Outskirts of Crystal City
The heavy snowflakes descending from the sky blew straight into the eyes of Victor, who carefully trekked up the rough wooded terrain of Mystic Mountain. Repeated sounds of his boots pressing against the snow mixed with the unruly gusts of wind inflicting deep chills across his body. "Almost…" he whispered, vapor from his breath ascending into the air due to the cold temperatures. About three minutes of grunting and groaning later, he had finally reached the mountain's plateau. His eyes settled on a large tree stump bound to the ground, relieving a significant part of the stress he endured during his rough ascent.
He leaned over towards the stump and brushed the flurries off, wiping the tears flowing down his face. Large initials of each Team ENTITY member (including a V for Victor and an unrecognizable G) had been carved into the wood using thick tree branches. "This is where it all began," Victor's nostalgic thoughts began, shifting his stressful frown to a bright smile.
Dreams' Beginning - the name of the stump holding a special place in all of Team ENTITY's hearts. This very location was a time capsule marking the beginning of their friendship and the birth of their dreams.
Volume TEB, Chapter 1 - The Powerless Boy
Mystic Mountain, 6 years in the past
The story of Team ENTITY begins many years ago on Mystic Mountain. A grumpy Victor dragged a younger Kevin through the maze of trees, zoning out Kevin's repeated impulsive grunts. "Don't tell me you're going to leave me in the forest as a punishment!" he complained. "I already apologized to Dad and the neighbors, what else do you expect me to do!?" Victor grabbed the top of his red hoodie, turning his head towards Kevin. "There are two reasons you're out here," he began. "First, I want you to meet one of my old friends! Second, you need a punishment for painting on your father's wall!" Kevin pouted, crossing his arms across his waist. "Do you really expect me to believe you? Only an insane person would reside in places like thi-"
Victor turned him around, revealing an unusually large wooden shed. "You got the insane part right, I'll give you that…"
Victor aggressively banged on the door, opened by a woman about the same height. Instead of short, black hair like his and Kevin's, the woman had blonde, long hair tied into a ponytail. "Look what the cat dragged in!" she delightfully exclaimed, tightly wrapping her arms around Victor and giggling. "Been a while, Vicky!" Victor rubbed his head in embarrassment, turning back towards Kevin. "I thought I told you not to call me that." Instead of a formal apology, the woman responded with a loud laugh. "So, how's the EHC been treating you lately, and who's the twerp behind you?" Kevin stepped in front of Victor, now face-to-face with the mysterious woman. The sun's light brought a blinding shine to her hair, splitting his examination into intervals. "You can call me Kevin!" he replied, "but you'll be calling me the best entity hunter soon enough!"
Restraining her hysterical laughter, the woman turned towards Victor. "Anyways, my name is Jennifer Stylus, former member of Team Cytron! Instead of that boring name, you can call me Grace instead!" She pulled a small bottle filled to the brim with alcohol out her pocket, flipping the cap off before offering it to Kevin. "Grace, don't tell me you're trying to get Ellis's child drunk," Victor intervened.
Depending where you lived within the entity world, times for awakening powers varied. In the Crystal Region of Nahata, it was average for a child to reach their awakening after 5-8 years of life. But just like Kevin's father, he was deemed a "late bloomer." Kevin boldly smiled at Grace, excitedly jolting his fists into the air. "I heard from Dad that you were a professional in terms of linking!"
Linking is known as a technique used throughout the entity world helping its learner use weak elemental powers (most commonly fire and lightning) mainly for combat. The power of linking assisted Kevin in many of his battles, mainly against LLMOA and Felix Ender. Despite its initial weakness in comparison to normal powers, extreme training normally helped it evolve over time. Grace took another glance at Kevin, instantly returning his bright smile. "Very well then," she replied. "I'll teach you the power of linking."
Victor let out a small smile, turning back towards the trail. "We'll be leaving his training to you for now, Grace."
A few days later
Grace slammed her stick against one of the many trees surrounding the miniature grassfield. "Firstly, we're going to work on the element of lightning!" Kevin smiled in confidence, tightening his muscles and holding his breath. "This is a breeze!" he claimed, following grunts encouraged by his determination.
Not a single bolt of lightning developed.
Grace let out a loud laugh, patting Kevin twice on the head and taking a sip of her drink. "You're skipping way too far ahead, Kevin! To develop lightning, you have to harness a portion of your energy and push it out of your body! I'll be teaching you meditation, a crucial element if you want swift linking practice!"
Kevin descended onto the ground, folding both his legs and closing his eyes. He listened to the chirping birds, mixed in with the scattered breezes of wind blowing through the trees. "Harness, then push," he repeated to himself. Minutes passed, turning to hours, and nearly two full days of meditation before a persisting feeling of warmth gradually developed within his body. Finally opening his eyes, he slightly tightened his muscles and acknowledged the beads of lightning flowing across his body. "FINALLY!" he exclaimed, his voice triggering the sudden movement of nearby birds across the forest.
Kevin heard slow applause coming from the direction of Grace's house, his head turning towards the dark trail. "You've mastered the first and second step to mastering lightning linking, Kevin - now, control is all you need!"