The next morning, Ryuzen woke before sunrise.
His entire body hurt.
He opened his eyes and stared at the wooden ceiling.
For a few seconds, he forgot where he was.
Then he remembered.
Eldran’s house.
The forest.
The training.
And the words from the night before.
“Tomorrow, your real training begins.”
Ryuzen slowly sat up.
His muscles immediately protested.
“Ah…”
He rubbed his shoulder.
“This old man is trying to kill me.”
He climbed out of bed.
Even standing felt difficult.
He walked toward the door.
Then he remembered something.
The door was heavy.
Ryuzen placed both hands against it.
“Here we go.”
He pushed.
Nothing.
He pushed harder.
The door moved slightly.
Ryuzen gritted his teeth.
“Come on!”
CREEEAK.
The door finally opened.
Ryuzen stumbled forward.
Eldran was already sitting outside, drinking tea.
He looked at Ryuzen.
“You’re late.”
Ryuzen stared at him.
“The sun isn’t even up.”
“Exactly.”
“You wake up before the sun?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because the sun doesn’t control my schedule.”
Ryuzen sighed.
“You’re strange.”
Eldran pointed toward the training ground.
“Go.”
Ryuzen walked outside.
Then he noticed something waiting in the clearing.
A large wooden barrel.
Several heavy stones.
A thick metal chain.
And something that looked like a short sword.
Ryuzen stared.
“What’s all this?”
“Your training.”
“I thought yesterday was my training.”
“Yesterday was preparation.”
Ryuzen groaned.
“I already know you’re going to say that.”
Eldran smiled.
“Good. You’re learning.”
Eldran pointed toward the barrel.
“Fill it with water.”
Ryuzen grabbed the handle.
He immediately realized something was wrong.
The empty barrel was already heavy.
“Why is this so heavy?”
“Because it is.”
Ryuzen stared at him.
“That’s your explanation?”
“Yes.”
Ryuzen sighed.
He carried it toward the stream.
Every step was difficult.
His arms shook.
His shoulders burned.
But he reached the stream.
He filled the barrel.
Now it was almost impossible to lift.
Ryuzen stared at it.
“You’re serious.”
Eldran’s voice came from behind him.
“Carry it back.”
Ryuzen looked at him.
“Can I at least rest first?”
“No.”
Ryuzen sighed.
He grabbed the barrel.
His knees bent.
His muscles tightened.
Slowly, he lifted it.
“Ahhh!”
He nearly dropped it.
“Control your breathing,” Eldran said.
Ryuzen inhaled.
Then exhaled.
He lifted again.
One step.
Then another.
The journey back to the house felt ten times longer.
By the time he arrived, his arms were trembling uncontrollably.
He dropped the barrel.
BOOM!
Water splashed everywhere.
Ryuzen fell onto his back.
“I’m done.”
Eldran looked at him.
“That was one.”
Ryuzen’s eyes widened.
“One?”
“There are nine more.”
Ryuzen stared at the sky.
“Why?”
“Because you asked to become strong.”
Ryuzen slowly sat up.
His expression changed.
He remembered Kryptoria.
His father’s face.
Kaizen’s laughter.
The throne room.
The palace gates closing behind him.
He stood.
“Again.”
Eldran smiled.
The days became brutal.
Ryuzen’s training no longer consisted of simple exercises.
Eldran made everything difficult.
If Ryuzen needed water, the bucket was heavy.
If he wanted to read, the book was heavy.
If he wanted to sleep, even his blankets carried weight.
One afternoon, Ryuzen tried to move a chair.
He grabbed it.
Nothing happened.
He pulled harder.
The chair moved an inch.
Ryuzen stared at it.
“This chair weighs more than me.”
Eldran looked up from his book.
“Then become stronger than the chair.”
Ryuzen glared at him.
“That’s not how chairs work.”
Eldran returned to reading.
Ryuzen eventually dragged the chair across the room.
When he finished, he collapsed.
But he smiled.
Every day, the impossible became slightly less impossible.
One evening, Eldran placed a needle on the table.
Ryuzen recognized it immediately.
The same needle that had defeated him on his first day.
“Pick it up.”
Ryuzen reached for it.
He lifted it easily.
He stopped.
His eyes widened.
He looked at Eldran.
“I did it.”
Eldran nodded.
“Yes.”
Ryuzen lifted the needle higher.
Two pounds.
Something that had once felt impossibly heavy now rested comfortably between his fingers.
Ryuzen smiled.
“I’ve gotten stronger.”
“Don’t celebrate yet.”
Ryuzen rolled his eyes.
“You really hate letting people enjoy anything.”
Eldran ignored him.
“Put it down.”
Ryuzen placed the needle back.
Eldran pointed toward the training field.
“Now we test your thunder.”
Ryuzen’s expression became serious.
They stood in the clearing.
Eldran drew a circle in the dirt.
“Stand inside.”
Ryuzen stepped into it.
“Release your thunder.”
Ryuzen raised his hand.
Blue sparks appeared.
Crack.
The electricity traveled across his arm.
He remained calm.
“More.”
Ryuzen increased the power.
The blue thunder became brighter.
His muscles tightened.
Pain appeared.
But it was different.
Before, the pain had arrived almost immediately.
Now he could hold the thunder longer.
Eldran watched carefully.
“Keep going.”
Ryuzen continued.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
Thirty.
His breathing became heavier.
One minute.
