The sun hung lazily in the afternoon sky, its golden rays spilling across Lorenzo's garden. The place had become Kaiden's second home—though if he was being honest, "home" felt like too gentle a word for what he was enduring.
Because right now, his body felt like it had been wrung out, beaten, and then wrung out again.
"Stand straight, boy,"Lorenzo barked, his cane pointing like a spear. "Your posture is collapsing again. Flow requires the body first, the spirit second. Without a strong vessel, the wind will tear you apart."
Kaiden groaned, sweat dripping down his forehead as he forced his trembling legs to hold a stance. His thighs screamed, his shoulders burned, and his lungs begged for air. "You know," he muttered, "for someone who looks like a retired grandpa, you're basically trying to murder me."
Lorenzo's lips twitched, not quite a smile. "Grandpa? Hah. I could crush you with one flick of my wrist." He raised his cane and made a lazy swipe through the air. A gust of wind tore through the garden, rattling the trees and sending a pile of leaves spinning.
Kaiden swayed on his feet, almost losing his balance. "…Okay, point taken."
---
The first month was nothing but brutal physical training. Push-ups, running, squats, sparring drills, even balancing exercises Kaiden swore were designed to break his bones. Every muscle in his body revolted against him daily.
On the third week, he collapsed flat on the dirt, panting like a dog. "Lorenzo… I think I'm dying."
"You're not dying," Lorenzo replied, sipping tea under the shade of a tree. "You're becoming alive."
"Then why does it feel like my soul's leaving my body?"
"Because your soul is weak."
Kaiden glared up at him. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
A faint smile crept onto Lorenzo's face. "Perhaps."
Despite the suffering, Kaiden felt changes creeping in. His legs grew sturdier, his arms steadier. He could run longer, endure more. Each day, the idea of becoming a Flow user seemed less like a dream and more like something he might actually grasp.
---
By the second month, Lorenzo had him sparring with wooden swords. Kaiden quickly learned that Lorenzo's idea of "sparring" was actually "getting smacked around until you beg for mercy."
"Too slow!" WHACK.
"Your stance is sloppy!" WHACK.
"You blinked!" WHACK.
At one point Kaiden yelped, clutching his side. "You're literally bullying me!"
"This is discipline, boy. Flow requires precision. The wind does not forgive hesitation."
"Well, neither does your stick!"
Lorenzo chuckled, finally easing up. "Good. You still have enough spirit to argue. That means you haven't broken yet."
Despite the bruises, Kaiden felt his movements sharpening. His swings no longer felt like clumsy flails. He was learning to breathe, to anchor his body, to move with intent.
---
The third month began with something different. Instead of drills, Lorenzo brought him to the center of the garden and told him to sit.
"Close your eyes," he instructed. "Breathe. Feel the air around you. The Flow exists within all things—the sky, the trees, the earth beneath us. But to touch it, you must first calm your own storm."
Kaiden tried. He sat cross-legged, inhaling slowly, exhaling carefully. For hours he felt nothing except the occasional mosquito bite.
Then, one afternoon, something shifted. A strange warmth stirred in his chest, spreading outward, flowing through his veins like liquid fire. The air around him seemed to quiver, the leaves rustling without a breeze.
His eyes snapped open. "What the—?!"
The dirt at his feet swirled faintly, dust lifting in a tiny spiral.
Lorenzo's cane thumped the ground. His expression was unreadable. "So. It has awakened already."
Kaiden blinked. "Already? You mean… that was it? That's Flow?"
"Indeed." Lorenzo leaned closer, eyes gleaming. "The wind answers you."
Kaiden's jaw dropped. "Holy crap… I have superpowers."
Lorenzo smacked him lightly with the cane. "Not superpowers. Discipline. Respect the Flow, boy."
Still, Kaiden couldn't help grinning. For the first time, he felt like this insane training was paying off.
---
Awakening the Flow was one thing. Controlling it was another. Kaiden quickly discovered that trying to wield the wind was like trying to herd a pack of wild cats.
