Morning arrived quietly.
Golden light filtered through the enormous windows of the residence, flowing across the wooden floor in soft waves. Outside, the forest of the Sun People was already awake. Leaves rustled gently overhead while distant voices and movement blended into a calm rhythm that made the entire realm feel alive.
Inside the residence everyone was asleep. For a while.
Then Kaelus opened one eye. He stared blankly at the ceiling.
A moment later he stretched lazily and released a long yawn.
"Ahhh…"
He sat upright and rubbed his eyes. The room remained quiet. Then another voice came.
"Kaelus."
Rein slowly opened his eyes without moving.
"Shut up."
His expression remained completely serious.
"You're too noisy."
Kaelus stared.
"…I literally just woke up."
Rein closed his eyes again.
"You woke up loudly."
Before Kaelus could respond Darius suddenly sat up. His black hair was slightly messy.
He blinked once. Then frowned.
"What are you guys so loud for?"
The room slowly came alive. Eryndor opened his eyes.
Nearby, Isly stretched while adjusting her hair. Tina sat upright quietly.
Dova rubbed his eyes. Alucard rolled onto his back before sitting up.
Stellar slowly opened her silver eyes and stared outside.
One by one the Black Sun Syndicate woke. And then a voice came from the doorway.
"Now that you're all awake…"
Everyone turned.
"…we can begin training."
The atmosphere changed instantly. Standing at the entrance was a tall man dressed entirely in white. White robes. Simple. Clean. Elegant.
A white cloth covered his eyes. At his waist rested a sword. Nothing about him appeared extraordinary.
And yet the moment they looked at him the room felt quieter. Like even the air unconsciously lowered itself.
Zeth. The Wandering Swordsman. Nobody spoke. Zeth turned slightly.
"Come."
He walked away. The team exchanged glances.
Then followed. The clearing was open. Morning light flowed across the earth. Tall trees stood around them in silence while soft winds moved through the golden leaves.
The members of the Black Sun Syndicate lined up naturally.
Zeth stood before them. His hand rested calmly beside his sword.
Then he spoke.
"Sera taught you about soul power."
His voice was steady.
"She taught you how your God Cores function."
He paused. His covered gaze seemed to move across all of them.
"I will teach you how to correctly use soul power."
Kaelus looked at him quietly. Something felt wrong.
No not wrong. Dangerous. His eyes drifted downward. To the sword. Then his thoughts stopped. His pupils narrowed.
Kaelus suddenly realized something.
"Master…This man…is a master".
Not because of overwhelming presence.
Not because of impossible power. Not because of pressure. No because even standing there even simply resting his hand near the sword made Kaelus feel something.
Death. Not fear. Not killing intent.
Just…death. Like one wrong movement would divide existence itself.
Zeth slowly unsheathed his sword. The metallic sound quietly echoed. The pressure became heavier. Then he spoke.
"Your soul power is naturally yours."
The blade reflected morning light.
"It is your own power."
His sword lowered.
"But your bodies are only now adjusting to your divine soul."
He turned slightly.
"So right now…"
His voice remained calm.
"…your power resembles a raging waterfall."
Nobody interrupted.
Zeth looked toward a nearby tree.
"Fortunately."
His expression remained unchanged.
"After sleeping…"
He nodded slightly.
"It seems you unconsciously learned to control your physical strength."
Silence. Then Zeth pointed toward the ground.
"Sit."
The team obeyed.
Cross-legged. Straight posture. Eyes forward. Then Zeth spoke.
"Close your eyes."
Everyone did. The forest became quieter. Zeth looked at them.
"Control your breathing."
Slow inhale. Slow exhale. Again and Again.
Then…"Do not think."
His voice seemed quieter.
"Do not pursue understanding…Do not seek power."
He rested the sword at his side.
"Be an empty container."
The breeze moved. Zeth looked upward.
"At the center of the universe."
Silence followed. Eryndor inhaled. Slowly. Exhaled.
Again. His thoughts slowed. Then disappeared.
He stopped thinking. Stopped questioning. Stopped analyzing. His awareness became quieter. His body became lighter. His senses expanded. There was no Black Sun. No Storm.
No training. No Eryndor. Just stillness. Then he felt something. Subtle. Small. Yet impossibly vast. His own soul. Not his God Core. Not elemental energy. Not divine energy.
Soul Power. It had no color. No heat.
No cold. No pressure. No shape. No weight. It simply existed.
Like a hand that had always been holding his own. Like a heartbeat he never noticed. Like breathing. Natural. His.
The moment he noticed it his aura erupted. BOOM.
Blue energy shot upward. The sky trembled. Dark currents moved inside the aura. Storm Energy.
The Thirteenth Principle. Lightning, Wind, Darkness. But something had changed. It no longer felt violent. It no longer felt unstable. For the first time it felt alive.
Then something strange happened. Eryndor suddenly felt lighter.
Too light. His eyes opened but his body remained below. His spirit rose. Silently.
For one brief moment he existed outside himself. The world changed. Everything became clearer. Too clear. He could see the movement of wind. The flow of energy.
The connection between life. The truth beneath matter. The structure beneath existence. He saw things not as they appeared but as they were. For that brief moment he understood.
Then his spirit returned. His eyes snapped open.
His breathing remained steady. Nobody else noticed. Only one person did. Zeth.
The blind swordsman smiled faintly. Then looked at the others.
"Do not force it."
His voice flowed through the clearing.
"Do not demand control."
His sword rose.
"Just let it happen."
His blade lightly touched the side of the tree.
"…because it is already yours."
Tap. Nothing happened.
For one second…Then the tree disappeared. No it burst.
The entire structure silently collapsed into microscopic fragments. No explosion. No sound. Only absence. The remains scattered into the wind.
Silence filled the clearing. Nobody moved.
Zeth sheathed his sword. Then spoke calmly.
"Again."
To be continued.