Spectral Tempest.
That was the last thing I remembered—before everything went black.
When my eyes slowly opened, I was in my bed. My whole body felt like it was burning, every fiber of my being. Every breath was painful, every movement felt like it might tear me apart.
I turned my head slightly and saw Aurelia.
She had fallen asleep beside me, slumped over in a chair with her arms resting on the edge of the bed. Her head rested on the bed, pressed against the blanket. It looked like she had tried to stay awake, to keep watch, but sleep had finally claimed her.
A quiet smile found its way to my face.
I stared at her for a moment, barely blinking.
She must've been here for hours.
Through all of it.
My fingers twitched under the blanket, and a soft groan escaped my lips. The weight in my body hadn't left. The aftermath of my awakening still echoed in me.
I tried to feel the changes in my body—what was different about me now? But the moment I focused, the burning flared up again, searing through my limbs like fire under my skin. Even the smallest movement was painful. So I stopped. I stayed where I was, barely breathing, eyes fixed on the ceiling. I wasn't looking at anything—I just didn't have the strength to do anything else. Moving hurt.
I remembered the moment of awakening. The sword. The Spectral Tempest.
It was both the most agonizing and otherworldly experience. The mist, the phasing... everything felt like a nightmare.
Then I felt it, that quiet thread of connection to the sword.
Spectral Tempest.
I slowly looked around the room, wincing as a sharp pain shot through my body. My gaze moved slowly across the room, searching for any sign of it. I needed to know it wasn't something I imagined.
But it wasn't there.
There was not even a trace of the blade in the room.
The movement was enough to wake Aurelia.
She stirred, blinking as she lifted her head from the edge of the bed. For a moment, her eyes were unfocused. Then she saw me—awake, eyes open—and her breath caught.
"Kael?" she whispered, her voice hoarse from sleep and something else… relief.
I managed a faint nod, the corners of my mouth twitching upward. It hurt to smile, but I did it anyway.
She straightened in her chair, rubbing her eyes, then leaned closer. "You scared me," she said softly, her eyes glassy. "You've been out for two days."
Two days.
I let that sink in. My body still ached, but a different kind of weight pressed down on me.
"How… how are you feeling?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"Like I got hit by a mountain," I muttered.
Her lips curved into a smile.
"You shouldn't move too much," she added, reaching out as if to steady me, even though I wasn't going anywhere.
After a quiet reassurances that I was okay—and that the pain would pass—Aurelia told me what the physician had said. According to him, everything I was feeling was normal. The burning, the weakness… it was just my body adjusting to the awakening.
She said I'd be back on my feet within a week. "Good as new," she whispered with a soft smile, though her eyes still searched my face like she needed to see it for herself.
I asked her about the sword—Spectral Tempest. Where it was. If it had been real.
Her smile faded slightly, and she glanced toward the window before answering.
"Lucian said… it vanished. Right after you collapsed. There was nothing left—just mist."
I nodded slowly, trying to process her words, the pain noticeable in my expression. Aurelia noticed my discomfort and quietly reached for a small vial on the nightstand.
"The healer said this will help you recover," she said, uncorking the vial.
She tilted the vial, letting the liquid trickle into my mouth. It had a bitter taste, but I barely noticed as the heaviness of sleep began to creep over me.
...
The next five days passed in a flash. The days passed as I spent time with my family and with the help of the medications, dulling both pain and awareness. The pain was becoming more manageable with each passing day.
Today, for the first time, the pain had finally eased up. I felt strong enough to finally start understanding what kind of power I had gained from the awakening—and why the sword had vanished.
I had a hot shower, ate breakfast, and then made my way to the training field.
The moment I stepped onto the familiar ground, something felt different. Everything around me seemed clearer. The breeze brushed against my skin, the distant chirping of birds, the way my feet met the earth. It felt as though my senses had enhanced significantly.
I took a few slow stretches, testing the limits of my body.
Then I moved.
And that's when I felt it.
My body reacted faster than I expected. Stronger. Lighter. Every step, every movement was effortless. I threw a few punches into the air, followed by a series of kicks and spins, and realized I wasn't just a little stronger.
I barely recognized myself. Every motion felt powerful, instinctive, right.
My reflexes were sharper, my balance tighter, and my movements more fluid than I'd ever experienced. I could feel the raw potential in every limb, like mana was flowing just beneath the surface, waiting to be directed.
But there was still the sword.
I closed my eyes, focusing on that moment. That connection. That name.
Spectral Tempest.
Something clicked. Like a whisper that only I could hear. My instincts took over—I reached inward, not with my hand but with my will.
And then I felt it.
A surge of energy pulsed through me, and in the blink of an eye, the blade materialized in my hand, cloaked in a shimmer of mist and faint light. It wasn't just a sword—it was my sword.
Part of me.
I stared at it, breath held.
Then I willed it away.
Just like that, it vanished, dissipating into a faint gray mist that lingered for only a second before fading entirely.
I summoned it again, and it returned as if it had never left.
As I practiced summoning and dismissing the sword, the action began to feel more instinctive with each attempt. It was as if the process had become an extension of my thoughts. The connection was growing stronger, and I could feel myself becoming more attuned to it.
The knights I sparred with were seasoned, highly skilled, and far more experienced than I was. But they were caught off guard by the sudden increase in my speed and agility. While I couldn't match them, I was able to hold my own better than I had imagined, even surprising them with a few quick maneuvers. They pushed me harder than I expected, and in turn, I pushed myself to keep up, learning and adapting with each strike.
It wasn't just my physicality that had changed. My mind was sharper, too. I could think faster, process the battlefield with greater clarity. My senses had become so attuned that I could hear even the faintest shift in the air, feel the subtle movements of those around me before they even happened.
There was something about it that felt more than just a weapon—it felt like a link to something deeper inside me. It felt intimately tied to the very essence of what I had become after the awakening. Gripping it, I could almost feel an untapped power stirring within me, ready to awaken at the right moment. It was as if the sword and I were connected like we shared a bond that went beyond the physical.
After a long day, I examined the sword closely. If I were to compare it to any blade from Earth, it would be most similar to the Jian.
As the sun set, I stood there with Spectral Tempest in hand, feeling the weight of its power and the strange connection between us. My body had changed, and so had I. But I knew this was just the beginning. There was still so much to understand, so much more ahead.
I dismissed the blade, the last light of day catching on the gray mist that lingered after it disappeared.
Whatever came next, I would be ready.