The Wormhole closed behind them with a hush like a final exhale. As the darkness receded, the group stepped onto stone flagstones worn smooth by centuries of combat. This place felt ancient, a vast underground chamber with high, vaulting ceilings. Cracks in the walls pulsed with faint blue light, illuminating weapons racks, training dummies, and rows of elemental sigils etched into the floor.
"This…" Clara whispered, turning slowly. "This place is incredible."
"It's called the Hall of Aegis," Atlas said. "Hidden beneath a city no one visits anymore. Zane has used it to train generations of Element Controllers."
Zane crossed his arms. "Not that any of them survived long. But you four are…stubborn. That helps."
Alaric laughed shakily. "Wow, thanks. That's very inspiring."
Zane arched a brow. "Would you prefer I lied?"
Serena brushed her fingers over a pillar, her long black hair swaying. "We'll survive. We have to."
For the first week, they trained at dawn. Zane and Atlas stood watch while each of them struggled to master the raw energy in their veins. The Elements had been awakened by the Generator, but awakening was not the same as understanding.
On the second day, they began learning to summon their Elements in controlled bursts.
"Visualize it," Atlas told Serena, his voice softer with her than with the others. "Feel the shape of the power. You don't command it. You become it."
Serena closed her eyes, breathing in. Her palms glowed faintly, water swirling in tiny droplets. Then it fizzled out.
She let out a frustrated sigh. "It keeps slipping."
Atlas reached to guide her hands. His touch lingered, warm and steady. "Again."
Clara sat cross-legged nearby, eyes shut tight, trying to coax blossoms of green light from her fingertips. "Why isn't this working?" she groaned. "I swear my Element is laughing at me."
Zane chuckled. "It probably is."
Alaric, who had discovered his Element was Lightning, was more enthusiastic than successful. He kept zapping himself whenever he tried to focus. "OW—okay, I think I'm getting the hang of—OW!"
Clara snorted. "Sure you are, Lightning Lord."
"Better than being the Queen of Weeds," Alaric shot back, rubbing his scorched fingers.
"Nature," Clara corrected primly. "Not weeds."
The second week, Zane had them spar with illusions of Mirages. Every morning, they lined up, exhausted, bruised, and determined.
Serena learned to call waves of water to deflect the phantom claws. Clara discovered she could make vines burst from the cracked floor to pin enemies. Alaric's Lightning began to obey him—sometimes—though he still managed to fry his boots more than once.
One afternoon, while the others practiced, Atlas watched Serena's form. She was elegant, her power flowing like her hair.
"You're improving," he said quietly, as her wave crushed the last target dummy.
She turned, flushed from exertion. "Only because you keep pushing me."
For a moment, they just looked at each other. The chamber felt too quiet. Atlas shifted first, clearing his throat. "Rest. You've earned it."
By the third week, all of them could hold their Elements for minutes at a time. They had learned the first forms of control:
Serena's Water Element: She could create shields and waves, and had begun practicing Water Chains to bind opponents.Clara's Nature Element: Vines, healing herbs, and hardened bark as temporary armor.Alaric's Lightning Element: Quick bursts of speed and short-range arcs that stunned targets.
But mastery came in fits and starts. Sometimes Serena's water collapsed. Sometimes Clara's vines refused to sprout. Alaric's lightning still startled him so badly he once fell flat on his back.
One evening, after another round of sparring, Clara sat beside Serena on a worn bench.
"I thought this would get easier," she murmured.
Serena offered a tired smile. "It is. Just…not as fast as we hoped."
They watched Alaric pace in circles, grumbling to himself.
"Don't explode," Clara called. "I like my eyebrows."
"No promises!" he shouted back.
That night, while the others slept, Serena found Atlas leaning against a pillar, eyes distant.
"Couldn't sleep?" she asked softly.
He shook his head. "Too much to think about."
"Like…what happens when this is over?"
His blue-gold eyes flicked to her. "Like whether we'll live long enough for it to end."
Serena hesitated, then stepped closer. She reached for his hand—he didn't pull away.
"Then we fight," she whispered. "Together."
For the first time in days, he almost smiled.
By the fourth week, Zane decided they were ready to learn additional forms. Atlas demonstrated each one:
Water Element Second Form:Aqua Lances—razor-sharp spears of water.Nature Element Second Form:Verdant Grasp—vines that could drain strength.Lightning Element Second Form:Storm Step—short teleportation within sight.
When Alaric mastered Storm Step—after many failed attempts—he appeared behind Clara and yelled, "BEHOLD!"
She screamed, tripped, and accidentally summoned a wall of thorns around herself. "YOU IDIOT!"
Atlas actually laughed, a quiet, surprised sound.
In between training, they visited the Shop Zane had introduced them to—a vast digital space that shimmered in the darkness, filled with weapons and artifacts.
"Look at all this," Serena breathed. "It's like a treasure trove."
Atlas taught them how to track their Black Will earnings. Every Mirage they defeated in sparring simulations granted a little more.
Clara admired an emerald circlet that boosted Nature Elements. "Someday," she whispered.
"You'll have it," Atlas promised.
The month passed in bruises and triumphs. Every day they grew stronger—and closer.
One night, after a long session, Atlas sat beside Serena near the training floor.
"You're ready," he told her quietly.
Her hazel eyes searched his. "Ready to fight?"
He didn't answer right away. Then, almost too softly to hear: "Ready to survive."
She leaned in, brushing her lips against his cheek. "Then don't you dare leave us."
His hand came up, slow and careful, to rest against her hair. "I won't."
When the last day came, Zane stood before them, arms folded.
"You've done well," he said. "But you still have a long road ahead."
Clara lifted her chin. "We know."
Alaric sighed. "I was hoping you'd say we were done."
Zane's mouth twitched. "Never."
Atlas turned to them, his expression steady.
"From here," he said, "everything changes."
And in the shadows of that ancient hall, they knew he was right.