Three days had passed since the city’s vibrant festival, but Kagami had buried himself deep in solitude. Not for rest—but for creation.

  Beyond the Whimwood cliffs, etched into the rocky earth, y a sigil-ced circle of Kagami’s own invention. Runes hummed with tent mana, carved with both precision and passion—thunder glyphs spiraling outward while jagged earth runes formed a stabilizing core.

  This was more than spellwork. This was an experiment. A challenge. A statement.

  Kagami inhaled deeply and stepped into the circle.

  “Thaldrum Ignis: Vajra Terra Nova!”

  Mana surged.

  The ground exploded as a massive, lightning-wrapped stone nce ripped forward. The hybrid spell seared the air with thunder, pulverizing the cliff wall ahead and leaving a glowing crater.

  Kagami dropped to a knee, breathless—but triumphant.

  "It worked."

  A slow cp echoed from above.

  “Well now,” came a smooth, unfamiliar voice. “You’re not just pying around with rocks and sparks.”

  Kagami looked up. A young man stood atop a rocky ledge, arms crossed, his silver hair catching the sun. He wore a forest-green coat etched with four glowing elemental sigils—one on each shoulder and one on each glove.

  “Who are you?” Kagami asked warily.

  The man smiled slightly, descending with slow, confident steps. “Haven’t heard of me? That’s rare.”

  Kagami’s eyes narrowed. “Should I?”

  The man halted, tilting his head. “You’re Kagami, right? Student of Rivel?”

  “…Yes.”

  The man smirked. “I’m Elias.”

  Kagami blinked, stunned. Elias? The name struck him immediately—Master Rivel’s son. The prodigy she had mentioned many times in passing. He had heard of Elias’s skill with four elemental affinities, his achievements in the Drakemount Academy, and even his disobedient streak.

  But not once had Master Rivel shown him a portrait.

  “You’re her son?” Kagami asked, his tone shifting.

  “Surprised?”

  “She never showed me your face. I didn’t expect you to look so… polished.”

  Elias chuckled. “I get that a lot.”

  Before Kagami could ask more, Master Rivel approached from behind, hands on her hips. “Of course he looks polished. He’s had years of noble academy etiquette beaten into him. Ignore the coat. He’s a disaster underneath.”

  Elias rolled his eyes. “Love you too, Mom.”

  Kagami blinked again. “She’s never called you by name when bragging. Just 'my son.' I thought she was making you up half the time.”

  Master Rivel huffed. “You think I would invent a child like that? I wish.”

  Kagami stepped closer. “So, you really are the four-element prodigy.”

  Elias spread his arms. “Guilty.”

  “Kagami, this is the boy you’ll be learning from next. You’ve mastered the basics I taught you. If you want to evolve—learn to adapt and refine—you’ll need someone who knows the rhythm of fusion magic better than I do.”

  Kagami stood straight. “Then I accept.”

  Elias smiled. “Good. But before we begin…”

  He raised a hand, and suddenly four elemental glyphs lit behind him—fme, water, wind, and earth swirling in perfect synchrony.

  “…you’ll have to prove you're worth the time.”

  ---

  Later That Afternoon

  They stood on a makeshift dueling ground—cracked stone, drifting dust, and the hum of mana thick in the air. Kagami relied only on mana, sealing off his chakra for the duel. Rivel’s strict condition.

  Elias moved first, a fluid stream of water erupting from his hand before solidifying into an icy spear. Kagami dodged, unching twin boulders that crackled with his lightning—modified Vajra Barrage, a toned-down version of his new technique.

  Their csh was intense. Kagami’s lightning-enhanced movement met Elias’s seamless switching between wind, fme, and stone. The older boy’s control was nearly supernatural.

  But Kagami didn’t back down.

  He drew the earth into his palms, channeled thunder into it, and with a spin, released a roaring explosion—“Terra Spiral Burst!”—that knocked Elias back two steps.

  “Now that,” Elias said, brushing dust from his sleeve, “was impressive.”

  The spar ended with a crack of lightning and a plume of earth—but both stood tall.

  Rivel cpped slowly. “You’re both maniacs. But I approve.”

  Elias offered Kagami a nod of respect. “You’re stronger than I expected. And reckless. I like that.”

  Kagami grinned. “I try.”

  Rivel stepped between them. “This is just the beginning. Elias, guide him through fusion training. Kagami, stay alive through it. And both of you—don’t destroy my cliffs again.”

  They ughed together—for the first time.

  A bond was forming. A mentor’s son and a shinobi’s reincarnation. Both prodigies. Both bearing power that could change the world.

  And the world was beginning to notice.

  ---