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Chapter 7 - CHAPTER 7: THE FIRST STORM

WIELDER OF THE PRIMORDIAL LIGHTNING OF THE ANCIENTS

The forest beyond the Twin Moon Village was silent that night. Even the wind seemed to hide, as if fearing what might awaken within its depths.

Daniel stood in the clearing, his breath misting in the cold air, the Codex of the Storm open before him on a flat stone. The faint glow of the runes pulsed with each beat of his heart.

For days he had endured pain, sleepless nights, and silence. His mother thought he was simply grieving his failed awakening—but Daniel knew better. The lightning was alive inside him, whispering, testing, waiting.

He could feel it coil beneath his skin, restless and wild.

He looked toward the heavens—toward the twin moons hanging pale and distant.

"Father," he murmured, "if this power really came from you… then guide me tonight."

He sat cross-legged, drawing a slow breath. The Codex's next line burned in his mind:

> "To command the storm, one must first surrender to it."

He let go of his fear, his thoughts, even his heartbeat—until he felt the world's essence hum around him. The trees, the air, the ground—all vibrating with quiet power. Then, like a spark striking dry wood, it ignited.

A burst of silver lightning erupted around him.

"Ahhh!" Daniel gasped, clutching his chest as the current ripped through his body. The pain was unimaginable—his bones hummed, his blood boiled, and yet, beneath the agony, he felt something awakening. Something recognizing him.

Flashes of memory—not his own—stormed through his mind. He saw ancient titans clashing in cosmic battle, a figure cloaked in black and silver lightning standing alone against the stars.

He saw the same eyes… his eyes.

Then, just as suddenly, everything went still.

Daniel fell to his knees, smoke rising from his skin. His breath came in ragged gasps. But when he opened his palm—

—a silver spark danced above it, steady and alive.

"I did it…" he whispered, eyes wide in disbelief. "I actually summoned it."

But the moment of triumph didn't last. The spark grew brighter, brighter—until it exploded into a column of lightning that shot into the sky. The forest illuminated like daylight. Thunder roared, rolling across the horizon.

Villagers stirred in the distance, peering from their homes. "A storm? But the skies are clear!"

Daniel staggered back, horrified at the destruction. Trees had splintered, the air smelled of ozone, and the earth beneath him was scorched black. Yet, amidst the chaos, his heartbeat felt steady for the first time. The lightning inside him had stopped resisting—it had accepted him.

A voice echoed faintly in his mind, deep and ancient:

> "The seal cracks. The Wielder returns."

Daniel froze. "What… what was that?"

But before he could react, the Codex shimmered on the stone, its runes shifting and rewriting themselves. New words burned across the page—words that hadn't been there before.

> "Phase Two: The Heart of the Storm — awaken when the skies answer your call."

He stared in awe, realization dawning. The Codex itself was responding to him—unlocking secrets lost for millennia.

The silver sparks around him slowly faded, leaving only the faint crackle of energy in the air. Daniel dropped to his knees, exhausted yet exhilarated. For the first time, he felt truly alive.

"This power… it's not just lightning," he whispered. "It's something ancient. Something the world forgot."

He clenched his fist, silver arcs dancing between his fingers.

"If the world calls me nothing, then I'll show them what nothing can become."

Far above, dark clouds began to swirl around the twin moons. Lightning flashed once across the heavens—not gold, not blue, but the same primordial silver that burned in Daniel's eyes.

And far away, deep within a sealed dimension, something vast stirred—a flicker of awareness returning after ages of slumber.

The storm had begun once more.

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