The night passed, and with the new dawn, new characters seemed to be moving forward as well. For the past two days, Orry had been continuously trying to adapt himself to his element — to find harmony with it. Yet, the other candidates weren't far behind either. While rare awakeners like Orry were struggling with their training, there was one boy who had already brought his element completely under control.
That boy was — Asher Juyal, who had awakened the dual element Fire and Water.
---
Unlike Orry, Asher moved with a deadly grace — every strike precise, every breath measured.
Inside the sprawling training ground of Juyal Mansion, the air shimmered with the heat of his dual elements. His eyes blazed — one flickering with crimson fire, the other shimmering with liquid blue light.
He stood still for a moment, locking his gaze onto the line of training dummies ahead. Then, without a word, his hands blurred through a series of seals.
Boom!
A burst of fiery orbs exploded from his palms — roaring across the ground like meteors. One after another, they smashed into the dummies' heads, sending charred fragments flying into the air.
The smell of burnt wood mixed with smoke as Asher exhaled sharply.
His aim… flawless.
His intensity… rising.
Even the sensors embedded in the ground flickered, registering a 5% increase in energy output — the mark of brutal, disciplined practice.
But the shockwave from his final blast rolled across the field — stirring the dust and catching the attention of a girl training nearby.
She turned, her dark braid whipping over her shoulder, and watched him for a moment.
Then her expression hardened — disappointment flickering in her eyes.
"That's it?" she called out, voice cutting through the haze.
"All that power… and you still stop to catch your breath?"
Asher looked up, sweat running down his temple. "Just—one minute," he muttered, lowering his stance.
She walked toward him, her boots crunching over the scorched ground.
"One minute is all it takes to lose your edge," she said coldly.
"You think your enemies will wait while you rest?"
He met her gaze, fire still burning faintly around his hands. "I've been training since dawn. My body—"
"—will break before your limits do," she cut him off sharply. "That's the point, Asher. You don't rise by being comfortable."
For a moment, silence hung between them — heavy with tension. Then, her voice softened, though only slightly.
"You have potential… more than anyone here. But potential means nothing if you stop before the edge."
Asher clenched his fists. The flames flared again — hotter, wilder, merging faintly with streams of water vapor that hissed into mist around him.
"You're right," he said, his voice low but firm.
"Then prove it," she snapped. "Four days left before the Selection. That's all you've got to push beyond your limits — or be forgotten."
He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes for a second. When they opened, the fire and water within them burned brighter than ever.
"Then I'll make these four days count," he said, his aura igniting the air around him.
The girl smirked, stepping back as heat rippled across the ground.
"Good," she whispered. "Show me what the dual flame can really do."
And with that, the ground beneath Asher cracked open in a blaze of red and blue — his next attack roared through the field like a storm.
---
The blast tore through the air — red and blue streaks swirling like twin dragons before slamming into the dummies.
Smoke and steam rose together, twisting into a single column before fading into the afternoon light.
The girl didn't flinch.
If anything, her lips curved into a smirk.
"Better," she said quietly. "At least now, you look like you mean it."
Asher straightened, panting. "You push people too hard, you know that?"
"That's why I'm still standing when others fall."
Her tone was calm, almost icy — the kind of voice that made others instinctively listen.
Asher frowned. "You talk like you've already conquered the Selection."
"I don't need to," she replied. "I just don't plan on losing."
Before he could respond, she raised her hand. The air around her shimmered — and in an instant, the water from the ground mist coiled upward, forming a thin spiral that danced around her wrist. Then, in one effortless motion, it froze solid.
A blade of pure, transparent ice extended from her palm — gleaming with cold light.
Asher's eyes widened slightly. "Dual element?"
She smiled faintly. "Water and Ice. The rarest branch of control in our line. You're not the only one here with two elements, Fire Boy."
The faintest grin broke across Asher's face. "Then maybe this'll be interesting."
"Interesting?" she stepped closer, her ice blade brushing past the air still warm from his flames. "Let's make it more than that. Tomorrow — dawn. We spar. No restraints."
"You're serious?"
"Deadly."
The heat between them — both literal and not — shimmered in the air.
Flame and frost, glare and grin.
Finally, Asher extended his hand slightly, letting a spark dance between his fingers.
"Then I'll bring the fire."
"And I'll bring the storm," she replied, turning away. "Try not to burn out before then."
As she walked off, mist trailing behind her like a ghostly veil, Asher looked down at his trembling hand.
The flame flickered weaker for a second — but his eyes burned brighter than ever.
"Tomorrow," he whispered. "Let's see whose element truly rules."
And in that single moment, the training ground became something more than just a battlefield —
it became the forge where the next legend of Juyal Mansion was about to be born.
---
Meanwhile, at the Maheshwari House, Jaswant was getting ready.
The past few days had been a blur of frustration and wasted time — days spent drowning in self-pity and foolishness. But this morning was different.
He had steadied himself.
He had made a decision — to show the world what he was truly capable of.
He knew his awakening hadn't gone as well as others'.
But that didn't matter anymore. After all, he had awakened a Wood-type Element. Its fluctuation might be weak, its control unstable — yet at least he hadn't failed the ceremony entirely.
Drawing in a deep breath, Jaswant clenched his fists and spoke aloud, his voice low but burning with conviction:
"So what if I can't use my element properly yet?
So what if it's still unstable?
So what if people say my awakening was a failure?
So what if I can't go far with this power?
So what if they laugh at me?"
"I won't let weakness define me.
I, Jaswant, will become strong — strong enough to make my mother proud,
strong enough that no one will ever dare to mock her again.
I swear it… on myself."
With every word, his determination grew heavier, sharper — filling the quiet room with invisible strength. It was as if his voice itself was carving his resolve into the air.
And then suddenly —
A system window flickered to life in front of him, glowing in mid-air.
[Congratulations — Nameless God]
You have successfully activated All the Essences:
• The Essence of Flesh
• The Essence of Will
• The Essence of Courage
• The Essence of Wisdom and Puzzle Mastery
• The Essence of Endurance and Elemental Chaos
• The Essence of Agility and Strategy
• The Essence of Mind
• The Essence of Spirit
One after another, the Essences awakened within him — flooding his body with energy.
In an instant, the emotional chaos he had been suppressing for days vanished.
His thoughts cleared; his heart grew steady. His emotions were finally under control — calm, balanced, neutral.
He let out a long, trembling sigh of relief.
"Huhh… thank God," he murmured. "At least I'm finally free from all that negativity.
Guess the Temple of Lost Memory Trials did pay off after all."
With that, Jaswant opened the door and stepped out.
Outside, his mother Revati was walking toward him — a breakfast tray in her hands, a soft smile on her face. She stopped, surprised to see him already dressed and looking full of purpose.
Jaswant immediately understood who the tray was for. Before she could speak, he raised his hand and said quickly,
"Just a second, Mom — please, listen. I'm heading out right now, okay?
Don't ask me to do anything else for now.
I'll eat when I get back, I promise.
And please, you have breakfast too — don't wait for me."
He said it all in one breath, smiling as he spoke. Before Revati could even respond, he was already out the door — his energy infectious, his smile brighter than it had been in days.
Revati stood there for a moment, watching him go.
That small smile on his face filled her with warmth — so much so that she forgot to even remind him to eat first.
But not everyone shared her joy.
A short distance away, Vihaan and his mother sat eating breakfast.
Their expressions darkened the moment they saw Jaswant leave the house with such confidence.
They exchanged a look — one of quiet, bitter hatred — and continued eating in cold silence.
---