The next day dawned under the soft hum of the barrier, a clear sky stretched over Insomnia's glowing towers. The city pulsed with quiet magic — unseen to most, but alive to those who listened. Sirius could feel it now. The flow of mana that threaded through the streets, humming beneath the glass and steel, like veins beneath the skin of a living being.
He stood at the edge of one of the city's lesser-known maintenance sectors — an observation terrace overlooking the inner power conduits. Blue-white light flowed through pipes embedded in the walls, faintly resonating with the magic of the Crystal itself.
Cor had given him permission to explore, under the simple instruction: "If it starts to kill you, stop."
Sirius smirked faintly at the memory.
Cor never used metaphors.
He drew a slow breath and knelt near one of the conduit nodes. It was a cylindrical focus crystal, faintly humming, its light rippling in rhythm with the city's barrier above. He placed his hand just above it — not touching, merely hovering.
A pulse answered. Warm. Alive.
He could feel the raw mana rushing through, carrying not just energy, but personality. The node wasn't fire, ice, or lightning yet — it was all of them, unrefined. A pure connection to the elements themselves.
His heart quickened. "Alright," he whispered. "Let's try this."
He opened himself to the current.
---
The first surge hit like lightning.
Every nerve in his body lit up. His lungs seized, vision flared white. The flow of energy poured into him too fast, too wild. His blood screamed against the pressure, heat and frost and static fighting for dominance under his skin.
His knees buckled.
He gritted his teeth, grounding himself — just like Cor's drills. "Breathe. Anchor. Don't fight the wave — ride it."
Mana flooded his senses, burning and freezing all at once. He saw flashes — fire blooming in his chest, frost crawling along his arms, thunder cracking behind his eyes. The world distorted around him.
He was no longer standing in the city's maintenance sector. He was standing in a void of color and motion — red, blue, and violet swirling like a living storm.
Balance them, a voice whispered, faint and familiar. He couldn't tell if it was Cor's, Zangan's, or his own.
He tried to separate the flows — fire to his right arm, ice to his left, lightning through the center of his spine. The structure barely held. Energy clawed against the divisions, roaring to break free.
Pain tore through him. His vision blurred.
Too much.
He released his grip.
---
The explosion of mana threw him backward. The shockwave rolled across the terrace, scattering dust and small fragments of debris. The hum of the conduits dimmed for a moment, lights flickering.
Sirius landed hard, back hitting the cold metal wall. He coughed, smoke curling from his mouth, his hands trembling violently. Steam rose from his clothes.
But he was alive. Barely.
He stared at his hands — one rimmed faint red, one icy blue, veins glowing faintly gold from residual lightning. The energies warred against each other, burning and freezing his nerves.
He gritted his teeth, forcing control. Slowly, painfully, he aligned his breath with the flow — exhaling through the pain, allowing the currents to settle. The light in his hands dimmed, leaving only the faint ache of power restrained.
He let his head fall back, laughing breathlessly. "...That was stupid."
A familiar voice answered. "Yes. It was."
---
Cor stood a few meters away, arms crossed. Zangan leaned on a nearby rail, smirking.
"How long have you two been watching?" Sirius asked weakly.
"Long enough to consider intervening," Cor said. "Then I decided it would be educational."
Zangan grinned. "We almost made bets on whether you'd explode or not."
Sirius gave a tired laugh. "Who won?"
Cor's eyebrow twitched. "Neither. You didn't explode, but you did short out half the auxiliary grid."
Sirius blinked. "...Oh."
Zangan chuckled. "The maintenance crew's gonna love that."
Cor knelt beside him, studying the faint glow still rippling under Sirius' skin. "Your body shouldn't have handled that. Most trained mages can't absorb raw mana from a conduit directly."
Sirius swallowed hard. "Adaptive Resonance… adjusted for it."
Cor frowned. "You're gambling with a system we still don't understand."
"I needed to know how far I could go."
Cor's gaze hardened. "And?"
Sirius looked down at his hands — the faint shimmer fading to normal skin. "Farther than before. But not far enough."
Zangan sighed, crouching beside him. "You've got guts, kid, I'll give you that. But next time, ask before you plug yourself into the Crystal's veins."
Sirius managed a small smile. "Noted."
---
They spent the next hour stabilizing his mana flow. Cor had Sirius sit cross-legged while Zangan channeled controlled bursts of energy through the air, forcing him to absorb and release at rhythm. The older men guided his breathing until his pulse steadied.
By the end, Sirius was drenched in sweat, but alive — glowing faintly with a steady, controlled resonance.
Cor stood back, nodding. "Better."
Zangan tossed him a canteen. "You've got enough mana now to light a district. Or fry yourself, depending on your mood."
Sirius drank deeply, eyes still faintly glowing. "I'll manage."
Cor crossed his arms. "You're not supposed to manage. You're supposed to learn. Magic isn't something you wrestle into obedience. It reflects you."
He met Sirius' gaze. "If you're unstable, the magic will show it first."
Sirius bowed his head. "Understood."
Zangan smiled faintly. "Good. Now rest. You'll start controlled channeling tomorrow — and this time, no improvisation."
Sirius smirked. "That sounds like a challenge."
Zangan chuckled. "Oh, it is."
Cor's look silenced them both.
---
That evening, the barrier above Insomnia shimmered more brightly than usual — the city adjusting to a temporary drain from the conduit overload. Citizens carried on unaware, but Sirius knew. He could feel the faint tremor in the air — a rhythm that matched his own heartbeat.
He walked home slower than usual, his body still aching but his mind alert. For the first time, he could feel the balance between the elements in the air — the warmth of distant fire, the chill of mana from the towers, the electric hum of passing trams.
It was everywhere.
And he was part of it.
---
When Sirius returned home, Lyla greeted him at the door. "You're late," she said softly.
"I was training."
"Again?"
He smiled faintly. "Always."
She sighed, reaching up to fix his collar. "One day, you'll have to tell me what all this training is for."
He hesitated. "You wouldn't believe me."
Her smile deepened. "Then lie beautifully."
Sirius laughed quietly — a rare, genuine sound. "It's for balance," he said.
"Balance?"
He nodded. "Between strength and control. Between who I am… and what I'm becoming."
She looked at him for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Then don't forget the 'who.'"
"I won't," he promised.