That morning, the sky above Lunaris City was clear. Cael walked toward school as usual. Several aerial vehicles passed between the tall buildings above him. Far higher in the sky, a spacecraft slowly moved toward one of the main flight routes. Cael looked up for a moment. But this time, his gaze did not linger. He looked back at the road ahead. After a few steps, someone tapped him on the shoulder. "You've been spacing out a lot lately." Cael turned around. Evan was walking beside him. "I wasn't spacing out." "Then what were you doing looking at the sky?" "Watching a ship." "Exactly. That's called spacing out." Cael sighed. "If watching a ship means spacing out, then half the city is spacing out." Evan laughed. "Fair point." They continued walking. --- That day, their teacher took the class to the academy's rear courtyard. There was no Shell simulation. No exam. Just Core training. "For the past few days, you've been learning about Shells," their teacher said. "Today, we're going back to the basics." The students took their positions. "Your Core is the source of your energy. Do not rely on equipment to compensate for abilities you have not developed yet." Cael listened carefully. The teacher then pointed toward several small targets scattered across the field. "Your task is simple. Send an energy flow toward your assigned target without touching any of the others." Several students immediately began. Fire shot forward. Earth moved. Flashes of electricity appeared. Wind swept across the field. Cael raised his hand. He sent a stream of Wind toward the first target. Easy. The second target. Still easy. But the third target was positioned between two others that were very close together. Cael stopped. He didn't immediately send his Wind forward. He studied the positions of the targets. Then he slowly moved his hand. The Wind traveled low along the ground. Instead of moving straight toward the target, the current curved around it. Then it rose. It struck the third target perfectly. None of the surrounding targets moved. The teacher, who had been observing from a distance, watched for a moment. Cael lowered his hand. Beside him, Evan whistled. "Whoa." Cael turned toward him. "What?" "You curved it." "Yeah." "Why didn't you just go straight?" "They were too close together." Evan paused. "...Yeah. Fair enough." Cael turned back toward the field. He didn't feel like he had done anything extraordinary. To him, it was simply the most logical way to do it. But their teacher approached him. "Cael." "Yes, sir?" "Why didn't you use a straight path?" "The targets were too close." "And?" "If I used more energy to increase the speed of the flow, I might have been able to pass through before hitting the target." The teacher nodded. "But?" "The risk would be higher." The teacher gave a slight smile. "Good." Cael looked slightly surprised. "Don't misunderstand," the teacher continued. "This doesn't mean your ability is higher than the other students'." Cael nodded. "It simply means you're beginning to think before using your Core." The teacher walked away. Cael looked at his palm. A small current of Wind spun above it. He smiled. --- During lunch break, Evan sat beside Cael in the cafeteria. "If you keep going like this, I'm going to fall behind you." Cael was opening his lunch box. "Your training is going well too." "How?" "Yesterday, you managed to maintain your Earth Pillar even though it almost collapsed." "That's not an achievement." "You still managed to do it." Evan went quiet. Then he nodded slightly. "Yeah, I guess." A few seconds later, he smiled again. "But when we eventually get Shells, I still want huge armor." Cael laughed. "Why?" "Because it's cool." "Good reason." "What about you?" Cael thought for a moment. "I don't know." "Still?" "Still." Evan shook his head. "You're way too relaxed." Cael smiled. "Maybe." --- That afternoon, Cael returned to the park. He stood in the same place. There was no teacher. No friend. No one watching. He raised his hand. Wind appeared. This time, Cael did not immediately send it forward. He allowed the Wind to move around his body. Slowly. Steadily. Then he changed its direction. Left. Right. Behind him. He tried to feel every small change in the flow. A few seconds later, the Wind disappeared. Cael exhaled. He had not become stronger. He had not learned a new technique. He had not increased his rank. Yet something had changed. Not in his Core. But in the way he used it. Cael looked at his hand. "If this keeps going..." A small smile appeared on his face. "...maybe Wind really is the right Affinity for me." He picked up his bag and began walking home. Above Lunaris City, a spacecraft slowly disappeared behind the towering buildings. Cael looked at it for a moment. Then he continued walking. For now, the world he wanted to see was still far away. And he still had a lot to learn before he could reach it.

Chapter 8 : The Unseen Wind