Then..
A faint sensation.
Like something brushing against his skin.
Light.
But everywhere.
"Don't force it," Orin said calmly.
"It reacts to awareness."
Aeris focused.
Breathing slowly.
Letting his thoughts settle.
And then, it happened.
The air in front of him trembled.
Tiny specks of light appeared.
Weak.
Unstable.
But real.
"I see it," Aeris whispered.
Suddenly...
They snapped.
The particles scattered violently.
Crackling like broken sparks.
A sharp burst echoed through the warehouse.
Aeris stepped back.
"Focus," Orin said sharply.
"Or it controls you."
"I'm trying!"
"Trying isn't enough."
Aeris inhaled.
Deep.
Held it.
Then exhaled slowly.
Again.
And again.
The chaos… slowed.
The particles gathered once more.
This time...
They listened.
Aeris raised his hand.
They followed.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
"Good," Orin said quietly.
Then...
Orin moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
A punch came straight toward Aeris.
Instinct took over.
Aeris raised his hand.
The dust surged forward...
Forming a thin barrier.
Impact.
A dull shock pushed him back.
But he didn't fall.
"…Not bad," Orin said.
Aeris stared at his hand.
"That… actually worked."
"Basic defense," Orin replied.
"Don't celebrate yet."
The training intensified.
Footwork.
Distance.
Timing.
Every mistake...
Punished instantly.
Aeris attacked.
Too slow.
Blocked.
Again.
Too obvious.
Countered.
Again.
This time...
He added dust.
A faint surge of energy flowed through his arm.
His strike was faster.
Sharper.
Orin stepped back half a step.
"Better."
Time passed.
Sweat dripped.
Breathing grew heavier.
Aeris fell.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Each time...
He stood again.
"I won't stop," he said, breath uneven.
Orin watched him.
Differently now.
"That's why you're dangerous," he said quietly.
Aeris frowned.
"Dangerous?"
"Because you don't break easily."
Aeris closed his eyes again.
This time...
He didn't just feel the dust.
He felt something else.
Inside him.
A faint vibration.
Like an echo.
Resonance.
The particles around him began to move...
On their own.
Not chaotic.
Not forced.
Aligned.
A thin ring of light formed around his body.
Stable.
Controlled.
Orin narrowed his eyes.
"You're progressing too fast."
Aeris opened his eyes slowly.
For the first time...
He wasn't afraid of it.
He understood it.
Then...
Orin's expression changed.
Slightly.
But enough.
"Don't get comfortable," he said.
Before Aeris could react...
Orin slammed his foot into the ground.
A shockwave spread.
The dust around Aeris exploded into chaos.
Violent.
Unstable.
Pulling in every direction.
"Hold it!" Orin commanded.
Aeris's focus shattered.
The particles lashed wildly.
Cutting through the air.
One grazed his arm...
A thin line of blood appeared instantly.
Aeris clenched his teeth.
"Focus!" Orin snapped.
"It's slipping!"
"Then hold it!"
The particles surged harder.
Like they were resisting him.
Like they were testing him.
Or rejecting him.
Aeris's breathing broke.
His control wavered..
then...
Something inside him reacted.
Not calm.
Not controlled.
But instinct.
The dust froze.
Mid air.
Everything stopped.
For one second...
Complete silence.
Even Orin didn't move.
"What did you just do?" Orin asked quietly.
Aeris didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
Then...
Far beyond the warehouse...
Something responded.
A deep vibration.
Not from this world.
Not from Eyllwe.
Something deeper.
Older.
Watching.
The dust dropped.
All at once.
Aeris staggered slightly.
Breathing hard.
"What… was that?" he whispered.
Orin didn't answer immediately.
For the first time...
His calm expression cracked.
"That," he said slowly,
"wasn't just dust control."
A pause.
"That was the root noticing you."
Silence.
Aeris's chest tightened.
"The root?"
Orin looked straight at him.
And for the first time...
There was real tension in his voice.
"You just triggered something," he said.
"Something we might not be able to stop."
The thin ring of light surrounding Aeris flickered.
He clenched his teeth.
Breathe. Focus.
But the pressure felt different this time, like invisible hands trying to tear his connection to the energy apart.
"What are you doing?" Aeris asked, his voice tense.
"Testing your foundation."
The dust particles suddenly shattered into chaotic fragments. Some slammed into the walls, leaving thin cracks behind.
Aeris panicked for a split second.
And that was his mistake.
The energy twisted out of control, exploding outward and knocking him to the ground.
Silence filled the warehouse.
Real dust drifted through the air.
Aeris lay there, breathing heavily, his chest burning.
Orin walked toward him.
"You let fear take control."
"I was just… surprised."
"Your enemies won't give you time to be surprised."
Aeris closed his eyes briefly.
