Kael barely had time to rest.
The next morning, Aria woke him up by throwing a bottle of water on his chest.
"Get up, little ray. It's time to see if you're really the sun or just a failing light bulb."
Kael groaned, rubbing his eyes. The pain in his body was still there, but now it seemed like part of him. As if accepting it was a step towards controlling it.
"Already? I thought we were going to have breakfast before we almost died again."
"Trust me. Coffee comes later. Or never, if you don't survive."
She led him to a deactivated area of the base—a sort of old hangar, with corroded steel walls and broken solar panels scattered across the floor. Sunlight streamed through the cracks, cutting through the dust in the air like golden beams. Kael looked around. "What is this place?" "A testing ground. At least it is now." Aria tossed a coat into the corner and snapped her fingers. "You said you want to stop stumbling around in the dark. So I'll help you. But I'm not gentle." Kael was silent for a second, then took a deep breath and nodded. "Go for it." The first punch was fast. Faster than Kael could react. He felt the impact on the side of his face and staggered. "Rule number one," Aria said, rolling her shoulders. "Waiting for the enemy to start the game is asking for a loss." Kael spat blood and laughed. "Does this class have a certificate?" "It has a scar." She lunged for him again, and this time Kael reacted. His reflexes were sharper. He dodged the kick and released a short burst of light. It hit the ground, not her, but the energy was denser. More alive.
"You're starting to feel it, huh?" Aria said, jumping back. "The light inside you. But you're still trying to control it with anger. That makes you predictable."
Kael clenched his fists. Heat spread through his arms, but he remembered his father's words… "Guide it with your heart."
He took a deep breath. He let it out slowly. And then, instead of attacking, he let the energy rise calmly through his skin. It was as if the sun outside was responding.
"That's it," Aria murmured, now serious. "Now, yes. Let's see how far this goes."
The test turned into a war.
Aria was pushing him to the limit—physically and emotionally. She provoked, hit, disappeared into the shadows and appeared in blind spots. Each blow was a silent question: can you really handle it? Are you going to break now? Are you going to run away?
Kael was bleeding. He was sweating. Every muscle was burning. But the more he was beaten, the more he understood something new: power didn't come from light alone. It came from pain. From effort. From acceptance.
He wasn't a weapon. He was a sun in the making.
And with the last blow—when Aria swung a blade of energy toward his chest—Kael raised his arm and stopped the blade with his hand. A shield of golden light enveloped his forearm. Unsteady, but real.
Aria arched her eyebrow in surprise.
"You're learning fast, little lightning."
Kael was panting, sweaty but steady.
"I'm not here to be fast. I'm here to be eternal."
She smiled, and for the first time, there was respect in her eyes.
"So maybe... you really were born to shine