Kael moved through a half-destroyed valley, far from the city, still feeling the metallic glow in his hands. Every object around him seemed to respond to his movements, but he was only beginning to understand how to control it. He breathed heavily, his heart racing from the encounter with the resonant beast.
Suddenly, he heard a crack behind a rock. He turned and saw a man calmly leaning on a fallen log, watching him. His posture was relaxed, but in his gaze there was a spark of curiosity and experience.
"Hmm…" said the man, smiling slightly. "I didn't expect to find anyone else here."
Kael took a step back, surprised by the presence of another person."I… I didn't either," he replied. "Who are you?"
The man lit a cigarette and took a slow drag, letting the smoke drift into the gray sky."My name is Darling Veyron. I was just passing through… and it seems you were experimenting with something too."
Kael frowned, confused."Experimenting?" he asked. "I don't know… I just… made those pieces of metal move."
Darling smiled with a hint of irony."Yes, I saw that. Interesting. You have talent, but your movements are still clumsy. Nothing serious, we all start like that."
Kael relaxed a little."Are you saying what I did… is okay?"
"Yes," Darling replied. "But it also means you have work ahead of you. Resonance isn't just brute force; it's feeling it, anticipating it, integrating it with your body and mind."
Kael looked at him, curious."And you…? Do you have something to do with all this?"
Darling chuckled softly."Let's just say I've been where you are now. My job is… to help those who are just beginning to awaken. If you want, I can teach you to control what you have better."
Kael hesitated for a moment, but something about Darling's calm and confident manner gave him a sense of security."Alright," he finally said. "But I just want to learn to handle this… I don't want to fight anyone else for now."
Darling nodded, taking another drag from his cigarette."Don't worry. For today, we'll just explore your limits. There's no need for real danger to learn."
The man moved naturally, lifting a few floating pieces of debris around him."Try interacting with them, not as obstacles, but as if they were part of you."
Kael took a deep breath and slowly moved the objects. At first, he handled them clumsily, but then they began to respond to his will, spinning and floating gently around him. Darling watched with a barely perceptible smile.
"See…" he said. "It's not magic, it's not luck. It's control and focus. Keep that, and you'll be able to do much more than you imagine."
Kael looked at him, feeling for the first time that he wasn't alone."Thank you… I don't know how to explain it, but… it feels good to have someone guiding me."
"I understand," Darling replied. "We'll go slowly. This is just the beginning, and there's a lot to learn."
As the sun set behind the rusted towers, Kael and Darling stayed in the valley, practicing, talking, and exploring resonance. What began as a casual encounter became the first step toward a bond that would define Kael's path as a resonant.