The forest clearing was quiet, far from the rustle of village life, far from the waves and laughter of Foosha's docks. Here, the only sounds were the whisper of trees and the heavy, rhythmic breathing of Ren as he dropped to one knee, sweat dripping down his brow. His shirt clung to his back, torn at the edges from an earlier clash with one of Cael's shadow constructs. Around him, the ground bore the marks of hours of training, deep grooves from water strikes, singed earth from electrical bursts, and scattered stones frozen over, glittering in the morning light.
Cael stood nearby, arms folded, eyes narrowed in judgment. "Again."
Ren didn't argue. He rose with effort, forcing his body back into motion. This was day five maybe six of training, and sleep had become a luxury replaced by pain and repetition. But in that pain, something sharper had begun to form. Control. Strength.
Cael raised a hand and the shadows moved again, rising from the ground and forming a humanoid figure. This one was bulkier, slower than the last, but its strikes would hit twice as hard.
Ren took a deep breath and shifted his stance. He felt for the connection, down into the watch on his wrist, into the elemental energy still humming like a low current beneath his skin.
"Volt Cage!"
Electricity burst outward in a jagged dome as the shadow construct charged. It slammed into the field and convulsed, its form breaking apart in jagged pulses. Ren dashed forward through the sparking cloud, slid low, then spun with a rising arc of wind.
"Whirl Rebound!"
The air shot out like a slicing ring, severing the last of the shadow's core and scattering it into mist. Ren landed, panting, knees bent to absorb the recoil.
Cael raised an eyebrow. "Cleaner. Tighter. Still too much wasted movement."
"I'm working on it," Ren muttered.
"No excuses. You want to unlock more of that watch's potential? Start thinking like someone who's already at their limit."
Cael stepped forward, his tone still harsh but with a spark of something like approval.
"You've got power. That much is obvious. But you fight like you're hoping to win. Hope is for people who plan to die. You need to make every move count."
Ren stood straight, rolling out his shoulders. "Then give me something I can't handle."
Cael didn't smile. But he didn't hesitate either. He flicked his hand, and a pulse of shadow surged around him. Four constructs emerged this time, two lean, fast ones with dagger arms, one that crawled low like a beast, and one massive figure that moved slow but radiated brute force.
Ren blinked sweat from his eyes and dropped into a ready stance.
He started moving before they did.
First, the daggers. He ducked under their swipes, calling on the wind to boost his momentum sideways. He lashed out with a burst of pressurized water, too narrow to shield, but sharp enough to shred. One dagger-shadow burst apart.
The crawler leapt. Ren twisted mid-air and slammed both palms down. "Shockweb!"
Electric lines raced across the grass in a wide net, catching the crawler and locking it in place with a violent shudder. The second dagger construct reached him just as the crawler dissipated, and Ren turned, channeling water around his forearm to deflect the blow, then followed up with a knee to the torso.
Only the brute remained.
It towered over him. No tricks. No fancy moves. Just raw power.
Ren exhaled, as cold steam came out of his mouth and the surrounding temperature dropped drastically.
He raised his watch. The crystal flickered—blue, then white, then flickering between the two. Something cold tugged inside his chest.
It's time.
He clenched his fist.
The world fell silent for a breath—and then frost exploded outward.
The temperature in the clearing plummeted. Ice snaked across the grass, crystallizing everything it touched. His watch glowed pure white now, the air around him shimmering with cold.
Ren moved, almost gliding. His steps left trails of frost behind him.
The brute swung. Too slow.
Ren ducked, swept in low, then drove his fist into its center—ice crackling and bursting through the construct's body like glass under pressure.
"Ice Fang!"
Spikes of frozen energy erupted from his palm in a sharp burst, and the brute shattered into frozen shards.
Cael stood motionless for a long moment.
"…You found it," he said quietly.
Ren turned, chest rising and falling. "I felt it earlier. But I couldn't… hold it. It's like the element needed permission."
Cael nodded once. "You've earned it now. You didn't just call on the power, you adapted, Controlled it, showing that you are worth to wield it. That's what separates raw potential from something usable."
Ren looked down at his hand. The frost was already fading. His muscles still trembled, but not from pain, its from awakening. This power, this edge, was now part of him.
Cael approached. "Water, wind, lightning, and now ice. And i can feel that there's more your watch can do, but not until you stop relying on it. You're not just a device wielder anymore, Ren. You're a fighter."
Ren nodded. "What's next?"
"Efficiency," Cael said. "You still burn too much energy for simple moves. You'll collapse in real combat. And you need to build raw stamina, your strength is only half of the equation."
So they trained.
Day turned to dusk. Cael pushed him harder than ever, lifting, running, dodging, reacting. Ren learned to integrate his powers in short bursts instead of flashy displays. He crafted new hybrid moves: electric-fused water strikes, wind-assisted dodges, ice anchors to trap opponents.
He created one new technique on instinct, a spiraling wall of water frozen mid-motion to form a shield. Cael called it "Tideguard."
By nightfall, Ren collapsed under a tree near the edge of the clearing. His arms felt like stone. His breath burned in his throat. But a grin crept across his face.
He was stronger.
Not just powered, but also sharpened.
And somewhere deep in his chest, for the first time since arriving in this world, Ren felt something even more surprising than strength.
Purpose.