another spark. Another hit. Another stagger.
Step. Spark. Step. Spark. Step.
I realized… I could fight.
Not perfectly. Not cleanly. Not safely.
But I could fight.
I could survive.
I could control… enough.
My chest heaved. My body burned. Sparks flickered wildly around me.
But I didn't stop.
I couldn't stop.
Step. Spark. Step. Spark. Step.
Pain. Fear. Exhaustion. Chaos.
But alive.
"…I got this…" I muttered.
The sparks flared violently. Pain shot through my arms, but they didn't go out.
Control.
Not perfect. Not complete.
But enough.
Step. Spark. Step. Spark.
I was alive.
I was still standing.
The creatures paused.
Hesitated.
I smiled.
Messy. Weak. Scared. Human.
But standing.
Step. Spark. Step. Spark.
I could do this.
I could survive.
And for the first time in the Lower Field…
I felt… powerful.
Not safe. Not perfect. Not invincible.
But… capable.
Step. Spark. Step. Spark.
I clenched my fists. Sparks flared around me, messy, chaotic, wild.
But controlled enough to hit another creature square.
Another stagger. Another opening.
Step. Spark. Step. Spark.
Pain. Fear. Exhaustion. Chaos.
All of it.
I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
Because this time…
The spark was listening.
I was controlling it.
And I… finally… was controlling myself.
Step. Spark. Step. Spark.
I survived.
And that… is how you grow.