CHAPTER 3: THE FIRST THUNDER
(Kaelen's POV)
The deep canyons never truly slept, but there were moments of relative quiet when the constant clanging of metal and shouting of scavengers faded to a distant murmur. This was when Kaelen trained.
Under Gorak's protection, they had settled into a precarious routine. By day, Kaelen used the Nova Seed's sensors to locate valuable salvage intact power cores, rare alloys, occasionally even functioning weapons. By night, he trained.
// INITIATING COMBAT DRILL 7-B //
// FOCUS: ENERGY CHANNELING THROUGH MERIDIANS //
Kaelen moved through the forms the Nova Seed projected into his mind. They were similar to the Orion style Marik had taught him, but refined, enhanced with principles that made his old training seem like child's play.
"Your form is improving," Gorak observed from the doorway of their new home, a more secure shelter deeper in the canyon that the big man had secured through some combination of favors and threats.
Kaelen didn't break his rhythm. "The Seed shows me where I'm making mistakes."
Gorak grunted. "That thing is the reason Orion wants you so badly, isn't it?"
Kaelen finished the form and turned to face him. "One of the reasons. Our aunt wants the Orion bloodline ended. The Seed is just... bonus plunder."
// WARNING: MULTIPLE HEAT SIGNATURES APPROACHING //
// IDENTIFICATION: RAZOR GANG MEMBERS //
// WEAPONS DETECTED: INDUSTRIAL CUTTERS, PLASMA TORCHES //
Kaelen's eyes met Gorak's. "We have company."
Gorak moved with surprising speed for his size, activating the shelter's crude security system. "They've been sniffing around since word got out about your salvage finds. Guess they decided to make their move."
Lyra emerged from the sleeping area, her eyes wide. "They're not here for salvage. They're here for me."
"What?" Kaelen moved to her side. "Why?"
"One of them has a sick child," she said, her voice distant. "He thinks I can heal her. But... there's something else. Someone paid them to take me."
// ANALYSIS: HIGH PROBABILITY OF ORION INVOLVEMENT //
// RECOMMENDATION: PREEMPTIVE STRIKE //
Kaelen made a decision. "Gorak, get Lyra to the hidden compartment. I'll handle this."
The big man looked like he wanted to argue, but nodded. "Don't get dead, kid. You still owe me thirty percent of last week's salvage."
As Gorak hustled Lyra away, Kaelen stepped outside. Five members of the Razor Gang stood waiting, their leader a wiry man with scarred cheeks , smiling unpleasantly.
"We just want the girl," the leader said. "The Seer. Hand her over, and we'll even let you keep your fancy floating toy."
Kaelen fell into the first Orion stance Marik had ever taught him. "You can't have her."
The leader sighed. "Pity."
They attacked as one, but Kaelen was ready. The Nova Seed fed him data, attack vectors, weak points, optimal counters. He moved like water flowing around stones, dodging the first cutter, deflecting the second, striking pressure points with precise, measured force.
Two gang members went down before they realized what was happening.
// ENERGY BUILDUP DETECTED IN USER'S BODY //
// PHENOMENON IDENTIFIED: FIRST COSMIC THUNDER MANIFESTING //
Kaelen felt it then a building pressure in his core, like a storm gathering. His hands began to glow with blue energy, crackling with power he didn't understand.
The remaining gang members backed away, their eyes wide.
"What are you?" the leader whispered.
Kaelen didn't know. But as the energy built to a crescendo, he knew he had to release it. He thrust his palms forward, and the First Cosmic Thunder erupted from him, a wave of concussive force that threw the gang members back against the canyon walls.
When the light faded, they lay unconscious. The Nova Seed floated calmly at Kaelen's shoulder.
// FIRST COSMIC THUNDER MASTERED //
// COMBAT PROGRESSION: 18% //
Gorak emerged from the shelter, his eyes wide. "What in the seven hells was that?"
Kaelen looked at his still-tingling hands. "The beginning," he whispered.
---
GORAK'S POV
Gorak had seen many strange things in the deep canyons. He'd seen men kill each other over a functioning power cell. He'd seen scavengers worship ancient machines like gods. He'd seen children born and raised knowing nothing but rust and decay.
But he'd never seen anything like the Orion boy.
When he'd first taken them in, he'd done it for Lissa. His daughter's recovery had been nothing short of miraculous, and he owed the Seer girl for that. But he'd expected the boy to be dead weight, another mouth to feed, another body to protect.
He hadn't expected... this.
Watching Kaelen move through those strange fighting forms was like watching water dance. There was a grace to it that didn't belong in the deep canyons, a purity that spoke of a world Gorak had only heard about in stories.
And that floating box... that thing was trouble. Good trouble, maybe, but trouble nonetheless. It made finding salvage almost too easy, and in the deep canyons, anything that came too easy usually came with a heavy price.
When the Razor Gang showed up, Gorak had been ready to fight. He'd faced worse than five scrappers with industrial tools. But then the boy had stepped out alone, and Gorak had seen something change in him.
It was in the way he stood not like a scared kid facing grown men with weapons, but like a warrior assessing inferior opponents. Like Gorak had seen the old vids of House Orion guards standing before some alien threat.
Then the light had come. That impossible, crackling blue energy that had come from nowhere and everywhere at once. The thunder that wasn't sound but force. The way the gang members had flown back like dolls.
Gorak looked at the unconscious men, then at the boy standing calmly amid the chaos. This wasn't just some noble's runaway son. This was something else. Something that could either save the deep canyons or burn them all to ash.
He made a decision then. He'd protect these kids, yes. But he'd also learn from them. Because whatever was coming, whether it was House Orion or something worse, Gorak wanted to be on the winning side.
And for the first time in his life, he thought he might be looking at it.
PREQUEL FOR CHAPTER 4
Ten Years Ago - Orion Prime
The training hall echoed with the sounds of clashing energy blades and shouted commands. Four year-old Kaelen watched from the observation deck, his small hands pressed against the transparent aluminum as he watched his father train with the Orion guards.
Lord Alistair Orion moved like lightning, his blade a blur of blue energy as he sparred with three guards simultaneously. Even to Kaelen's young eyes, it was clear his father was holding back.
"Watch his footwork, Kaelen," a voice said beside him. Old Man Marik stood there, his arms crossed as he observed the sparring below. "The Orion style isn't about brute force. It's about efficiency. About using your opponent's strength against them."
Below, Alistair disarmed all three guards in a move so fast Kaelen barely saw it. The guards bowed respectfully before retrieving their weapons.
"Will I learn to fight like that?" Kaelen asked.
Marik placed a hand on his shoulder. "One day, boy. But first, you must learn why we fight."
Alistair looked up from the training floor, his eyes meeting Kaelen's. He smiled, then gestured for his son to come down.
"This," Marik said quietly, "is where it truly begins."