After falling yet again, I didn't get up straight away.
---
Lying on the cold floor of the training hall, I just stared at the ceiling.
My body no longer protested—it was too tired to argue.
---
'Have you finally understood?' Scar asked quietly from within.
---
I closed my eyes.
"No."
"I'm just tired of breaking myself."
---
Pause.
---
Akarania flashed somewhere on the edge of my consciousness:
---
[SYSTEM STABILITY: 41%]
[FORCE CONFLICT: CRITICAL]
---
I sat down slowly.
---
"That's the problem…"
---
I looked at my hand.
A flash of lightning ran across my skin and vanished immediately.
---
— It won't obey.
---
Then I closed my eyes.
---
— And the spirits won't obey either.
---
A pause.
---
— And neither will you.
---
SCAR smiled.
---
'I've never obeyed.'
---
I nodded.
'Exactly.'
---
I stood up.
Slowly.
Without any sudden movements.
---
'So I've been doing everything wrong.'
---
Silence.
---
And for the first time, even SCAR didn't reply straight away.
---
I raised the Kuroyami.
---
And just stood there.
---
Without summoning the power.
Without forcing it.
---
Just listening.
---
And then I felt it.
---
The lightning inside wasn't evil.
---
The spirits weren't chaos.
---
SCAR wasn't an enemy.
---
They were simply… pulling in different directions.
---
'You don't want to kill me…' I said quietly.
---
'You want me to choose you.'
---
---
Akarania flared up:
---
[ANALYSIS: CHANGE OF APPROACH]
[RECOMMENDATION: BALANCE]
---
I smiled.
---
"Balance… yes."
---
---
I closed my eyes.
---
And for the first time, I didn't try to control them.
---
I imagined them beside me.
---
Not as weapons.
---
But as parts of me.
---
---
Lightning — movement.
---
Spirits — perception.
---
SCAR — destruction.
---
Core — stability.
---
Kuroyami — form.
---
---
I took a breath.
---
And allowed them to exist simultaneously.
---
But not together.
---
But side by side.
---
---
The world around me trembled.
---
But it didn't explode.
---
It… settled.
---
---
— Oh…
---
I opened my eyes.
---
And saw.
---
The lightning no longer crackled.
---
It flowed.
---
The spirits did not argue.
---
They guided.
---
The SCAR wasn't pressing down.
---
It was waiting for the moment.
---
---
The Akarania flared brighter:
---
[BALANCE ACHIEVED: 72%]
[CONFLICT OF FORCES: REDUCED]
---
I slowly clenched my fist.
---
And struck the air.
---
Without an explosion.
---
But space warped slightly.
---
— It works…
---
---
SCAR chuckled quietly.
---
'You've finally stopped being an idiot.'
---
I grunted.
'Thanks for the support.'
---
---
I took another step.
---
And this time, the energy didn't go haywire.
---
It followed.
---
---
I began to move.
---
Slowly.
---
Every step — control.
---
Every breath — synchronisation.
---
---
The Kuroyami glowed evenly.
---
The lightning did not burst forth.
---
The spirits made no noise.
---
---
And for the first time I felt:
---
I am not fighting against myself.
---
---
I am all of this.
---
---
I raised my blade.
---
And struck.
---
The cut was clean.
---
Not destructive.
---
But precise.
---
---
'Just like that…' I whispered.
---
---
Akarania:
---
[SYSTEM SYNCHRONISATION: 81%]
[EVOLUTIONARY STABILITY: ESTABLISHED]
---
---
I lowered the Kuroyami.
---
And for the first time in a long while, I didn't feel as though my body was betraying me.
---
---
SHRAM said quietly:
---
— You're more dangerous now than you were before.
---
---
I nodded.
---
'Now I'm more stable.'
---
---
He smiled.
---
'It's the same thing.'
---
---
I sat down on the floor.
---
And just exhaled.
---
---
— Balance… — I said quietly.
---
— It's not control.
---
---
— It's harmony.
---
---
Silence.
---
---
And then, somewhere inside, everything became quieter.
---
---
Not weaker.
---
---
But more even.
---
---
And for the first time I realised:
---
---
Strength no longer broke me.
---
---
It became me.