When he tried to summon it, the breeze sputtered weakly. When he swung too hard, it blasted wildly in the wrong direction.
One afternoon, Kaiden aimed a wooden sword strike at a training dummy. Instead of cutting forward, the gust shot backward, knocking him flat on his face.
"Smooth," Lorenzo said dryly.
Kaiden groaned, spitting dirt. "Shut up."
"Your movements are too soft. Gale Flow thrives on speed and precision. Yet you hesitate."
"I'm not hesitating! I just… have coordination issues."
"Excuses. The Flow knows your heart. If you doubt, it will falter."
Despite the scoldings, Kaiden kept pushing. He practiced until his arms ached, until his lungs burned, until his vision blurred.
But every night, lying in bed, he told himself the same thing: Don't quit. Not when you're this close.
---
At the start of the fifth month, Lorenzo introduced him to the fundamentals of Gale Flow.
"There are three basic forms," Lorenzo said, demonstrating with slow, precise motions. "Cutting Breeze. Spiral Gust. Typhoon Blitz."
He moved his cane in sharp arcs, not summoning full blasts but showing the rhythm. Kaiden could almost feel the air bending around the movements.
"Each form embodies the essence of wind—speed, defense, relentless momentum. Master these, and you will understand Gale."
Kaiden nodded eagerly. "Got it. Cutting, spinning, storming. Easy."
Three minutes later, after attempting the "Cutting Breeze," Kaiden had tripped over his own feet and faceplanted again.
Lorenzo sighed. "Hopeless."
Muffled by dirt, Kaiden mumbled, "I'm trying, okay!"
The following weeks were filled with failure. His "Spiral Gust" collapsed into messy circles, his "Typhoon Blitz" was slower than a lazy turtle, and his "Cutting Breeze" sliced air about as effectively as a paper fan.
But Lorenzo never stopped correcting him. And Kaiden never stopped trying.
---
By the sixth month,Kaiden still hadn't mastered any of the forms. But something inside him was changing. Instead of forcing himself to copy Lorenzo's movements perfectly, he started to adapt. He noticed how the Flow reacted differently when he moved gently, when he leaned into his own natural rhythm instead of brute force.
Late one night, he practiced alone in the garden. He gripped a wooden sword, exhaled slowly, and thrust forward—not with aggression, but with calm intent.
A soft breeze rippled outward, almost delicate. It brushed past the training dummy like a whisper. Kaiden frowned. "Great. A glorified fan."
But then, a minute later, the dummy creaked. Wood cracked. Suddenly it split down the middle, toppling apart.
Kaiden's eyes widened. "Wait… what?"
The next day, Lorenzo had him demonstrate again. Kaiden repeated the same gentle thrust. A faint breeze brushed the dummy. At first it looked harmless—then, like before, the dummy splintered moments later, collapsing into pieces.
For the first time in months, Lorenzo's eyes went wide. "…Impossible."
Kaiden scratched his head. "Was that… good?"
"You did not imitate the Spiral Gust. You created something new. Offensive. Precise. Subtle."
Kaiden shrugged nervously. "I mean, I couldn't get your forms right, so I just… did it my way. I don't even know what to call it."
Lorenzo stepped closer, his expression serious. Then, slowly, he smiled. "I know what to call it."
Kaiden blinked. "…Yeah?"
"Zephyr Flow. A gentle wind that cuts without warning. A branch of Gale, born from your nature."
The words hung in the air. Kaiden stared at him, stunned. He had failed a hundred times over. Yet somehow, through his failures, he had created something entirely his own.
Lorenzo planted his cane into the ground, his eyes gleaming with pride. "Kaiden Cassano… you have birthed a new Flow."
---
That evening, Kaiden lay in his room, staring at the ceiling. His body ached, but his chest felt light. For the first time, he wasn't just following someone else's path. He had carved his own.
The wind outside whispered against the window, almost like it was calling his name.
And Kaiden whispered back, smiling faintly: "Zephyr, huh? Guess that's me."