The wind felt too gentle.
Kael stood at the edge of the ridge, watching Leiya laugh with two other guild recruits. Her smile reached her eyes. A hand tucked her long black hair behind her ear, and she rolled her eyes playfully as one of the boys said something dumb — probably an awkward flirt.
And for a moment, Kael forgot this was the new cycle.
Just for a breath.
Then it hit him again. That invisible weight, like chains made of memories no one else carried. He wasn't just standing in sunlight. He was standing in a memory brought back to life.
She looked exactly the same.
But she didn't know him yet.
She hadn't died for him yet.
Kael clenched his fists.
It was so hard to stay composed. So hard not to break down and scream and tell her everything — how much she meant to him, what he'd lost, what he saw. But he knew better.
Not yet.
He was still too weak. Still just a boy in this timeline.
But not for long.
The First Step
That night, Kael didn't sleep.
While the others partied over another clean mission, Kael walked alone through the lower barracks into the mountainside.
He reached the cavern training field where veterans usually trained during off hours, carved with deep gouges and cracked floors from past duels. He stepped into the center, dropped to one knee, and focused.
Essence flared inside him. Raw. Unfocused. Dangerous.
He hadn't used full-body infusion since the final battle with the Sovereign — but the memory was seared into his bones. That wasn't a technique. It wasn't some flashy move.
It was evolution.
And he would replicate it.
Internal Conduit Conditioning: Attempt One
Flame Essence. First.
Kael inhaled, visualizing the core within him — a deep, molten furnace. He dragged the heat upward, guiding it through his chest, arms, and legs. Not casting. No outward force.
Only internal flow.
Thirty seconds.
His shoulder spasmed.
One minute.
The left side of his face went numb.
One minute, forty seconds.
Something popped behind his ribcage. He hissed. Heat built to unbearable levels.
Two minutes.
A screech tore from his throat as the essence surged into his spine and lashed out violently. His arms convulsed. He collapsed onto the cavern floor, twitching, vomiting smoke and bile.
He gasped.
He'd failed.
He crawled to the wall, using it as support as his body twitched like a burnt nerve.
Then he meditated.
And tried again.
Week One
He isolated each affinity. Flame. Lightning. Storm. Kinetic.
Every session tested a different part of his body. Every failure left burn marks on his skin and deep bruises along his essence channels. More than once, he passed out mid-channeling, only to wake up and resume.
Each time, he got a few seconds further.
By the end of the week, he could hold two minutes and fifty-one seconds of full-body internal circulation.
And that wasn't enough.
Essence Resistance Body-Break: Week Two
Kael spent two entire days building it.
A dome. Sealed with Kinetic compression. Laced with Flame heat, Lightning discharge coils, and captured Storm essence.
A pressure chamber built for agony.
He stepped inside.
Immediately, the air grew heavy. Gravity compressed his lungs, bent his back, and sank his heels into the stone. Lightning cracked his shoulder. Wind threatened to rip his stance apart.
Still he stood.
Still he moved.
Every strike he threw felt like it took a minute to finish. His body resisted. His muscles screamed. But he didn't stop.
Day one: he lasted four minutes.
By the end of the second week, Kael was moving like he was underwater in hell — and lasting ten.
Neural Overdrive Simulation: Week Three
Lightning Essence. Storm feedback loop.
Kael strapped the amplifiers to his temples and activated the loop. Time distorted. The world sped up.
Suddenly, he was surrounded.
Five versions of himself — illusions, yes, but perfect in form and intent — attacked from every angle.
He blocked left.
Duck low.
Counterstrike.
Too slow.
A fist connected with his jaw. Then a foot slammed into his ribs.
Kael flew back and slammed into the wall.
The illusions faded. Time reset.
Attempt two.
And again. Again. Again.
He didn't eat. Didn't sleep. Only adjusted. Reacted. Learned.
One hour a night.
By the end of the third week, he could parry four Kaels simultaneously in real-time, his mind operating five times faster than his body could keep up.
He was getting closer.
Willpower Focus Chamber: Week Four
A closed room. Filled with memories.
Not real ones — not exactly. Essence-illusions created from Storm and Flame constructs. But they looked and sounded and felt exactly right.
Leiya, gasping for breath with blood soaking her robes.
Arlan, kneeling, teeth gritted as his arm dissolved.
Riven. Pale. Cold. Silent.
They attacked.
Their words, not their fists, did the most damage.
"You failed us."
"You said you would protect us."
"You let it happen."
"You were too late."
Kael didn't scream.
He didn't fight back.
He stood there, every muscle tensed, every nerve humming with infused energy, as the illusions circled and tormented him.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
When the chamber finally collapsed under his Essence flare, Kael emerged with blood on his lips and resolve in his heart.
The Final Test: Clone Combat Trial
Fifteen minutes.
Five clones. Fully infused. Matching his past self in every way.
No casting. No techniques.
Only body.
Only Essence.
The chamber shook from the first strike.
Each clash generated shockwaves that bent the floor and shattered the walls. Kael struck with thunderous fists. One clone slammed him through the ceiling. He returned with a dropkick that liquefied the ground.
Ten minutes.
His body began failing. Bones fractured. Muscles tore.
Thirteen.
A clone landed a near-fatal strike to his ribs. Kael coughed blood. His vision blurred.
Fourteen.
Kael roared. His entire body lit from within — veins of molten color tracing his skin. Lightning danced across his arms. Flame hissed behind every punch. Stormwinds encased his body.
Fifteen.
Only Kael remained.
Barely conscious.
Still standing.
He would call it...Transcension: The Embodiment of Essence
He returned to the guildhall that night, walked past the cheering trainees, and locked eyes with Leiya again.
She waved.
Kael forced a smile.
And walked past her, before his voice could betray the sorrow twisting his chest.
In the coming weeks, he joined her on missions. Made her laugh. Earned her trust.
And every time, it shattered him a little more.
Because she didn't remember.
Because she didn't love him yet.
But she would.
And when the time came — when Arkzen appeared and the Gate stirred again — Kael would not falter.
He stood at the edge of that future now.
And he whispered beneath his breath:
"This time… I'll be ready."