The Underground Sanctum
Kairos knelt before his master—the Lightning Warborn, a towering figure cloaked in a crackling aura of pure lightning and darkness. Though his features remained obscured, his piercing electric-blue eyes burned with an otherworldly intensity.
"You survived," the Lightning Warborn said, his voice carrying a thunderous weight, as if the very air bent to his will.
Kairos clenched his fists, forcing himself to meet that unrelenting gaze. "Barely."
His master let out a low chuckle. "And yet, you stand stronger than before. But strength alone won't be enough."
Kairos gritted his teeth. The memory of his defeat at Bolt's hands still lingered, a bitter reminder of his own shortcomings. He had relied too much on fire and shadow, while Bolt had mastered the fusion of multiple elements.
"I need more," Kairos admitted. "More power. More control. I can't lose again."
The Lightning Warborn's aura intensified, arcs of lightning slamming into the ground around him.
"Then let's begin your true training."
The chamber exploded with light as the storm of power surged, marking the beginning of Kairos's true evolution.
Meanwhile… At the Academy
Bolt stood in the academy's training grounds, his mind restless.
Since their return from the mission, he had spent every free moment pushing himself harder, refining his lightning, wind, ice, earth, and water fusion techniques.
"You're not giving yourself any breaks," Aether noted, panting as he sheathed his blade after their sparring session.
"Can't afford to," Bolt replied, clenching his fists. "Kairos is out there somewhere. If he's alive… he won't just sit still."
Akane folded her arms. "We still don't have proof that he survived."
Bolt exhaled. "That's exactly why I have a bad feeling."
As if on cue, a thunderous explosion shook the academy grounds.
The sky darkened instantly, unnatural storm clouds spiraling above them. Bolts of blue lightning ripped through the air, illuminating the entire academy in an eerie glow.
Then, a booming voice shattered the silence.
"CELESTIAL TEMPEST—COME OUT AND FACE ME!"
Bolt's blood ran cold.
That voice…
He exchanged a quick look with Aether and Akane before they bolted toward the front gates. Students screamed and scattered, running for shelter as another shockwave of lightning and fire tore through the academy entrance.
When Bolt and his team arrived, their eyes widened in horror.
Kairos stood in the center of the destruction.
But he wasn't alone.
Standing beside him, exuding an overwhelming and suffocating presence, was a man wrapped in pure lightning. His electric-blue eyes gleamed with an unnatural radiance, his body surging with unstable arcs of energy, warping the very air around him.
His aura was beyond anything Bolt had ever felt before.
Kairos smirked, his golden eyes burning with renewed power.
"Miss me?" he mocked.
Then, the towering figure of lightning stepped forward.
The very ground trembled beneath his feet, and a storm of raw, ancient power coiled around him.
His voice rumbled through the battlefield like rolling thunder.
"I am Vael'Zarith, the true Lightning Warborn."
"And I have come to reclaim what is mine."