The sun had already climbed higher when training had lasted longer than usual, and the dirt training ground behind the Nozomi house showed clear evidence of the intense session. Footprints covered the soil, and several of the metal rods surrounding the clearing still carried faint scorch marks from stray sparks of electricity.
Kosoku sat on the grass while breathing heavily, his small chest rising and falling quickly as he tried to recover his strength.
Even though he had been training for years already, today's exercises felt very different.
Gabriel had not asked him to simply practice control like before. Instead, every drill forced him to move, react, and think at the same time.
It was exhausting.
Kosoku wiped sweat from his forehead and looked toward his father, who stood calmly near the edge of the training yard as if he had barely moved all morning.
"You said real training would start today," Kosoku said while catching his breath.
"But this feels like torture."
Gabriel gave a small smirk.
"Real combat is much worse than this."
Kosoku leaned back against the grass and stared up at the sky.
"I feel like my legs don't belong to me anymore."
From the wooden porch, Alisa watched the two of them quietly while folding a towel in her hands. She had been observing the training session for nearly an hour now, and although her expression remained gentle, she could clearly see the difficulty of the exercises Gabriel had designed.
Kosoku had been forced to dodge dozens of surprise attacks while maintaining lightning control at the same time.
Even though Gabriel never struck hard enough to hurt him, the speed of the movements alone demanded constant concentration.
Alisa walked toward the yard and handed Kosoku another glass of water.
"You pushed him quite far this morning," she said calmly while looking at Gabriel.
Gabriel accepted the comment without reacting much.
"He needs to learn early. Lightning users who rely only on power eventually lose to opponents who understand movement."
Kosoku drank the water quickly before wiping his mouth.
"I think I understand the lesson now."
Gabriel raised an eyebrow.
"Then explain it."
Kosoku stood up slowly, still stretching his legs.
"If I stand still, lightning only makes me dangerous in one place," he said while pointing toward the ground beneath his feet.
"But if I move with the lightning, then my attacks become unpredictable."
Gabriel nodded slightly.
"That is correct."
Kosoku smiled proudly.
"See? I'm learning fast."
Gabriel stepped back into the center of the yard again.
"Then let's see if you can apply it."
Kosoku tilted his head.
"Apply it how?"
Instead of answering immediately, Gabriel pointed toward the metal rods surrounding the clearing.
"I want you to run."
Kosoku looked confused.
"That's it?"
Gabriel shook his head slowly.
"I want you to run between those rods while maintaining lightning around your body."
Kosoku stared at him for several seconds.
"You want me to move and hold lightning at the same time?"
Gabriel nodded.
"Yes."
Kosoku scratched the back of his head.
"That sounds like something designed to make me fall on my face."
Gabriel folded his arms again.
"Combat does not wait for comfort."
Kosoku sighed dramatically but stepped back into the training circle.
He raised his hand and allowed a small current of lightning to flow across his fingers.
The sparks quickly spread across his arm, forming a thin layer of electricity around his body. Unlike the earlier lightning blade attempts, this time he focused on spreading the energy rather than compressing it.
Kosoku took a deep breath.
Then he started running.
At first the movement felt awkward.
Maintaining lightning control while running required far more concentration than standing still. The sparks around his arms flickered every time his balance shifted.
However, after a few seconds something changed. The lightning began moving with him. Instead of resisting the motion, the electricity followed the rhythm of his body.
Kosoku's eyes widened slightly.
"This feels different…"
Gabriel watched carefully.
"Do not slow down."
Kosoku increased his speed.
His small feet moved quickly across the dirt while lightning danced around his body like streaks of silver light. Each step felt lighter than the last as he moved between the metal rods surrounding the clearing.
A sudden thought crossed his mind. If lightning increased speed… Then maybe it could enhance movement too. Kosoku pushed more mana into his legs. The result was immediate.
A faint burst of electricity flashed beneath his feet, launching him forward faster than before.
Kosoku nearly lost his balance but managed to recover at the last moment.
"That was close…"
Gabriel's voice came from behind him.
"Control first. Power second."
Kosoku slowed down and finally stopped in the center of the clearing. The lightning surrounding his body faded slowly as he released the mana flow. His breathing was heavy again, but his eyes were shining with excitement.
"That actually worked."
Gabriel nodded once.
"You discovered something important today."
Kosoku looked curious.
"What do you mean?"
Gabriel walked closer and pointed toward Kosoku's legs.
"Lightning does not only attack. It can also accelerate your body."
Kosoku blinked in surprise.
"So I can move faster with it?"
"Yes."
Kosoku's grin grew wider.
"That's awesome."
Alisa watched the moment with quiet amusement.
"You look excited."
Kosoku nodded enthusiastically.
"If I get faster, nobody will be able to hit me."
Gabriel shook his head slightly.
"Speed alone does not win fights."
Kosoku crossed his arms.
"But it helps."
Gabriel did not argue with that statement.
"You can move faster than lightning with enough practice."
