There were no shortcuts.

Every morning, before the town fully woke up, I ran. Through narrow streets, past wooden houses, across the open paths near the fields. I followed every training method I remembered from Earth and every physical drill my father had taught me.

My body burned.

My lungs screamed.

But I kept going.

Eventually, I got tired enough that I had to spend some of my carefully saved money on cakes from a nearby stall.

The cakes were worth it.

Unfortunately, my savings disagreed.

The second part of my training was quieter.

Harder.

I read everything I could about ki—its theory, its history, the way the body reacted to recoil when magic was used. I learned that power wasn’t just about force, but about whether the body could withstand the force it summoned.

Knowledge and physical preparation were the foundation.

Without them, ki was nothing but self-destruction.

I asked around, carefully, about people who awakened their ki later through training.

Most people laughed.

Some said it was impossible.

But Mr. Minato and Chief Elden both said the same thing:

“It’s rare—but possible.”

Later awakening by training often happened during drastic conditions like in a situation of life or death.

Magic wasn’t luck.

It wasn’t a gift given freely.

It was something you had to work for.

Misa, meanwhile, had already started learning chants and spells with my mother. She was bright, quick, and effortless in a way I wasn’t.

I watched.

And kept going.

I couldn’t stop.

I wouldn’t stop.

I had to make this work.

Years passed.

Four of them.

By the end of it, I had nearly become an ancient child—tired eyes, stiff muscles, and what I jokingly referred to as a beard born from sheer determination.

And then, one day, slowly something changed.

I could feel it.

The elements.

The wind brushing past my skin didn’t feel empty anymore. The earth beneath my feet felt… present. Watching.

My birthday approached—the seventh day of the first month.

I decided this would be my final attempt.

My father had returned home.

We gathered in the same backyard where everything had started.

My mother.

Misa.

My father.

They all watched silently.

I had learned that awakenings often happened during moments of change. Moments that reshaped a life.

I planted my feet firmly in the grass.

Breathed in.

Slowly.

I closed my eyes and raised my hands.

I felt the soft green grass beneath my feet.

The gentle fall of leaves from the trees.

The white clouds drifting across the sky.

The awakened, burning sun… and the calm, sleeping moon.

The breeze carried the fragrance of flowers across my face.

I could hear them.

All of them.

But this time—

I didn’t beg.

I straightened my body and let out a quiet breath.

I wasn’t standing on the edge of death.

I wasn’t desperate.

I didn’t have a magnificent reason.

But my family was watching.

I wanted my father to be proud.

My mother to smile warmly.

Misa’s eyes to shine when she looked at me.

For the ones I have.

And the ones I have lost because I was weak.

To protect everything dear to me—

I screamed forward, my hand cutting through the air.

The ground trembled.

The air twisted.

“Come forward and burst out in lightning!”

Golden light exploded from my palm.

It tore through the tree like a divine blade.

I had awakened.

I exhaled, stunned.

Then I turned to my father.

“How did I do?” I asked, grinning. My efforts were finally rewarded.

His smile was wide.

Misa was screaming in joy.

And then—

The world tilted.

“Ah no—”

“Aren!”

“Father—”

Darkness swallowed everything.

I stood in an infinite void.

Black chains wrapped tightly around something I couldn’t recognize.

“So you have awakened your power despite my seal.”

The voice.

The same one.

I tried to speak. To ask questions. I couldn't.

But it continued calmly.

“We will see each other often now, Aren.”

“Who are you?” I demanded.

“Your debt,” it replied.

The darkness faded.

I woke up staring at a familiar ceiling.

My house.

My mother sat beside me, tears streaming down her face.

“Oh dear… you’re finally awake,” she cried, pulling me into a tight embrace.

“I’m okay, Mom,” I said weakly. “I just got a little dizzy.”

I smiled faintly.

“Did you see how I did?”

“Yes,” she said through tears. “You were remarkable.”

My father entered the room.

“Thank the gods you’re awake.”

“Well, yeah,” I replied.

Misa stood nearby, eyes shining.

"Brother I missed you."

I slowly sat up.

“So,” my father said, “call Mr. Minato.”

“No need, Dad,” I said. “I’m fine.”

Then I grinned.

“But I do want a special birthday gift.”

I said with a smile trying to lighten the mood.

“But son—” my mother started.

My father’s expression turned serious.

“You were unconscious for an entire month.”

“…A whole month?”

Mr. Minato entered soon after.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” he said. “You used power far beyond your age. The strain on your body and mind was immense.”

My father looked amazed.

“That was the power of The Almighty Gods,” he said. “I’ve seen blue lightning—but golden… that was incredible.”

“Yes,” Mr. Minato agreed. “Which means he’ll need to train even harder.”

“No more training for three months,” my mother snapped. “Or else.”

“Okay, okay,” my father said quickly.

“Let’s just rejoice.”

I had used power far beyond my understanding.

Being bruised and unconscious for a month was… serious.

But I had kept my promise.

Everyone was happy.

Except—

The voice.

The seal.

Meeting often.

That sounded troublesome.

“Let’s arrange a party,” my mother said suddenly.

“And son,” she added gently, “I used your savings to pay the neighbors. You did break their side wall.”

“…What?”

“My money?”

I protested.

Everyone laughed.