The air buzzed with tension as the masked warrior led Kai through the empty streets. Neither of them spoke. The city lights flickered above them like silent stars, casting long shadows that danced in the corners of Kai's eyes. He still felt the warmth in his chest — the flickering flame that had awakened inside him.
They stopped before a narrow alley that led to an old elevator embedded into a wall of glass and steel. The man pressed a palm against the metal surface. It shimmered with a faint blue light, and the elevator doors opened without a sound.
"Where are we going?" Kai asked, his voice quieter than he expected.
"Somewhere you won't be found," the man replied. "Monsters can sense awakened Qi. You've become a target."
The elevator dropped deep beneath the city — farther than any normal system should go. Kai felt the pressure change. When the doors opened again, he stepped into a vast underground chamber that didn't match anything above.
It was beautiful.
Stone pillars supported a dome-like ceiling etched with glowing patterns. Training dummies, weapon racks, and meditation platforms filled the space. Dozens of young people — some around Kai's age — were meditating, sparring, or simply observing. None looked ordinary.
"This is a Veilguard outpost," the man said. "Only the awakened are brought here. Some are fighters. Others… are still finding their way."
Kai's heart pounded. All his life he'd felt like an outsider, someone left behind. But now, he was among people like him — people who saw what others couldn't.
"You'll begin your training here. I'll guide you through the basics."
The man knelt and drew a circular symbol on the stone floor with a finger that glowed faintly. "Sit."
Kai obeyed.
"Close your eyes," the man instructed. "Breathe in. Let your thoughts go. Feel the energy inside you — the Qi. Let it move."
Kai tried.
But all he felt was… pressure. As if something thick and invisible was clinging to his skin. He clenched his fists. He felt the flame inside him, but it flickered like a candle in the wind — too weak to hold on.
"I can't," he muttered.
"You can," the man said, his tone calm. "But you must understand — Qi is not just energy. It's emotion. Memory. Spirit. You were told you were broken. That belief is your first wall."
Kai's eyes snapped open. He remembered the day his meridians were declared sealed. His parents' worried faces. His classmates' mocking laughter. The disappointment in his teacher's eyes.
He had wanted to disappear.
Now, all that pain surged within him.
He closed his eyes again — but this time, not to escape. To face it.
The flame inside him responded. It flared — bright and angry. It surged through his chest, pushing against the old blocks in his body. He gritted his teeth as heat licked at his bones.
And then— crack.
A wall within his spirit shattered.
Qi rushed through his meridians like water down a broken dam. His body arched. The symbol beneath him glowed brightly. Heat exploded outward — and the air around him shimmered with rising energy.
A nearby training dummy burst into flames.
Students gasped. The room stilled. The man stood quickly and placed a hand on Kai's shoulder, grounding the wild flow.
Kai collapsed, panting. His skin felt hot. Sweat poured down his face. But he was smiling.
"I felt it," he whispered. "It was real. I'm not broken."
The warrior studied him with new eyes. "No… you're far from broken. But your Qi isn't normal. It's volatile. Powerful. Possibly elemental. I need to test it."
Kai blinked. "Elemental?"
"Some cultivators are born with affinity — a natural connection to forces like fire, wind, shadow, or lightning. Yours... burns." He paused. "If this is fire, it's not an ordinary one."
Kai sat up slowly. His limbs trembled, but the flame in his chest was steady now — like coals, not wildfire.
The man reached into a case and pulled out a small, dark stone — a cultivation core. "This is a basic Qi crystal. Meditate with it. It will help stabilize your flame."
He handed it to Kai. Their fingers touched briefly — and the crystal lit up in Kai's hand with a spark of fire.
The man narrowed his eyes. "That confirms it. You have fire affinity."
Kai stared at the stone, its glow warm against his palm.
All the years of rejection, the nights of doubt — it had all led to this.
He had power.
And for the first time in his life… he belonged.
The man turned away. "You'll train harder than anyone. Because monsters don't wait. And your presence will attract them."
Kai nodded.
"Tomorrow, we begin your real cultivation. Body, mind, and soul."
The warrior stopped at the doorway and glanced back.
"Oh, and one more thing," he said. "You'll need a name for the path you walk. A cultivator name. Something that defines your flame."
Kai looked down at the burning crystal, his thoughts spinning.
He had no answer yet.
But he knew one thing for certain — this was no longer the life he used to know.
It was something more.