Kane eventually relaxed.
The crackling purple lightning around his fingers slowly faded as he withdrew his Aether.
Still, before leaving, he shot Damon one last glare.
"You should be careful in there."
His lips curled slightly.
"It would be unfortunate if someone without an element got lost."
The meaning behind the words was obvious.
Then he turned and walked away.
Damon watched him leave.
Only after Kane was gone did he finally release the breath he had been holding.
"That was annoying."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
Truthfully, he had stood his ground because backing down wouldn’t help him.
But he also knew the reality.
Without an element, fighting Kane would be difficult.
Very difficult.
The gap wasn’t in cultivation.
The gap was in what they could do with it.
Fortunately, it never reached that point.
Before anything else could happen, several elders of the Calloway Family entered the hall.
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Everyone straightened.
The attention that had been on Damon and Kane vanished instantly.
Because everyone knew what their arrival meant.
The Birthground was finally opening.
Excitement spread through the crowd.
Even Damon felt his heartbeat increase slightly.
One of the elders stepped forward.
His voice echoed throughout the hall.
"The Birthground is one of the foundations of our family."
The room fell silent.
"The opportunities inside can change your future, but so can your mistakes."
His eyes swept over everyone present.
"This is not a playground."
"Although the Lightning Birthground has been cultivated and stabilized for generations, it remains dangerous."
Several youths immediately became serious.
The elder nodded in satisfaction.
"Only those who have reached Resonant Rank are advised to enter."
As he said those words, his gaze stopped briefly on Damon.
Several people noticed.
The meaning was clear.
Without reaching Resonant Rank, survival itself would be difficult.
The elder continued.
"Those with lightning affinity should prioritize finding spirit elementals."
"As for the rest of you..."
His tone became more casual.
"Seek your own opportunities."
Again, his eyes drifted toward Damon.
Not openly.
But enough for Damon to notice.
It was obvious what he meant.
Don’t expect too much.
Damon pretended not to notice.
After all, it wasn’t the first disappointed look he had received this week.
The speech ended quickly.
The elders wished everyone good fortune.
Though if Damon was being honest, most of those wishes seemed directed toward Kane.
The family’s newest treasure.
Their future star.
One elder even assigned a personal guide to Kane.
Someone experienced enough to take him directly toward regions where powerful spirit elementals had been sighted.
The treatment was completely different.
Kane accepted it with a confident smile.
He bowed respectfully.
"I won’t disappoint the family."
The elders nodded approvingly.
A few even smiled.
Then another figure arrived.
The Family Head.
The hall instantly became quieter.
Even the elders straightened slightly.
Damon had only seen the man a few times since arriving in this world.
The Family Head walked toward the enormous metal gate at the far end of the hall.
The gate looked ancient.
Covered in lightning shaped carvings.
Massive enough to block a fortress.
He placed his hand against a circular plate in the center.
The mechanism immediately reacted.
A deep rumble spread through the hall.
The giant doors slowly began to open.
At the same time, a violent surge of Aether rushed outward.
Wind filled the room.
The smell of ozone followed.
Damon felt the hairs on his arms stand up.
Behind the gate...
The Birthground waited.
The Family Head looked toward Kane.
"You represent the future of the Calloway Family."
"Make us proud."
Kane bowed again.
"I will."
Then he stepped forward.
Just before entering, he glanced toward Damon.
There was a mocking smile on his face.
The kind that said he already considered himself the winner.
Damon ignored him completely.
Soon the other awakened youths followed.
Groups entered one after another.
Some accompanied by guides.
Others by instructors.
Several talented descendants received advice and blessings before crossing the entrance.
Eventually...
It was Damon’s turn.
The atmosphere became noticeably awkward.
No guide approached him.
No elder offered encouragement.
No special instructions were given.
One elder merely looked at him.
"Stay near the outer regions."
Another added.
"Don’t go too deep."
A third sighed.
"And don’t get yourself killed trying to prove something."
That was it.
Damon nodded.
"Understood."
Then he stepped through the gate.
The world changed instantly.
The first thing he noticed was the sky.
Dark clouds covered everything.
Lightning flashed constantly above.
The air felt heavier.
Every breath carried traces of wild Aether.
The ground beneath his feet was blackened and cracked.
Large stone formations rose from the earth like jagged teeth.
Occasional lightning strikes hit the landscape without warning.
BOOM!
A bolt crashed into the distance.
The entire area shook slightly.
Damon stared.
"This place is insane."
The Birthground wasn’t a garden.
It wasn’t a training ground either.
It looked like a natural disaster frozen in time.
Yet somehow life still existed within it.
Small blue plants glowed between rocks.
Strange crystals protruded from the ground.
Aether drifted through the air like mist.
Damon adjusted his breathing.
Then he began walking.
He remembered the elders’ warnings.
So he stayed near the outer regions.
At least for now.
The deeper areas were where spirit elementals gathered.
But they were also far more dangerous.
His chances of finding a spirit out here were much lower.
Still.
Finding something was better than dying.
So he searched.
Carefully.
Observing every corner.
Checking every unusual rock formation.
Looking behind crystal clusters.
Anything that looked remotely special.
At first, he remained optimistic.
The Birthground was huge.
Surely he would find something eventually.
An hour passed.
Nothing.
Another lightning strike nearly landed on him.
Damon dove sideways.
BOOM!
The ground exploded where he had been standing moments earlier.
Smoke rose into the air.
Damon remained on the ground.
"...I really hate lightning."
The irony wasn’t lost on him.
He got up and continued.
Another hour passed.
Still nothing.
No treasures.
No spirit elementals.
Not even a useful herb.
Only lightning.
Endless lightning.
The weather seemed to have a personal grudge against him.
Three separate strikes landed uncomfortably close.
One scorched part of his sleeve.
Another shattered a nearby rock.
The third nearly gave him a heart attack.
At some point, Damon started talking to himself.
"You know..."
"I think the lightning remembers me."
A bolt struck nearby.
BOOM!
Damon immediately pointed at the sky.
"See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about."
Unfortunately, the sky offered no explanation.
Hours continued passing.
His optimism gradually faded.
Then frustration took its place.
Soon even frustration disappeared.
Leaving only exhaustion.
By now he had searched a large area.
And gained absolutely nothing.
Not a treasure.
Not a clue.
Not even a shiny rock.
Damon finally stopped walking.
Ahead stood a large stone overhang.
Not deep enough to be called a cave.
But enough to provide shelter from the constant storm.
He stepped underneath it and sat down heavily.
The distant thunder continued rumbling.
For several moments, he simply stared at the wasteland ahead.
Then he sighed.
A long sigh.
"I knew it."
His shoulders slumped.
"My luck is still terrible."
Back on Earth, he couldn’t get rare drops.
Now he couldn’t even find a single useful treasure.
At least some things never changed.
The thought made him laugh despite himself.
Then he leaned back against the stone wall.
Taking a short break before deciding what to do next.