Kosoku looked down at his hands again.
Lightning flickered softly across his fingers.
For a brief moment, the electricity gathered into a thin shape before dispersing again. A narrow spike, almost like a blade. Kosoku stared at his hand.
"That's weird."
Gabriel noticed.
"What is it?"
Kosoku scratched his cheek.
"I think the lightning wants to become something."
Gabriel raised an eyebrow.
"Something like?"
Kosoku made a small throwing motion with his hand.
"Like a tiny weapon."
Gabriel didn't answer immediately but his eyes sharpened slightly.
"Focus on movement first," he said calmly.
Kosoku nodded.
"Right."
But the idea stayed in his mind. A small lightning weapon. Perfect for his fighting style. Kosoku smiled quietly. He would try it again later.
—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—
After training finally ended, Kosoku walked back inside the house.
His legs felt like jelly.
"Mom… I think I died during training."
Alisa laughed softly.
"You're still walking, baby."
Kosoku pointed weakly toward the bathroom.
"I need a shower."
A few minutes later he stepped into the bathroom.
Instead of a normal shower, the bathtub was already filled with cold water.
And ice.
Kosoku froze.
"...Mom."
Alisa's voice came from the hallway.
"It helps muscle recovery."
Kosoku stared at the ice.
"This looks like punishment..."
"...you could've just heal me instead of this."
Gabriel walked past the door.
"It's called conditioning."
Kosoku sighed.
"...Fine."
He slowly stepped into the ice bath.
"AHHHH THAT'S COLD!"
A few seconds later he leaned back in the tub, shivering slightly.
"Okay...This actually feels good."
After that ice cold bath, later that evening the smell of food slowly filled the house.
Kosoku walked into the dining room with wet hair and immediately stopped.
His eyes lit up.
"Mom…"
On the table sat several dishes.
Steamed ric, sautéed vegetables, ginisang ampalaya with egg and in the center— A large plate of spicy pork adobo with siling labuyo.
Kosoku immediately sat down.
"YES."
Gabriel raised an eyebrow.
"You get excited every time."
Kosoku grabbed the serving spoon.
"It's food."
He piled pork adobo onto his rice.
Then his eyes slowly shifted to the ampalaya.
Kosoku froze.
"...Mom."
Alisa looked calm.
"Yes?"
Kosoku pointed.
"Why is that here again?"
Gabriel chuckled.
"Vegetables."
Kosoku sighed.
"It betrayed me yesterday."
Alisa placed some on his plate anyway.
"You said it wasn't that bad."
Kosoku stared at it.
"...I regret saying that."
Gabriel laughed.
"Eat it."
Kosoku sighed dramatically and took a bite.
"...Still bitter."
He quickly followed it with pork adobo.
"...Okay this fixes it."
Alisa smiled.
"You'll learn to like it."
Kosoku shrugged.
"Maybe."
Then he grabbed another piece of pork adobo.
"Definitely this though."
The room filled with quiet laughter.
---
Across the city, inside the towering headquarters of the Philippine Warrior Association, Vice Director Helena Aragon stood silently before the monitoring screens, her sharp eyes fixed on a single glowing marker pulsing faintly against the digital map.
The Nozomi residence.
Numbers shifted. Patterns updated. Data refined itself in real time but Helena wasn't looking at the numbers anymore.
She was watching the behavior.
"Interesting," she murmured.
One of the analysts glanced up. "What is it, Vice Director?"
Helena folded her arms, her gaze narrowing slightly.
"The lightning pattern is evolving."
On the screen, the mana signature flickered—then stabilized, smoother than before, more controlled… yet somehow sharper.
More dangerous.
"It's no longer just raw output," she continued quietly. "It's adapting."
The analyst frowned. "Adapting?"
Helena didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes remained locked on the screen.
"…Like it's learning."
A brief silence filled the room.
Then—
The data spiked. Just for a fraction of a second. So fast that most of the monitoring system barely registered it.
But Helena saw it.
Her eyes sharpened.
"…There it is."
The analyst leaned forward. "What was that?"
Helena's lips curved slightly—not into a smile, but something colder.
"A fluctuation that shouldn't exist in a child."
The screen returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. But Helena knew better.
"…He felt something just now," she said softly. "And for a moment… he responded."
She turned away from the screen, walking slowly toward the window overlooking the city, the morning light reflecting faintly in her eyes.
"Notify me immediately," she added, her voice calm but firm, "the next time that signal appears."
"Yes, Vice Director."
Behind her, the glowing marker continued to pulse quietly.
Unremarkable, harmless and normal. But Helena's gaze darkened slightly as she looked out across the city.
"Because when a power begins to evolve on its own…"
She paused.
"…it's no longer something you can control."
Far from the Association's watchful eyes, in a quiet home filled with warmth and laughter, a boy sat at the dinner table, happily eating as if the world was simple.
Unaware.
That for a fraction of a second—
Something inside him had awakened.
And next time…
…it might not go unnoticed.