The mansion's empty parking lot was a vast, concrete canvas under the dawn's unseen glow, its outlines sharp in Zane's mind, drawn by the faint pulse of his sound-based vision—a gift from the Seven Masters that let him map his surroundings despite his blindness. The air carried the crisp bite of morning, laced with the faint scent of dew and distant city smoke, a quiet contrast to the chaos of the world beyond, where humanity scrambled to prepare for the Trial of Rankers, now a month and twenty-six days away. Zane stood at the center, his white hair loose, catching the breeze, his pale face resolute, his eyes hidden behind closed lids, the red blindfold still tucked in his pocket, a choice he'd yet to embrace. Ruinblaze rested in his hand, its red runes a faint pulse in his mind's vision, his training a solitary dance honed by Onilia's brutal lessons on Zoic. Ariel and Celine, searching frantically, found him here, their footsteps echoing as they approached, their silhouettes vivid in his 360-degree perception, a radius limited to ten meters but piercing through walls and furniture with eerie clarity.
"Ariel, he's here!" Celine called, her voice soft but urgent, cutting through the morning's stillness. Her red braid bounced, her hazel eyes wide with relief, her simple jeans and green sweater a practical shift from the hospital's sterile confines. She clutched a small bag, her energy aura flickering with nervous determination, her non-Primordial status making her presence here a quiet act of courage.
Ariel rushed forward with a mix of worry and exasperation. "Big brother, we've been looking everywhere for you!" she said, her voice sharp, her hands planted on her hips as she stopped a few feet away, her silhouette vibrant in Zane's mind. "I woke up, and you were gone! Do you know how worried I was?"
Zane tilted his head toward her voice, his lips curving into a faint, reassuring smile. "Oh, Ariel, how're you holding up?" he asked, his voice a steady stream, flowing with a calm that belied the weight of his blindness. His sound-based vision revealed her outline in perfect detail, her energy a warm pulse, and he noted two quirks of his ability: it saw in all directions, a full circle around him, and it pierced inanimate objects like walls or doors, as long as they were within his ten-meter range. 'Useful, but limited. I need to push it further, the range is too short.'
Ariel huffed, ignoring his greeting, her voice thick with emotion. "I thought you were gone, big brother. Just… vanished, like before." Her words trembled, a reminder of the fear that had gripped her when he was kicked out of their mansion.
Zane's smile softened, his voice gentle but firm, each word a deliberate ripple in the morning air. "Why would I go anywhere? Ariel, I'm not leaving this house without telling you first. I promise." He opened his arms, his movements sure despite his blindness, and she stepped into his embrace, her smaller frame warm against him. He stroked her hair, his fingers gentle, his tone softening further. "I'm right here." Her golden hair brushed his hand, her aura steadying in his perception, a beacon of why he fought.
Ariel looked up, her blue eyes searching his face, though he couldn't see them. "You're okay, right?" she asked, then paused, a spark of mischief in her voice. "Hey, do you want to spar with me, big brother? Like how we used to play?"
Zane's smirk returned, sharp and playful, his head tilting slightly. "Spar? You want to test your big brother?" His voice was a teasing current, but his mind was already calculating, assessing her strength, her weaknesses. "Sure, let's see what you've got and where you're lacking. Don't worry, Ariel—you couldn't hurt me even if I stood still." He turned his head toward Celine's outline, her aura hesitant but steady. "You're joining too, Celine."
Celine's silhouette flinched, her voice rising in a startled squeak. "Eh? Me?" She pointed at herself, her hazel eyes wide, her red braid swaying as she stepped closer. "But I don't know how to fight, Zane! I've never thrown a punch in my life. And… how are you going to fight if you can't see?" Her words tumbled out, her shyness warring with her curiosity, making her feel out of place among warriors.
Zane's smirk widened, his voice steady, each word a deliberate lesson. "Don't worry about how I'll manage, Celine. I've got my ways. If you're living with us, I need to know you won't be a liability. Even a newborn Awakener gets some kind of boost—stronger body, sharper instincts. You've got that, whether you know it or not. All you need to do is dodge when I come at you. Move fast, trust your gut." His tone was firm, a teacher's command.
Celine hesitated, her silhouette shifting nervously, then nodded. "Um, okay," she said, her voice soft but resolute, stepping closer, as she put the bag down. "I'll try."
