04:30 AM | OGUN STATE

  The car pulled off the main highway and began to navigate a narrow, winding road that cut through the thick foliage of the Ogun interior. The trees here felt different—older, their branches interlocking above to block out the moon.

  Christian steered away from the tourist entrance, navigating a hidden path through the dense vegetation until the massive, ancient granite of Olumo Rock loomed over them like a sleeping giant. The rock face seemed to shimmer as they approached; a subtle distortion in the air suggested a powerful Nature Energy shroud. Kaelo remarked to himself that the intensity of the shroud seemed just as vast as the energy he saw emanating from Christian.

  They stopped in a cavernous opening that had been seamlessly integrated into the natural stone.

  "We’re here," Christian said, killing the engine.

  They stepped out into a courtyard that smelled of wet earth and hot metal. Standing at the top of a short flight of stone steps was a man. He didn't look like a relic of the 1400s. He looked like he was in his early thirties, with a sharp, disciplined frame and eyes that held a weight no thirty-year-old should possess. His current host was in its prime, a body he had inhabited for only five years.

  "Kano!" Christian called out, his voice possessing a distinct playful tone. He casually waved at him.

  Kano didn't look at Christian. His gaze went straight to Kaelo, landing on him with the force of a physical blow.

  "It's been a while since you found a new energy user," Kano said. His voice was a rich baritone, sounding perfectly at home in his relatively young body. "You’ve brought me a frantic one, Christian. His energy is leaking everywhere. He smells like a dying star."

  Kaelo felt a chill run down his spine. This was the man who had lived through centuries, jumping from vessel to vessel to stay at the peak of existence.

  "I'm Kaelo," he stammered, trying to steady his legs.

  Kano descended the steps slowly, his movements so efficient they were almost haunting. He stopped just inches from Kaelo. "You must already know who I am."

  Kano reached out and gripped Kaelo’s chin, tilting his head back to look at his eyes. "Tell me... what sort of technique did you manifest?"

  "I haven't really found out yet..." Kaelo muttered. He realized just how bizarre this entire situation was. He had definitely done something superhuman against the guards, and he was able to perceive the motion of a bullet through the air, but he wasn't able to put it into words.

  "He's probably a transmuter," Christian said, rescuing him from his confusion. "He manifested electricity and used it to amplify his reflexes and movement. But as you've noted, he's quite wasteful with his energy and he doesn't have large reserves. Still, compared to other newcomers we've encountered, he's performing above average. I think he's strong."

  Kano grunted. He obviously didn't agree.

  "Explain to me: how do you transmit yourself to the bodies of others? Do you kill them? Are you a murderer?" Kaelo blurted. He was not acting calm and controlled as he usually would.

  "Even if I was a murderer..." Kano said very slowly. "At this exact moment, what would you be able to do about it?"

  "I'd stop you," Kaelo said.

  Christian let out a small chuckle. "You've got heart, kid. You really are strong."

  "Never mistake stupidity for bravery," Kano said, slightly bemused at the confidence of the young lad. "The coward lives to tell the brave man's children where their father is buried."

  Kano let go of Kaelo’s chin, his eyes narrowed in thought. The silence of Olumo Rock was heavy, broken only by the distant hum of the forest.

  "Transmuter," Kano repeated, the word sounding like a curse. "The most difficult path to master, and the most dangerous to fail. It requires elite control over your nature energy manipulation."

  Kaelo rubbed his jaw, his eyes darting to Christian. "If he's a Transmuter too, then it's probably easy."

  "He is a monster," Kano said bluntly. "He transmutes matter into flames and uses them as an extension of his own nervous system. He doesn't just see you; he feels the heat your body gives off. He reacts before the thought even enters your head. He makes it look so simple you can mistake it for emission."

  Kano turned toward the dark maw of the cavern entrance. As they walked, he began to explain the four pillars of their world:

  The Four Classes of Nature Energy

  Enhancement: The most common form. It involves using nature energy to upgrade the properties of physical objects or the user's own body. While everyone can learn it, very few can build a unique combat style based solely off it.

