Chapter 21: Rayan.
Aiden stood some distance away from Rayan, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he panted heavily. His entire body trembled slightly, and sweat trickled down his forehead. He had used every ounce of his strength and focus just to block that sudden attack, and yet his arms still felt completely numb. A sharp, burning ache spread through his wrists and elbows, reminding him of how immense the force behind that single kick had been.
He looked down at his hands. The skin was red, his fingers stiff. Even though he had managed to defend himself, the impact had nearly shattered his guard. It was only due to his instinctive use of mana reinforcement that he had not been thrown to the ground. The attack had been so fast — so sudden — that his mind still replayed it in fragments. One blink, and the man had already reached him.
Aiden slowly raised his head. His gaze fell on the man standing before him — Rayan — the blue-haired, gray-eyed stranger who had appeared in his garden only moments ago and announced himself with a blow that was faster than anything Aiden had ever seen. It was even faster than sound itself.
Rayan stood there calmly, his posture relaxed, hands still in his pockets as if nothing had happened. His expression carried no malice, but there was a detached sharpness to his aura — like that of a destructive and wild storm that was contained within his flesh and blood. The faint hum of lightning energy seemed to crackle around him, bending the air in his presence.
Just as Aiden was about to speak, still catching his breath, a sudden, angry voice sliced through the tension like a whip.
"Rayan! What the hell are you doing?!"
The tone was fierce, filled with fury and disbelief. Aiden immediately turned his head toward the voice and saw Sara, his mother, standing at the edge of the garden. Her long hair swayed with the wind, her eyes sharp as daggers, and her expression was one of pure maternal rage.
"How can you just suddenly attack Aiden without even telling him?! Do you want to injure him?!" she shouted, taking a few steps forward, her voice echoing across the lawn.
The air grew heavy. Even Rayan, who moments ago seemed as immovable as a mountain, stiffened slightly at her tone. His previously calm, aloof expression faltered for the first time. He turned his head toward her, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Sara… when did you arrive?" he asked, his tone rigid, almost cautious.
Sara narrowed her eyes. "You're trying to change the topic, huh?" Her words were cold and direct. "Answer me — why did you suddenly attack Aiden?!"
Rayan's mouth twitched slightly. The sternness on his face wavered before he gave a faint, helpless chuckle. "It was just a prank," he said, his tone attempting to sound casual, though it carried clear tension. "I didn't mean him any harm. Since he's my first student, how could I even think of injuring him before teaching him anything?"
Sara's glare only deepened. "You'd better not think you'll get away with doing something like this again! Or did you forget how I used to beat you up when you were a little kid? You'd always cry and run away every time I scolded you!"
Rayan froze completely. His expression turned from awkward to outright embarrassed. The color drained slightly from his face as if someone had struck him with an invisible blow. He coughed lightly, trying to hide his discomfort.
"Okay, okay! Let's end this topic here, alright?" he said hurriedly, raising both hands in mock surrender as a nervous smile crossed his lips.
Aiden couldn't help but blink in confusion. Wait… Mom used to beat him when he was a kid? The thought was oddly amusing and surprising at the same time.
Rayan quickly turned back toward Aiden, clearing his throat, his face returning to its usual composed, serious expression.
"From today onward, I am your new teacher. I'll be the one who teaches you about Wind and Lightning mana," he said in a firm tone. "And don't think that I'll go easy on you during training or duels like your parents did. In real combat, no one will show you mercy — and if you expect mercy from your enemies, you'll probably die early."
Sara's brows furrowed again as she opened her mouth, ready to respond — but before she could, Jonathan, who had been quietly observing from the side, gently placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.
She looked at him, frowning slightly, but seeing the calm understanding in Jonathan's eyes, she sighed and stopped. Jonathan knew that Rayan was speaking the truth, and it was exactly why he had chosen Rayan to teach Aiden Wind and Lightning Mana. The man's teaching methods were harsh — but they were effective. Rayan was the type of mentor who taught survival through reality, not comfort.
Rayan exhaled slowly, then clapped his hands once to regain the attention of his student. "Let's introduce ourselves properly first," he said. "My name is Rayan. I am an orphan and a wanderer. I was once a student at the Magic School of Elfis in the capital — and I was your parents' junior back then."
Aiden's eyes widened slightly at that revelation. So he's my parents' junior… and also an orphan? For a moment, Aiden felt a strange sense of connection. Like himself in his past life on Earth, this man, too, had grown up without a family — wandering, fighting, surviving. Perhaps that explained the sharpness in his tone, the wildness in his aura.