Lyra's image flashed in his mind. Her smile from the night before, the warmth of her hand.
He didn't want to fail.
Not now.
Aeris pushed himself up.
"Again."
Orin watched him for a moment, then nodded.
The pressure returned.
Stronger.
The air compressed from all directions. Dust particles reappeared but unstable.
Aeris took a deeper breath.
This time, he didn't try to control everything.
He focused on a single point in the center of his chest, the place where the resonance had first appeared.
Warm.
Stable.
Slowly, the chaotic particles were drawn back, like iron filings pulled toward a magnet.
Orin increased the pressure.
The floor trembled faintly.
But the ring of light around Aeris held.
He opened his eyes.
"I'm not afraid," he said quietly.
For the first time, the dust particles didn't just circle his body.
They condensed, forming a dense layer around both of his arms.
"Good," Orin said.
His tone was more serious now.
Without warning, Orin attacked again. Faster than before.
Aeris blocked.
The impact was heavier. Sparks of light burst as the dust energy on his arms clashed against Orin's strike.
Aeris was pushed back, but he stayed on his feet.
He countered with a punch.
Not perfect.
But fast enough.
Orin twisted to evade, yet the edge of his sleeve was grazed.
The fabric tore slightly.
Silence.
Aeris stared in shock.
"I…"
Orin raised a hand, stopping him.
"You accelerated the energy flow."
"I didn't mean to."
"That's what makes it interesting."
Orin straightened.
"Most people need weeks just to sense dust particles. You… are different."
Aeris wasn't sure whether to feel proud or uneasy.
"Different doesn't always mean better," Orin added quietly.
"Sometimes it means more dangerous."
The air grew colder.
"What do you mean?"
Orin didn't answer.
Instead, he picked up a small piece of wood from the floor.
"Attack me again. This time, use energy propulsion."
Aeris nodded.
He focused energy into his legs.
Pressure built, like a compressed spring.
Then...
He launched forward.
Faster than he expected.
In an instant, he was right in front of Orin.
His punch shot forward.
Orin blocked it with one hand, but this time, he was pushed back two steps.
The wooden floor creaked.
Aeris landed, breathing heavily, his eyes shining.
"I did it."
Orin watched him in silence.
"Yes," he said softly.
"You did."
But something in his tone felt… calculated.
The training ended as the sun dipped toward the west.
Aeris sat against the warehouse wall, exhausted, but satisfied.
"When you pressured the energy earlier," Aeris said, "it felt like something… answered."
Orin stopped.
"Answered?"
"Like an echo. Not just from inside me… but from outside."
Orin's gaze deepened.
"If you're starting to sense external echoes, it means your resonance is being heard."
"Heard by who?"
A pause.
"Hopefully… not by those who shouldn't hear it."
That answer explained nothing.
But it was enough to make Aeris uneasy.
"Does Lyra know about this?" Aeris asked suddenly.
Orin slowly turned.
"Why are you asking about her?"
"I don't want her to be in danger."
Orin studied him for a long moment.
"Danger doesn't always come from the outside."
Aeris frowned.
But Orin had already begun walking away.
"Remember this," he said without turning.
"Manipulating dust energy isn't about power. It's about balance. Lean too far—and it will consume you."
"And if I fail?"
Orin stopped at the doorway.
"Then it won't be only you who collapses."
The door closed.
Aeris sat alone as darkness slowly filled the warehouse.
He raised his hand.
Dust particles appeared again, calmer now. More obedient.
Yet within that faint glow…
He felt it again.
That vibration.
As if something… was watching.
He exhaled and let the particles fade.
Outside, the sky burned orange.
And across the warehouse.
On a distant rooftop.
A shadowy figure stood in silence.
Watching.
Waiting.
The resonance had been heard.
And today's training hadn't just awakened Aeris's power.
It had awakened something that had been sleeping for a very long time.
That morning felt far too ordinary.
And precisely because of that…
Aeris felt uneasy.
He sat in class, but his mind was elsewhere.
Not on the lessons.
Not on the assignments.
But on yesterday's resonance and Lyra.
Tap.
A pen hit his forehead.
"You look stupid when you space out."
Aeris sighed.
"Morning, Mika."
Mika, his childhood friend.
Dragged a chair over and sat facing him. Her hair was tied messily, her expression as lively as ever.
"You've been acting weird," she said bluntly.
"For the past two days. Don't tell me you're possessed."
"Why does it always have to be extreme?"
"Because I've known you for twelve years. If you change, there's always a reason."
Aeris fell silent.
That was the problem.
Mika knew everything about him.
And now..
He was hiding an entire world.
"Hey," Mika narrowed her eyes.
"This is about that girl, right?"
Aeris turned sharply.
"What girl?"
"The one at the park yesterday. Long hair. Pretty."