In the past week, we'd gathered intel on the surrounding land. The scaled swords hadn't combined yet, but there was already a bounty on the Yin-Yang spirits' heads. Eqihr and Manny had gone out searching for more allies and had been gone for seven days. In that time, I still hadn't unlocked my destructive prowess, though I was pushing myself daily to figure it out. For now, I was training with Mai and her brothers.
Xain, the youngest, could expand his aura in suffocating waves, smothering anyone within its reach. The second brother could clone weapons, a gift passed down from their father, who could duplicate not only himself but his arsenal. The oldest brother wielded sonokinesis—manipulating sound itself. He could strip it away, amplify it, reshape soundwaves into visible force, and weaponize their pitch.
Mai hadn't revealed her ability yet, but her brothers swore it was extraordinary. That alone gave me a rush of anticipation.
During training, Mai and I squared off as her brothers observed. She stood calm and unshaken, waiting. I charged forward, only for her to leap back and slam her palm into the dirt. In an instant, heavy roots erupted, coiling around my arms and legs, forcing me to my knees. The vines trailed up her wrist—her power revealed: earth manipulation. With a pull, she yanked herself toward me, spun, and kicked me aside. While I was still airborne, she reeled me back and drove me into the ground with a crushing kick.
Her roots released me and receded into her palm. "Your turn," she said coolly, stepping back.
I rose as my body healed. Against earth manipulation, standing still was death. I would have to rely on martial arts and natural force. Closing my fist, I punched the air, channeling vibrations with lightning. Realization struck—I could tap into my catastrophic powers.
I remembered how, in my fight with Manny, desperation had unlocked them. Maybe intensity was the key. I clenched my fist and drove it into the ground. The earth cracked, then a violent wind blasted outward, knocking everyone—including me—off balance.
Leaning against a tree, I stared at my hand, then burst out laughing in exhilaration. Mai and her brothers cheered while I punched upward again, watching the vibrations dissipate into the air. I walked back to them, grinning ear to ear. My body, though, was nearly drained, and I knew I needed rest.
I opened a portal and carried us back to the village. When we arrived, Manny and Eqihr had finally returned—and with good news. They had found a town, a week's journey away, known as Haru. Its name meant spring, and its people wielded abilities that could bend and manipulate the very environment. Eqihr warned that Haru's leader didn't want our presence known publicly. We were to enter in secret because of the war.
I told them about unlocking my destructive power. Both Manny and Eqihr congratulated me, though they reminded me that this was only the beginning. Real training lay ahead, and the greater battle was still to come. Our only real chance at surviving the war was to ally with Haru. Together, perhaps, we could fight back against forces far bigger than ourselves.
The group agreed to depart tomorrow, giving us one day to prepare.
Later, Mai pulled me aside. She admitted doubts about Haru, saying they seemed too eager to welcome us given the circumstances. I couldn't dismiss her suspicion, but I reminded her we had no other options. Yuki was destroyed, her village had been emptied, and our circle was shrinking. She kept her guard up, unwilling to fully trust them.
That evening, I ate while walking through the meadow, reaching out to the nature around me. The energy pressed back with a sense of unending danger, chilling me. It whispered of horror and war. The feeling unsettled me enough that I stopped, bit into my apple, and tried to ignore it.
Manny joined me, asking, "How do you feel about the war?"
"Which part?" I muttered. "That we could die, or that people are depending on us?"
"Both," he said, sitting beside me. He vowed he wouldn't die until he'd exacted revenge.
I told him I'd stay by his side until the end, but he shook his head. He warned me not to follow his path, to use my ability for peace instead of destruction. I ignored his warning and kept my promise.
Back in the village, we spoke with Mai's father. He urged caution, warning us to keep our eyes sharp with Haru. He knew their reputation: sly and deceiving, as treacherous as snakes.
Afterward, Eqihr gathered us and explained more about our powers. He said our abilities carried a reputation across Pansen—destructive, nearly unstoppable, and still evolving. He explained that our powers could alter our very bodies, changing us in ways even he couldn't predict. I reminded him of Manny's transformation during the fight with the scaled-sword woman.
Eqihr nodded gravely, saying that was only one aspect of what Yin and Yang could do. With only two of us, the possibilities were limitless. Manny asked how we'd uncover the rest. Eqihr admitted he didn't know, but if we trained hard enough, the answers would come.
I knew it wouldn't be easy, but it could be the key to survival. Eqihr told us to rest the remainder of the day.
Exhausted from training, I returned to my hut and collapsed, drifting into much-needed sleep.