He thought for a moment before replying seriously, "My name is Aiden Syctes. I am thirteen years old, and I am a tri-elemental Stage One mana cultivator."
The moment those words left Aiden's mouth, Rayan's eyes widened dramatically. His calm and composed expression broke entirely, replaced by genuine shock.
"What?! A tri-elemental mana cultivator? Which element do you have except Lightning and Wind?" he repeated, his tone filled with disbelief. For a long second, he simply stared at Aiden as though he had misheard him. Then his lips curled into a grin, half in astonishment and half in admiration.
Then he asked, " Which element do you have other than Lightning and Wind?"
Aiden replied seriously, " Healing."
Rayan heard this as he said, " Healing, so you have an elemental trait from your mother. It makes it even more useful for you during combat because a lightning Mana Cultivator always fights head-on and has a higher chance of being injured than other elements' Mana Cultivators."
He let out a small laugh. " So you are a tri-elemental cultivator, huh? Then this is going to be really fun teaching a genius like you."
Aiden stood silently, his calm eyes watching his new teacher, while Rayan continued to smile — his earlier shock giving way to visible excitement. There were very few tri-elemental cultivators in existence. In the Magic School of Elfis, out of thousands of students, only one or two appeared every few years. And those rare individuals were hailed as prodigies among prodigies.
Rayan, who was a stage 4 dual elemental Mana Cultivator, had only seen 1 person in his whole life who was a tri-elemental Mana Cultivator, and he was a student at Elfis Academy, and after that, he never saw anyone with triple elements ever again.
The fact that this boy standing before him — barely thirteen — was already at Stage One and had mastery over three elements was almost absurd.
Rayan took a deep breath, his tone shifting to one of instruction. "Let's begin with the basics of Lightning mana. Remember this — Lightning is the strongest element when it comes to attacking. It possesses the highest destructive potential of all elements."
His gray eyes grew intense, like storm clouds gathering power. "It is an element meant purely for combat. To use Lightning mana properly, you must think about completely destroying your opponent or the object you wish to strike. You must have the will not to stop until your target is utterly annihilated. Do you understand?"
Aiden listened intently. His gaze was unwavering, his focus absolute.
"Yes," he replied firmly.
Rayan nodded in approval. "Good. Now, give it a try. And if you fail, do it again and again until you can create Lightning mana. Don't stop until you can create Lightning Mana."
Aiden nodded once more, his determination burning brighter than ever. He turned toward the wooden training doll standing several meters ahead. Its surface was cracked from previous training sessions, but it still stood firm — a perfect target.
He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he gathered mana within his body. His heart began to beat faster, matching the rhythm of the power swirling through him. He focused on a single thought — destruction.
He imagined obliterating the doll completely, leaving nothing behind. Not a splinter, not even dust. His eyes narrowed as he extended his right hand forward.
Then, with a deep breath, he pushed.
The mana surged through his body like a tidal wave. It raced through his veins, converging at his palm. The instant it left his hand, the air crackled violently — a blinding flash burst forth.
Zzzzt!
Lightning exploded outward in a sharp, radiant arc. The sound was deafening — a mix of thunder and raw energy. It struck the wooden doll squarely in the chest.
Then came the sound of an explosion— boom!
The doll didn't break. It didn't shatter. It disintegrated. It was completely vaporized, reduced to ashes and faint particles that scattered with the wind.
Aiden stood there in stunned silence, his hand trembling slightly as faint traces of lightning danced around his fingertips. His heartbeat echoed in his ears. This… this was the most powerful attack he had ever unleashed. The sheer destructive force was beyond anything he had imagined.
Rayan, who had been watching from the side with his arms crossed, blinked once, then let out a low whistle, his lips curving into a grin.
"You learn really fast, huh?" he said in an amused tone, clearly impressed. "It's going to be a lot easier — and much more interesting — teaching you."
Aiden looked down at his hand again, still feeling the faint buzz of electricity dancing beneath his skin. For the first time, he truly grasped the power of Lightning mana — wild, violent, unstoppable.
The day had only just begun, but Aiden could already feel it — this was the beginning of something greater, something fierce. His training under Rayan would not be easy, but it would be the turning point that will increase and temper his strength beyond limits.
Author's Note:The first spark has been lit — Aiden's training under Rayan begins. With Lightning and Wind ahead of him, his journey enters a more dangerous and demanding phase. His growth will come not from comfort but from struggle. Stay tuned — the next chapter will reveal the true difficulty of mastering the Wind.