  Transmutation: The rarest art. Users convert their nature energy into another form—like electricity—or change the properties of matter itself. It is extremely taxing on the body. Kano can use this to heal himself.

  Emission: The ability to detach nature energy from the body and launch it as a projectile.

  Specialist: A category for anything that defies the other three. This includes Kano’s soul-transfer technique.

  They walked into the heart of the rock. The walls weren't damp; they were dry and pulsed with a faint, rhythmic violet light. Deep in the center of the chamber sat a jagged, obsidian-like stone—the same mineral from the 1400s.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "This is the source," Kano said, gesturing to the mineral. "The Republic wants to synthesize it. They want an army of Nature Energy users to tip the scales of global power. We're trying to take them down. Frankly speaking... Christian is the only nature energy user left on our side. Even if we found more, they'd probably just die off."

  Kano turned back to Kaelo. "Tell me, when you manifested electricity for the first time, how did it feel?"

  "I could feel the sensation moving through my body, but after some moments, my body began to hurt," Kaelo responded, his voice echoing against the ancient stones. "Almost as if it was getting ripped from the inside out."

  Kano smiled—a sharp, cold expression. "You simply weren't using Enhancement to reinforce your body to handle the burden of your technique. Basic reinforcement is one of the skills you need to learn to use your nature energy in combat, but I'm certain that is entirely useless to you. After all, you'll be going back home soon."

  "What do you mean?" Christian and Kaelo said simultaneously.

  Kano stopped in front of the glowing stone, his back turned to them. "I’m sure you were expecting a grand speech about destiny, Kaelo. But the truth is simpler: you aren't strong enough to stay."

  Kaelo flinched as if he’d been struck. "What?"

  "Innate talent is the bedrock of our world," Kano said, turning around with a look of clinical boredom. "Sixty-five percent of your potential as a nature energy sorcerer is determined the moment you activate the genes. It’s measured by two things: your innate nature energy reserves and the complexity of your technique."

  He gestured vaguely at Kaelo’s chest. "Your reserves are shallow. And lightning? I’ve seen many variations of lightning transmutation over the centuries. It has a strong upper limit but in my lifetime it's only ever been glimpsed once. Also your energy control is weak. You’ll be bright. But against the Republic’s heavy hitters, you’ll be a fly hitting a windshield. You are useless for our mission."

  "Kano, wait," Christian stepped forward, his playful smile completely gone. "He’s just unrefined. He survived. You can't just toss him out."

  "I can, and I will," Kano replied. "I can offer him a hole in the ground to hide in—somewhere the Republic won't look. That is my mercy."

  "I don't want to hide," Kaelo snapped, his voice rough. "They killed innocent. They treated me like trash. I want to help fight for a just cause... even if it kills me."

  Kano laughed.

  "A 'just cause'? There are no just causes, boy. Only those who have power and those who are erased by it. Were all the guards killed by Christian evil people? Who makes us the judge, jury or executioner. Your friends were willing to kill and steal that stone just to make money for themselves. There wasn't anything just about that cause, was there?"

  "He's just a boy, he made a mistake and I'm certain the situation was more nuanced than you paint it. I'll train him," Christian blurted out.

  Kano paused, his eyes shifting to Christian. "You? You’ve never had the patience to explain the basics to a fly, let alone a novice. Besides you said it yourself..he's just a kid."

  "I'm vouching for him," Christian said, his voice steady. "If he doesn't show progress, then do what you want. But give him a week. I’ll do the work. I'll protect him, he doesn't have to go on missions."

  Kano grunted, looking between the two. "Fine. One week."

  The next seven days were a blur of exhaustion for Kaelo. Christian tried his best, but he was a "natural"—he did things by instinct that Kaelo had to struggle to even conceptualize. Christian would explain how to "feel the flow," and Kaelo would end up vomiting from the internal pressure of his own energy.

  By day seven, Kaelo’s improvement was marginal. He could barely reinforce his fist for more than a few seconds without the "rip" returning. He was working harder than he ever had in the warehouse, but his body simply wasn't catching up to Christian’s genius level.

