The storm outside was no ordinary squall. Wind shrieked through high arches like a chorus of angry spirits, lightning flashing so close it lit the chamber in stark, flickering brilliance. Rain lashed the mountain's flanks, drumming on the stone spires overhead.
In the center of the Eye, Kazuki stood alone on a circular platform. Selene raised a hand, and the platform rose on a column of swirling air until it hovered level with the watching elders.
"Control," Selene called out, her voice cutting through the wind. "We do not bow storms to our will by force, boy. We persuade them."