Zane clapped his hands, the sharp sound rippling outward, his sound-based vision refreshing the lot's outlines—concrete floor, distant walls, Ariel and Celine's forms vivid in his mind. One thing he noticed was that, when he clapped, he was able to maintain his vision until he slept, though the outline became weaker with each passing time. Also, there is no limit to how many times he could clap.
"Get ready," he said, his voice a low growl, Ruinblaze vanishing back into his platinum ring, his hands empty but ready. "I'll teach you as we go. First lesson: you're both wide open. Your stances are sloppy, like you're waiting to get hit. Plant your feet firm, knees bent, weight balanced so you can duck, block, or spin away from any angle. Keep your arms loose but ready, elbows in, so you can guard your face or chest. Always be ready to move."
Ariel and Celine nodded, their outlines shifting as they adjusted their stances, Ariel's confident but unrefined, Celine's awkward but earnest. "Okay," they said in unison, their voices a mix of determination and nerves.
Zane's head tilted, his smirk sharp. "Now come at me." His words were a challenge, a spark in the dawn's quiet.
Ariel charged, her blue jacket a blur in his perception, leaping a few inches from him. She spun mid-air, her right foot arcing downward in a fierce kick aimed at his left cheek. The air hissed, and a loud 'smack' echoed as her foot connected, but Zane didn't flinch, his face unmoved, as if carved from stone. Ariel yelped, hopping back, clutching her foot. "Ouch, big brother! What's your face made of, iron?" Her voice was half-pain, half-awe, her kick strong but not full force, testing him rather than aiming to harm.
Celine rushed forward, her healing aura flaring in Zane's perception, a soft glow easing Ariel's pain. "Hold still," Celine murmured, her hands hovering, her hazel eyes focused as Ariel's foot steadied.
Zane's voice cut through, calm but firm, a teacher's critique. "When you're up against someone stronger, striking first can be a mistake, Ariel. You're fast, but you showed your hand too soon. Use range to your advantage—spells, projectiles, anything to force them to move first, reveal their strategy. Make them come to you." He tilted his head toward Celine. "And you, stay alert. Healing's good, but don't just stand there waiting to patch someone up. Move, dodge, be ready."
Ariel grinned, her blue eyes glinting, her voice eager. "Okay, big brother. Let's try again." She stepped back, her hands glowing faintly as she prepared a spell, her aura pulsing in his perception. "And don't worry—I won't burn the house down."
Ariel's voice rang out, sharp and commanding, her words a chant that stirred the air with raw power.
"From the ground, sharp stone arise, stab the foe beneath the skies.
Spikes will thrust, their hopes will fade, Earth's cold rage, their grave is made. Force of Earth, unleashed cannon, Earth Domain: Claws of Mammon!"
The concrete shuddered, and Zane's vision flared, mapping three-meter-long stone spikes erupting from the ground around his feet, their jagged outlines surging like fangs. He moved with liquid grace, his body a blur as he sidestepped, rolled, and flipped, dodging each spike with a precision that belied his blindness. His perception, sharpened by the loss of his sight, caught every shift in the air, every pulse of energy, his 360-degree vision painting the battlefield in vivid detail, piercing through the concrete and debris within his ten-meter radius.
Before he could evade another spike, Ariel's voice rose again, her hands glowing brighter, her blue eyes fierce.
"Ice bullets, sharp and cold,
pierce my foes from head to toe.
Shards will fly, their blood will spill, freeze their heart, strike to kill.
Strike with frost's cruel might,
Ice Domain: Frostbite!"
The air crackled, and fifty-centimeter ice shards materialized, their outlines sharp in Zane's mind, raining down from every direction like a storm of frozen needles. He wove through them, his movements fluid, each dodge a thread through a tapestry of danger, his heightened senses catching the faint hum of each shard's descent. 'She's fast, creative,' he thought, his smirk sharpening. 'But she's still raw,'
"'Strike to kill,' those are some pretty harsh words, Ariel." He said as he continued to move around.
"You've attacked long enough," Zane said, his voice a low, teasing current, cutting through the chaos of stone and ice. "How about we switch the tables?" His sound-based vision tracked the final shards, their outlines fading as they shattered against the ground. In a heartbeat, he vanished, his Alpha-enhanced speed a blur. He reappeared behind Ariel, his boots silent on the concrete, his presence a shadow in her blind spot, his voice a playful growl. "Time to show you a magic of my own, oh, dearest sister."
To all those who don't fail in giving powerstones to this novel, much respect to y'all. I appreciate your support a lot more than you realise.