The third day in Lunel began with thunder that never reached the ground.
The sky flashed white, but the sound came seconds late — as if even storms hesitated here.
Rynn stood on the training platform again, sweat plastering his shirt to his back.
Five faint blue points glowed on the ground around him — Mirra Nodes, each pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
Eren leaned against a post, watching the compass on his wrist spin slowly.
"Five at once," he said. "You sure you're ready for that?"
Rynn smirked. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Eren didn't answer. He just stepped back.
---
Building Pressure
Rynn inhaled, pulling in air and focus until the Nodes brightened.
They hummed faintly — a steady vibration in the wood beneath his boots.
The energy crawled up his arms, the space around him shimmering with invisible tension.
He tried to synchronize them — one rhythm, one pulse.
But one of the Nodes flickered off-beat.
Then another.
The balance slipped.
The hum turned to a low whine.
"Rynn—" Eren began.
Too late.
The field imploded with a crack of displaced air.
The wooden platform flexed, and Rynn was thrown backward into the shallow water.
A bloom of blue light burst upward, scattering droplets like shards of glass.
---
Aftermath
Rynn surfaced coughing, his arms tingling, the world ringing.
His hands were glowing faintly — thin blue lines running across his skin like veins of light.
Eren was already beside him, compass needle vibrating.
"You okay?"
Rynn winced. "Yeah. Just— felt like my bones screamed."
Eren crouched, studying the air where the Nodes had been.
"Congratulations. You just learned why Mirra users don't live long if they're impatient."
Rynn forced a laugh. "So… partial success?"
Eren sighed. "You compressed five Nodes. That's impressive.
But you didn't release them — you fought them. Energy doesn't like being told to wait."
He gestured to the faint scorch marks on the planks.
"See those? That's what happens when the field snaps back. The backlash."
---
Lesson in Control
They sat in silence for a moment, watching the water smooth itself out again.
Rynn flexed his fingers; the glow dimmed slowly.
"It's weird," he said finally. "The power feels… alive. Like it wants something from me."
"It does," Eren said. "Discipline. Respect.
It's not a weapon — it's a contract.
Break it, and it breaks you."
He pointed to the faint lines still crawling up Rynn's forearm.
"They'll fade. But they'll remind you every time you rush."
Rynn stared at them — pale blue traces that pulsed faintly, fading with his breathing.
Scars of energy, not skin.
He nodded quietly. "Got it."
"Good," Eren said, standing. "Then get up. We're not done. The world won't wait for you to heal before it tries to kill you again."
Rynn groaned but stood anyway, shaking off the water.
"Next time," he muttered, "I'll make sure it listens."
Eren smiled faintly. "That's the spirit.
Just don't mistake stubbornness for progress."
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End of Chapter 18
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