After finishing their meal, Kai and Aria headed straight to the training facility. For the past week, this had become their daily routine.
Aria had taken it upon herself to teach Kai the basics of magical combat—though her "teaching" often felt more like an excuse to use him as a practice dummy.
BOOM!
A massive pillar of ice suddenly launched from Aria's palm. It moved at a speed that made Kai's knees shiver, both from the sudden drop in temperature and the sheer pressure of the mana behind it.
He felt the air grow heavy and thin as the ice tore through the space between them. He forced his leaden legs to move, throwing himself to the side.
WHOOSH—CRASH!
The pillar smashed into the reinforced wall behind him, exploding into a shower of jagged frozen shards and white mist. Kai didn't waste a second. As he rolled back to his feet, his golden eyes turned icy.
Blue-white lightning began to seep from his fingertips, crackling with a restless hunger. He focused all his intent on Aria's petite body and let out a concentrated blast of electricity.
Aria, however, didn't seem bothered at all. She didn't even move her feet. She calmly raised one hand, and a thick, translucent ice shield manifested in front of her. The lightning hit the frozen surface and hissed, sparks flying in every direction, but the shield didn't even show a crack.
Damn it, Kai thought, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. How is the gap still this big? I literally can't cause any damage to her. He knew that having zero in his "Magic" stat was a massive handicap, even with his powerful lightning ability.
But he didn't have time to complain. Before he could even steady his stance, the air around him began to glow. Numerous orbs of solid ice suddenly formed in a circle around his body. They hovered for a split second before rushing inward from all sides without any warning.
Kai's expression froze. He roared, channeling a massive amount of lightning from his body, trying to create an electric burst to shatter the incoming projectiles.
But because her stats were so much higher than his, his lightning felt like a candle flame against a blizzard. The ice orbs didn't even slow down; they smashed into him, knocking the wind out of his lungs and slamming him into the hard ground.
"Can't you... go a little easier on me, Aria?" Kai groaned, clutching his ribs.
Aria stood a few yards away, her silver hair glistening under the gym lights. She was wearing a tight sports bra and compression shorts, looking like she was ready for a serious workout, though it was clear she was mostly just enjoying the chance to beat him up. She looked down at him with a wide, mocking smirk.
"Didn't you say you wanted me to train you?" she gloated, clearly enjoying his misery. "Are you already giving up, 'Lightning User'?"
She didn't look down on him with the same old hatred anymore. Instead, she seemed genuinely happy that she could still put him in his place.
So what if you're a big man now? she seemed to be thinking. I can still take you down whenever I feel like it. She had a cute, triumphant smile on her face, and her blue eyes glowed with delight. She was having the time of her life.
Kai gritted his teeth. He hated losing, and his old pride as Alexis Chase wouldn't let him stay down. He forced himself back up, his muscles screaming in protest. He wiped a smudge of frost from his lip and readied his stance again, feeling the lightning start to crawl across his skin once more.
Seeing that he was already back on his feet, Aria's smile turned into a real grin. She liked that he didn't quit. She raised her hands high, and the frost in the room began to swirl toward her palm like a small hurricane. A massive, jagged ice spear formed between her fingers, its tip pointed directly at his chest.
"If you can find a way to dodge this one," she challenged, her voice full of excitement, "I'll consider it your win for today and do you a favor!"
Kai stared at the massive ice spear. The air around it was so cold it felt like it was burning. He knew he couldn't block it, and his current speed wasn't enough to outrun it.
I need something more, he thought, his mind racing. If I can't match her magic, I have to change the way I move.
He reached out to the System in his mind. System! Can I combine my "Lightning" ability with my "Quick Step" into a new skill?
[Analyzing...]
[Potential Synthesis Found: "Flash Step" (Rank: Silver). Costs 10 Skill Points. Proceed?]
Do it! Kai screamed internally.
As Aria pulled her arm back to launch the spear, a new flood of information hit Kai's brain. His muscles twitched as electricity didn't just stay on his skin, but sank deep into his leg fibers, supercharging his nerves.
"Here it comes!" Aria shouted. She flicked her wrist, and the ice spear tore through the air like a missile. It moved so fast it left a white trail of frost behind it, aimed right for Kai's shoulder.
Aria's eyes widened, expecting to see Kai tumble backward. But instead, there was a sharp CRACK of thunder.
In a blur of blue light, Kai vanished.
The ice spear smashed into the floor where he had been standing a millisecond ago, shattering into a thousand pieces. Aria blinked, her head spinning as she tried to find him.
"Looking for me?"
She spun around to see Kai standing three feet to her left. He was breathing hard, and smoke was rising from the soles of his shoes, but he was grinning. He had moved faster than her eyes could follow.
Aria stayed frozen, her hand still raised from the throw. The silence in the gym was heavy. For the first time in their training, she looked genuinely rattled.