Episode 28: Training and Blood
Far from the Organization’s main ship, hidden among mountains and waterfalls, Leon and Lara trained without rest.
The valley echoed with the constant sound of impact.
Leon stood barefoot over the wet stone, his body covered in bruises and scratches. He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. Energy gathered around his hands — first water, then sparks of lightning. The two forces clashed against each other, unstable.
The power exploded.
Leon was thrown backwards, rolling across the ground and stopping near the riverbank. He coughed, trying to breathe.
Lara immediately ran to him.
“You can’t just awaken the five elements,” she said firmly, helping him up. “You have to control them.”
Leon wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and forced a tired smile.
“I know… but it feels like my body is going to tear apart.”
Lara held his hand tighter.
“That’s how we grow. If I’m going to fight beside you… I won’t stay behind.”
They resumed.
Leon tried again — combining water and lightning. The air vibrated. For a brief moment the energy stabilized… then failed again, throwing him into the rocks.
Nearby, Lara trained with her blade, cutting through massive stone formations. Each swing shattered rock into fragments. Sweat ran down her face, but she didn’t stop.
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Eventually both collapsed onto the grass, breathing heavily.
They looked at each other… and smiled.
Neither of them was giving up.
Across the universe, others were preparing as well.
Warriors sharpened weapons. Mages practiced techniques. Teams trained in pairs, testing strategies for the coming tournament.
In another training field, Darian and his father Doria fought each other mercilessly. Every strike shattered stone beneath their feet.
“If it wasn’t for Lee,” Doria growled, “we would already be in command. That cursed boy will pay.”
Darian’s eyes burned with hatred.
“And Leon too. I will crush that Krizardian traitor in front of everyone.”
Their attacks exploded across the training ground.
Meanwhile… on a distant mineral-rich planet…
Night covered a Krizardian military base.
Inside its prison chambers, the cries of prisoners echoed through dark corridors.
Then the alarms sounded.
Lee had arrived.
He walked through the main gate alone, sword in hand, his eyes glowing faintly gold. The first guards rushed him.
They never reached him.
Steel flashed once.
Blood painted the walls.
Lee moved like a shadow — faster than sight. He cut through soldiers, severed weapons, and shattered armor. Each strike was precise. Each movement silent.
More Krizardians surrounded him.
His pupils sharpened. His aura darkened.
For a moment, his partial Krizardian form surfaced — yellow eyes and a heavy killing presence that froze weaker soldiers in place.
He advanced.
Bodies fell one after another.
No hesitation. No mercy.
Soon, over two hundred warriors lay dead across the corridors.
Only silence remained.
Lee reached the prison cells and shattered the metal bars with a single strike. The prisoners shrank back in fear.
He didn’t speak.
He simply turned and began walking toward the exit.
They followed.
After guiding the captives to safety outside the base, Lee stopped.
He raised his sword.
Energy gathered around the blade. The ground trembled. Cracks spread across the structure.
With one final strike, he brought the sword down.
The entire base split apart.
An explosion of fire and debris rose into the sky, turning the night red.
Lee stood before the burning ruins, his body covered in blood — not all of it his own.
He planted his sword into the ground.
Using the blood on his hand, he wrote a message across a metal plate left among the wreckage.
“Aris… your time is coming.”
Without looking back, he walked away alone into the darkness, while the freed prisoners watched in silence.
None of them knew whether they had just been saved by a hero… or by a future king.
