Part I: Rest and the Second Skillseed
Kaito lay beneath the sloped roof of the Thunder Estate, wrapped in a light blanket. The waterfalls nearby whispered through the night, and the scent of cedar drifted in from the forest. His body ached, but his heart was calm.
He had returned.
And something inside him stirred.
Stormseed pulsed faintly—but this time, it didn't expand. Instead, a new interface unfolded, just like the first time.
A glowing ring of ten Skillseeds hovered in his mind, each one distinct. Unlike Stormseed, these seeds had no shared mechanics. No Arc Pulse. No Surge Branch. This was a new path.
Each seed shimmered with a name and description:
Frostroot – Grants cryo-based disruption techniques: freezing strikes, slow zones, and frost armor. Blightfang – Focuses on venomous cuts, toxin build-up, and delayed damage. Gravemark – Manipulates weight and inertia: heavy strikes, gravity wells, and aerial control. Phantom Thread – Enables stealth movement, silent strikes, and shadow clones. Solar Bloom – Radiant bursts, blinding flashes, and heat-based regeneration. Echo Pulse – Sound-based attacks: sonic waves, vibration counters, and echo tracking. Iron Nest – Defensive mastery: reactive armor, counter blocks, and kinetic shields. Wyrm Coil – Serpentine mobility, whip-like extensions, and constriction techniques. Dust Veil – Terrain manipulation: smoke, sand, and visibility control. Starflare – Rare seed. Grants celestial techniques: orbiting blades, radiant arcs, and time-skip bursts.
Kaito studied each one.
He didn't rush.
He closed his eyes, let his breath settle, and reached inward—not with logic, but with instinct.
Gravemark.
The seed pulsed once, then embedded itself into his system.
A new tree would grow.
Focused. Weighted. Tactical.
Tomorrow, he would begin again.
But tonight, he rested.
And the storm waited.
Part II: Training the Advanced Forms
The next morning, Kaito stood in the center of the Thunder Estate's training hall, sword in hand. The old man—Zenitsu's master—sat cross-legged on a cushion, sipping tea and watching with a grin.
"Alright, lightning legs," he said. "Let's see what you've got."
Kaito inhaled.
Thunder Breathing: First Form – Thunderclap and Flash.
He dashed forward, blade slicing the air in a clean arc.
Then again.
Then again.
"Now," the master said, "Sixfold."
Kaito nodded.
He launched forward—Sixfold activated. Six rapid strikes, each one clean, each one faster than the last. His feet barely touched the ground.
"Good," the master said. "Now Eightfold."
Kaito gritted his teeth.
Eightfold—eight consecutive strikes, faster, tighter, more demanding. His lungs burned. His legs trembled.
He finished the sequence and dropped to one knee.
"Not bad," the old man said. "Now the real test."
Kaito stood.
He focused.
Godspeed.
His body surged—nerves firing, muscles tightening, vision narrowing. He vanished in a blur, reappearing with a single, devastating strike that split the training dummy cleanly.
Then he collapsed.
The master chuckled. "You'll get used to it."
Kaito lay on the floor, panting.
He had tasted the edge of lightning.
And tomorrow, he would learn to wield it.
Part III: Correction and Refinement
After lunch, the master called Kaito back to the hall.
"You're fast," he said. "But speed without control is just noise."
Kaito nodded. "What did I miss?"
The old man stood and pointed to the floor. "Three things."
Mistake One: Footwork Drift "You're sliding too far on the third and sixth steps. That breaks your rhythm and wastes energy."
Kaito adjusted his stance, shortened his stride, and practiced again. The strikes landed tighter. Cleaner.
Mistake Two: Breath Timing "You're exhaling too early on Eightfold. You need to hold until the fifth strike, then release."
Kaito slowed the sequence, syncing his breath with each movement. The flow stabilized. His stamina held longer.
Mistake Three: Godspeed Recovery "You collapse because you tense everything. You need to relax the moment the strike lands."
Kaito practiced the activation again—this time focusing on the release. He landed the strike and rolled out, staying upright.
The master smiled. "Better. You're learning."
Kaito bowed. "Thank you."
The old man chuckled. "Don't thank me yet. Tomorrow, we test you against something that moves."
Kaito's eyes lit up.
He was ready.
The storm wasn't just fast now.
It was precise.
And Gravemark waited to be awakened.