The moment the sealed chamber opened to the sky, the descending vortex found its target.
A deafening roar filled the mountain.
The towering column of wind plunged through the opening in the stone ceiling and swallowed Shawn whole. His body slowly rose from the platform, carried upward by the violent current until he reached the very center of the storm.
Then everything became silent.
The furious winds continued spinning around him, yet within the eye of the tornado there was no sound at all.
Shawn floated motionlessly.
He couldn't see the storm surrounding him, but he could feel every current brushing gently against his skin.
The warmth beneath his heart pulsed steadily. The newly formed core continued drawing in World Energy, while the streams of wind circled around him before merging back into the tornado.
Outside, the scene had changed completely.
The vortex stretched hundreds of meters into the sky, connecting the dark clouds above with the open laboratory below. The surrounding fields bent beneath the immense pressure, and the ancient trees groaned violently. Loose stones rolled across the ground before vanishing into the spinning wall of wind.
The Sovereign Manifest protectors remained exactly where they stood.
None of them attempted to disperse the tornado. Their duty was to protect the estate during the awakening.
The captain slowly raised a hand.
"Hold."
His voice was quiet, yet all fourteen experts reacted instantly.
Power surged through the transparent barrier surrounding the estate, spreading an invisible force across the mountain. The trembling buildings became still. The shaking earth settled. Every tree, servant, and stone within the protected grounds was firmly anchored in place.
Only the tornado remained untouched.
The violent currents slammed repeatedly against the barrier, searching for an escape, but found none.
Within the eye of the storm, Shawn's breathing remained calm.
The strange whispers surrounding him had become clearer.
They weren't voices.
They were the currents themselves.
Every stream moved differently. Each carried its own rhythm. Some brushed softly against his skin, while others rushed past with overwhelming force.
Almost instinctively, he reached toward one of the currents.
It slipped through his fingers and returned to the storm.
Another followed.
Then another.
None of them lingered.
Far below, Morgan watched without blinking.
"The resonance is taking shape."
Boulder gave a faint nod.
"The ability is forming."
Morgan kept his gaze fixed on the vortex.
"Is he controlling the air?"
"No," Boulder answered without hesitation. "The wind is merely acknowledging his core."
High above them, the tornado suddenly began to slow.
The spinning wall compressed inward. The roar sharpened, and the pressure intensified.
Every Sovereign Manifest protector looked skyward at the same moment.
For the first time, the captain's expression shifted.
"It is condensing."
The outer layers of the tornado flattened.
Long, translucent edges gradually appeared throughout the storm. At first they were barely visible, but with each passing moment they became clearer.
Thousands of blades of compressed air revolved in a tight circle around Shawn, each one reflecting the faint light filtering through the dark clouds.
Morgan's pupils contracted.
"The wind has formed air blades."
The instant the words left his mouth, the entire storm erupted.
Countless blades shot outward simultaneously.
The mountain echoed beneath thousands of razor sharp impacts.
The barrier absorbed every strike without yielding even an inch.
Another wave followed.
Then another.
The blades rained relentlessly against the barrier, each impact carrying enough force to split solid stone, yet the transparent shield remained completely unmoved.
One of the Sovereign Manifest protectors glanced toward the impacts before calmly looking away.
"They will not break through."
The captain nodded.
"The storm realizes that."
As though responding to his words, the attacks ceased.
Silence returned once more.
The enormous blades suspended around the tornado began to shrink, compressing into thinner and thinner forms.
Within seconds, they had become slender needles.
Hundreds of thousands of translucent needles now surrounded the eye of the storm.
They no longer pointed toward the barrier.
Every single one turned inward.
Every tip aimed directly at Shawn.
Morgan's expression darkened.
"The barrier denied the storm an exit."
Boulder never took his eyes off the boy.
"So it has chosen the only path left."
High above the laboratory, the countless needles trembled once.
Then they surged toward Shawn at the center of the storm.