Yassin rushed toward Wael and pulled him out of the water, finding him unconscious. But moments later, Wael slowly opened his eyes.
“What happened?” he asked in confusion.
“I don’t know...” Yassin replied. “You’re the one who passed out, not me.”
Wael sat up, trying to remember what had happened.
“All I remember is sitting under the waterfall... Then I started feeling dizzy, and after that, I don’t remember anything.”
Yassin nodded.
“You may not have noticed it, but the water of this waterfall helps regulate the flow of energy within the body. Since its effect is new to you, it may have caused you to lose consciousness.”
Wael stared at him in surprise, then stood up and returned to the waterfall without hesitation.
“This time, focus your eyes on a distant point and try to feel the flow of energy within your body,” Yassin told him.
Wael nodded and resumed his training.
As the night passed, his body gradually adapted to the force of the water until he was finally able to withstand it. Yassin watched him in silence, realizing that Wael’s rate of development far exceeded his expectations.
So he moved directly on to the next stage of training.
“Try using your power,” he said.
Wael hesitated.
“But I don’t know how to control it.”
Yassin smiled.
“Don’t worry about that... Just release it.”
Wael extended his arm, and thin strands of lightning began to coil around it.
The next moment, powerful bolts burst outward, spreading throughout the area as Wael began to lose control of them.
Suddenly, Yassin appeared behind him and grabbed his arm.
The lightning stopped immediately.
“Good. I only wanted to see your ability to manifest your element.”
Then he continued, “It seems you don’t know how to convert any part of it into energy. So we’ll start with that, because it’s the foundation of controlling your element.”
Yassin took out a small lamp and handed it to Wael.
“Light this... but don’t let it explode.”
Then he added, “And you’ll do it while sitting under the waterfall.”
Wael looked at the lamp confidently.
“Seems easy enough.”
But on his very first attempt...
The lamp exploded in his hand.
He stared at Yassin in silence.
Yassin smiled.
“Not as easy as it looks.”
He raised another lamp and continued.
“Any small amount of the element you release will make it explode immediately.”
He pointed to the lamp.
“What you need to release is only the energy, and in a very precise amount, just enough to make the lamp light up without causing it to explode.”
Then he said, “Once you master that, you’ll learn how to control the amount of energy you release. After that, you’ll gradually be able to use greater amounts.”
Wael nodded enthusiastically.
“Got it!”
And he began training.
He blew up one lamp after another without succeeding.
Until morning came.
Yassin, who had dozed off for a while, woke up to find Wael sitting on the mountainside, watching the sunrise.
He approached him.
“Take a rest while I go get more lamps.”
Wael turned toward him in confusion.
“Why? Does the next stage of training need lamps too?”
Before Yassin could answer, his eyes fell on Wael’s hand. It was covered in wounds and blood, while the lamp was glowing steadily.
Yassin stopped in his tracks, astonishment visible on his face.
“You mastered it... in a single night?”
He realized then that Wael was no ordinary person, and that his training might take far less time than he had expected.
He smiled.
“Looks like I’ve been too easy on you.”
Wael smiled confidently.
“Of course. Those were simple things.”
Yassin gave a faint smile.
“All right...”
Then he pointed toward the training ground in front of the cabin.
“Let’s see if you’ll say the same thing after we start strengthening your muscles.”
Wael began his physical training, and the days passed as he endured grueling exercises. Constant exhaustion, wounds that barely had time to heal before new ones appeared, and training fights with Yassin, who never went easy on him.
After two weeks, Wael’s muscles had become clearly defined. Every energy user’s cells grow stronger rapidly when subjected to intense physical exertion, especially when the body suffers injuries or severe pain. Their bodies heal faster than normal, and their cells return stronger than before.
That day, Yassin looked at Wael, whose body was covered in injuries.
“Your body is getting stronger, and your control over your energy is improving noticeably. But you still lack combat experience.”
Then he gave a faint smile.
“Still... you’ve done well. You can take a day or two to rest, then come back whenever you’re ready.”
Wael looked surprised.
“But... I thought we didn’t have time to rest.”
“Don’t misunderstand me, Wael. Rest is an essential part of training. It’s true that we’re strong enough that we don’t need long recovery periods, but we still need to rest.”
Wael nodded.
"You're right... Besides, I've been absent from school for quite a while. I'm going to get into trouble."
Yassin looked at him.
"And you haven't returned home during all this time either. Aren't your parents worried about you?"
Silence fell for a moment.
Then Wael spoke quietly.
"My father died a long time ago... My mother lives with her parents. I check on her from time to time, but I refused to live with her."
"What about your siblings?"
"I had an older brother..."
Wael lowered his head slightly.
"But he disappeared on the day my father died."
He hesitated.
"They were on a business trip together when their car went off a bridge. They found my father's body... but they never found my brother."
He paused.
"And I think..."
"Don't blame yourself."
Yassin's voice interrupted him.
He looked at Wael seriously.
"Blaming yourself won't change anything. Only do so if you were too weak to protect someone who mattered to you."
Wael remained silent for a moment.
"You're right."
He turned and walked away.
Before he could get far, Yassin called out to him.
"Wael."
Wael turned around.
"Don't show any of your power. Act as you normally would."
Yassin's expression hardened.
"That's an order. Don't disobey it."
Then Wael walked away and Yassin watched him getting farther and farther...while a smile of hope was drawn upon his face