The thunder spread across his shoulders.
Ryuzen gritted his teeth.
“More.”
He increased it.
CRACK!
The ground beneath his feet shook.
Ryuzen’s eyes widened.
He could feel something deep inside his soul.
Something alive.
Something powerful.
For the briefest moment, he heard a strange sound.
Like an electric current moving through water.
His vision blurred.
Then—
BOOM!
Thunder exploded from his body.
Ryuzen was thrown backward.
He crashed into the ground.
Eldran immediately walked toward him.
“Ryuzen.”
Ryuzen tried to stand.
“I’m fine.”
“You reached your limit.”
Ryuzen looked at his arms.
Small burns covered his skin.
“But I lasted longer.”
“Yes.”
“How much longer?”
“Almost four times longer than when you arrived.”
Ryuzen smiled.
“Then I’m improving.”
Eldran nodded.
“But improvement isn’t enough.”
Ryuzen looked at him.
“You want me to control it completely.”
“I want you to understand it.”
“What’s the difference?”
Eldran looked toward the blue sparks still flickering around Ryuzen’s fingers.
“Control means forcing power to obey you.”
He paused.
“Understanding means learning to move with it.”
Ryuzen listened carefully.
“Your Inner Beast isn’t a weapon.”
Eldran continued.
“It is part of your soul.”
Ryuzen looked down.
“So I shouldn’t fight against it.”
“Exactly.”
That night, Ryuzen couldn’t sleep.
He sat outside the house.
The forest was silent.
He raised his hand.
A tiny spark appeared.
He closed his eyes.
Instead of forcing the thunder through his body, he listened to it.
The electricity moved gently across his fingers.
For the first time, there was no pain.
Ryuzen opened his eyes. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
The spark remained.
He smiled.
“You’re not my enemy.”
The thunder crackled.
Ryuzen felt something strange.
Almost like a response.
He stared at his hand.
“What are you?”
Behind him, Eldran stood in the doorway.
He had watched the entire thing.
Ryuzen didn’t notice him.
Eldran’s expression became thoughtful.
He’s beginning to hear it.
That was important.
Very important.
But there was still much more to learn.
The next morning, Eldran placed a heavy wooden staff in Ryuzen’s hands.
Ryuzen nearly dropped it.
“What is this?”
“Your new training weapon.”
“It’s a stick.”
“It’s a staff.”
“It’s a heavy stick.”
Eldran smiled.
“Swing it.”
Ryuzen lifted it.
He swung.
Too slowly.
“Again.”
He swung.
Again.
Again.
Hundreds of times.
His arms became exhausted.
His hands developed blisters.
His shoulders burned.
But he continued.
Eldran watched his movements.
“Your thunder is fast.”
Ryuzen swung again.
“Your body isn’t.”
Another swing.
“Your reaction is slow.”
Another.
“Your balance is poor.”
Another.
Ryuzen gritted his teeth.
“You’re really good at insulting people.”
“I’m describing your weaknesses.”
“Same thing!”
Eldran smiled.
“Again.”
Ryuzen swung the staff.
This time, his movement was faster.
Eldran nodded.
“Better.”
Ryuzen smiled.
“Really?”
“Don’t get excited.”
Ryuzen sighed.
“Right.”
Months passed.
The boy who had arrived at Eldran’s house struggling to carry a two-pound needle was slowly disappearing.
In his place was a stronger Ryuzen.
He could carry heavy buckets.
He could move the chairs.
He could open the doors without using his entire body.
He could carry Eldran’s ancient books.
He could train for hours.
Most importantly, his thunder no longer immediately overwhelmed him.
But Eldran knew that this was only the beginning.
One evening, after training, Ryuzen sat beside the fire.
He looked at Eldran.
“How strong can an Electric Eel become?”
Eldran didn’t answer immediately.
“Why?”
“Because everyone told me mine was worthless.”
Ryuzen stared into the flames.
“I want to know if they were wrong.”
Eldran looked at him.
“They were.”
Ryuzen looked up.
“You know?”
“I know.”
“Then tell me.”
Eldran shook his head.
“Not yet.”
Ryuzen frowned.
“Why?”
“Because if I tell you what your power can become, you’ll chase the result instead of earning it.”
Ryuzen remained silent.
Eldran continued.
“Your body must become stronger first.”
“How much stronger?”
Eldran looked toward the mountains.
“Much stronger.”
Ryuzen followed his gaze.
The mountains were enormous.
Dark clouds gathered around their peaks.
Ryuzen felt the familiar sensation again.
The thunder inside him stirred.
His eyes narrowed.
“What’s beyond those mountains?”
Eldran’s expression became unreadable.
“Something you’ll learn about later.”
Ryuzen smiled.
“You’re always saying that.”
“Because you’re always asking questions.”
Ryuzen laughed.
Then he looked back at his hand.
A blue spark appeared.
This time, there was almost no pain.
Ryuzen clenched his fist.
“I’ll keep training.”
Eldran nodded.
“Good.”
Ryuzen looked at him.
“Tomorrow?”
Eldran stood.
“Tomorrow.”
Ryuzen smiled.
He didn’t know it yet, but his training had entered a new stage.
The heavy objects around Eldran’s home were only the beginning.
Soon, Ryuzen would learn to carry weight far greater than wood, metal, or stone.
He would learn to carry the thunder inside his soul.
And one day, that thunder would shake the world.