CHAPTER 10 — THE FIRST SPARK
The training grounds of Eryndor Prime sprawled across a floating plateau suspended above the crystalline city.
Hovering platforms drifted in slow rotation. Simulated gravity fields pulsed like invisible tides. Dueling rings glowed with shifting light. Each area felt alive—attuned to the Primordial Arts.
Kario, Vexa, Sen, and Juno stood at the entrance platform, still wearing their scavenger clothes, looking painfully out of place among the armored trainees around them.
Vexa nudged Kario. "So… what now?"
He swallowed hard. "Try not to die, I guess."
1. The Trainers Arrive
A sharp gust of wind swept across the grounds as three figures descended from above.
Master Nerya
A short, stern woman with silver streaks in her black hair, wrapped in a dark combat robe. Her eyes burned like molten metal.
She landed without a sound.
Master Khyros
A towering man with deep aqua skin and tattoos shaped like oceans across his arms. His presence felt… heavy. Like deep water.
Master Vel-Arin
A younger mentor, barely older than Astrin, with lightning dancing faintly around her wrists.
Astrin stepped forward and bowed his head. "Recruits delivered as promised."
Nerya's gaze swept the group. "Children?"
Khyros shook his head. "No. Survivors."
Vel-Arin smiled. "Potential."
2. The Announcement
Nerya raised her voice, addressing both the new recruits and dozens of watching trainees.
"Each of you carries a Primordial resonance. That makes you rare. But resonance alone is nothing.
Control is everything."
She gestured to the large crystalline forge that hovered on the far end of the plateau. Its interior swirled with raw cosmic energy.
"When—if—you survive training, you will be granted a Galaxyblade."
Vexa blinked. "Wait—we get actual weapons?"
Khyros stepped forward, his voice deep as thunder.
"Not weapons. Extensions of your soul. No two Galaxyblades are the same. Each is forged from compressed galactic matter shaped by your Primordial resonance."
Vel-Arin added, "But only after you prove yourselves. Fail the trials… and you will never touch one."
Juno gulped. "No pressure."
3. First Assessment: Control
Their first test was simple in concept—move energy through the body.
In practice, it felt like trying to balance a comet in your hands.
"Focus," Nerya commanded. "Feel your resonance, don't fight it."
Vexa
Heat flickered around Vexa's fingertips—small sparks of stardust.
She smirked. "Okay… this isn't so bad—"
A sudden burst of flame erupted and singed her eyebrows.
Nerya sighed. "Too much ego. Less fire. More mind."
Sen
Standing calmly, he exhaled. The air rippled with a soft wave that flowed across the platform like a gentle tide.
Khyros nodded approvingly. "Good. Strength through stillness."
Juno
Lightning crackled between her hands.
She yelped. "Ow! Ow—okay—stop—stop—"
Vel-Arin clapped. "Excellent start. Pain means it noticed you."
Juno scowled.
Kario
He closed his eyes. Nothing happened.
Vel-Arin frowned. "Strange."
Kario looked down, embarrassed. "Maybe it's broken."
Astrin—watching from a distance—knew better.
Kario's resonance wasn't weak. It was too deep for untrained focus.
And too dangerous to reveal.
4. Rival Recruits
As the training continued, other recruits whispered, murmured, and stared.
Four kids from a junk planet showing up with natural Primordial power?
Jealousy was inevitable.
A recruit stepped forward—tall, armored, confident.
Ravix. One of the top trainees.
He pointed at Sen. "Hey, giant. Heard you lifted a whole engine off your friend back on your trash world. Think you can do it again?"
Sen frowned. "Not here to show off."
Ravix smirked. "Thought so. Street rats never last."
Vexa stepped in front of Sen, cracking her knuckles. "Say that again."
Nerya snapped sharply. "Enough. This is not a street brawl.
Though…"
She eyed Vexa. "If you want to prove yourselves—trial rings open at sundown."
Vexa grinned. "Perfect."
Kario sighed. "Of course she said yes…"
5. First Combat Drill
Their final exercise tested instinct—dodging energy pulses fired by hovering drones.
"Begin!" Vel-Arin shouted.
The drones fired glowing orbs that stung like static when they hit.
Vexa leapt, rolled, dodged—her street reflexes kicking in.
Sen used his size surprisingly well, deflecting shots with controlled movements.
Juno got hit. Repeatedly.
"WHY ME?!" she cried, rolling away dramatically.
Kario, for some reason, wasn't targeted at all.
Every orb that fired near him fizzled before landing—as if something bent space subtly around him.
He didn't notice.
Astrin definitely did.
6. Ending the Day
As sunset tinted the sky orange, the mentors dismissed them.
"You have potential," Nerya said. "But potential is not power. Tomorrow, the real training begins."
The recruits trudged toward their assigned quarters—tired, bruised, and overwhelmed.
Vexa flopped onto her bunk. "I can't wait to get my Galaxyblade."
Sen smiled. "You want the scythe one, right?"
She nodded. "Oh yeah. Big. Sharp. Deadly."
Juno lay upside down on her bed. "I want twin daggers. And throwing stars. So many throwing stars."
Kario sat quietly, staring at his hands.
Why didn't he glow? Why did nothing awaken? Why—
Astrin appeared at the doorway.
"Get some rest," he said. "Tomorrow's trial is harder."
Kario looked up. "You think I can do this?"
Astrin held his gaze for a long moment. Then:
"You're asking the wrong question."
Kario blinked. "What's the right one?"
Astrin smiled.
"Not can you do this."
"But what will happen when you finally stop holding back?"