  On the eighth morning, Christian was trying to find a new way to explain Enhancement, when a shadow fell over them.

  Kano stood at the entrance of the training clearing. He had been watching in silence for hours. He saw Kaelo’s bleeding knuckles and the way the boy refused to sit down despite his legs shaking.

  "Enough," Kano said.

  Christian looked down, shoulders slumped. "Just one more day, Kano. He’s close, I know it—"

  "He isn't close because your teaching is abysmal, Christian," Kano interrupted. He walked toward Kaelo, his eyes scanning the boy’s ragged energy. "However... I do not reward incompetence, but I do reward work ethic. Christian has been genuiely trying to help you, he rarely puts in effort into anything, and you haven't quit once."

  Kano stood directly in front of Kaelo. "Christian's training is over. I will take it from here. But understand this, boy: Christian was trying to keep you alive. My training will make you wish you had died in that warehouse. I'll have to make do with what meagre talent you have in you."

  Kano didn’t wait for Kaelo to agree. He simply turned and walked deeper into the heart of the rock, toward a chamber where the violet light of the obsidian stone didn't just pulse—it hummed. The rock always seemed to react differently to Kano

  "Christian, leave us," Kano commanded without looking back.

  Christian hesitated, his hand hovering near Kaelo’s shoulder. He looked like he wanted to say something—an apology, maybe, or a word of encouragement—but he knew better than to cross Kano when he was in this state. With a final, worried glance at Kaelo, Christian retreated into the shadows of the outer tunnel.

  Kaelo stood alone with the ancient master. The air here was different. It felt thick, like he was standing at the bottom of a deep pool of water.

  "Your problem is that you think of Nature Energy as a tool," Kano said, stopping in the center of the violet glow. "You think you can pick it up and swing it like a hammer. But for a Transmuter, the energy is your nervous system. You aren't swinging a hammer; you are essentially becoming a vessel to the power residing within you. It's important you don't explode with it"

  Kano suddenly turned, and the pressure in the room tripled. Kaelo’s knees hit the stone floor with a sickening crack.

  "I've stopped limiting my energy flow. You're experience the unfiltered flow of my energy reserves. Every nature energy user in a 12km radius can currently feel my presence" Kano warned, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous register. "Christian's training wasn't completely useless. You unconsciously activated enhancement. If not you'd be dead by now."

  Kaelo gasped, his hands clawing at the dry stone. The bones in his ribs were screaming at him.

  "Keep using enhancement," Kano barked. "But not on your fists. Stop trying to hit things. Reinforce your lungs so they don't collapse. Reinforce your veins so they don't burst. If you want to use lightning, you must first build a cage strong enough to hold it."

  THE OUTSIDE WORLD (2033)

  Far from the silence of Olumo Rock, the city of Lagos was still reeling from the warehouse explosion.

  Fejiro pulled the yellow police tape back and stepped into the charred remains. He was 30, seasoned.

  He knelt by a pillar. His scanner didn't pick up the usual violet residue of Republic-sanctioned Emission. Instead, it picked up a faint, erratic blue frequency.

  "Thirty-seven seconds," Fejiro whispered, looking at his notes. "The internal sensors stayed dark for thirty-seven seconds before the feed cut. Whatever was in here... it wasn't a person."

  Fejiro looked up at the ceiling. The legal net was starting to spread, but he knew the law moved like a turtle while the plot in the Republic moved like a bullet.

  Back in the Heart of the Rock

  Kaelo was shivering. His skin was pale, sweat dripping off his chin, but he hadn't passed out. He was focusing every ounce of his shallow reserves on just... breathing.

  "Good," Kano said, the pressure suddenly vanishing. Kaelo slumped forward, his chest heaving. "You didn't fail. You chose to survive. That is the first lesson. Keep it in mind, Christian mastered enhancement in 3 minutes. So don't get cocky you aren't dead."

  Kano looked at the obsidian stone, then back at Kaelo.

  "Tomorrow, we begin the training. This was a warm-up exercise. Christian is going to stop a rogue energy user. We got a report from an ally. He'll be back in a week."