After lunch, Alex returned to the training grounds with purpose. The sunlight had mellowed, but the fire within him hadn't.
He positioned himself again—rear leg stomping forward to ground his body, core braced, and spine aligned. With a focused breath, he initiated the motion: a spiralling thrust, drawing power from his legs, hips, core, and shoulders in perfect synergy. Each movement flowed like coiled energy unspooling, aiming for a single decisive point.
The essence of the technique lay in not just the motion, but in the instantaneous release of elemental energy—a piercing pulse meant to disrupt the opponent's flow before they could react.
But no matter how precise his stance or how fluid his thrust, his dark elemental power refused to cooperate. He could feel it gathering, but not flashing out. Not yet.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Hours passed.
