The swarm descended.
There was no roar within the eye of the storm.
Only silence.
Shawn's arm shot upward before his mind could react, shielding his face through instinct alone.
The first needles arrived.
Because his core had only just been born, a tiny fraction of the surrounding wind resonated with his body. Several thin currents suddenly curved around him, circling his limbs once before colliding head on with the descending storm.
The impact scattered hundreds of needles, but thousands more tore straight through the fragile barrier.
A cold, razor sharp pressure exploded across Shawn's shoulder. The force of the wind slammed into his ribs and limbs. The surrounding currents thickened, swallowing the air and erasing every trace of his presence.
The currents protecting him trembled before breaking apart.
For a single heartbeat, they gathered again.
Then another wave crashed into them.
This time, they barely survived an instant.
Shawn clenched his teeth.
"No..."
The warmth beneath his heart pulsed violently, and more currents answered the call.
They were too few.
Far too few.
They rushed around him in frantic circles, trying to intercept every stream they could reach. Yet each collision stripped away another piece of them, and every attempt at defense became weaker than the last.
The storm never slowed.
Another wave descended, and the translucent needles slipped between the rotating currents.
The overwhelming force drove the breath from Shawn's lungs, shattering his concentration.
Instinct replaced thought.
Why don't you listen to me...
His will surged outward as he tried to command the vortex through sheer force.
The spinning currents around his body froze for the briefest moment.
Then everything collapsed.
Trying to force the wind only contradicted its nature. The currents that had answered him scattered as though they had never existed.
The remaining storm descended unchecked.
The pressure intensified across his chest, his arms, and his face. No matter how tightly he tried to grasp the wind, nothing remained in his hands.
One could not suppress something whose very nature was absolute freedom.
Far below the open ceiling, Morgan took an unconscious step forward, his fingers already reaching for the hilt at his waist.
Boulder's heavy arm stopped him.
"Don't."
Morgan never took his eyes off the storm.
"The pressure is too high."
"It is not," Boulder replied evenly. "He is awakening."
Morgan clenched his jaw.
"If this continues..."
"It must," Boulder interrupted. "The moment another will enters that storm, his awakening ends."
Morgan slowly lowered his hand.
Like everyone else, he could only watch.
High above them, another change unfolded.
The countless needles came to a halt.
They had not exhausted themselves.
Instead, they compressed even further, changing form under the natural laws governing the flow of wind.
The long needles became threads.
The threads became hair thin lines that were almost impossible to see.
Then they vanished completely.
Morgan frowned.
"Where..."
The answer came immediately.
Shawn's body jerked beneath a series of invisible impacts.
One unseen current struck his back.
Another swept past his shoulder.
A third grazed his neck.
The wind no longer announced its movements.
It simply moved.
Shawn's breathing grew ragged.
The tiny currents revolving around him slowed as the final swarm descended.
The invisible needles no longer attacked in waves.
They came from every direction at once.
The remaining currents rushed to intercept them.
One shattered.
Then another.
Before long, the final defense collapsed beneath the endless barrage.
The first invisible needles slipped through, striking with perfect precision.
The assault continued without pause.
The wind spun faster and faster until the air itself seemed to vibrate.
Shawn gritted his teeth and cast his will outward once more.
The warmth beneath his heart answered, and several currents gathered around him again.
For a brief moment, they held.
The descending needles slowed.
Morgan's eyes narrowed.
"He is stabilizing it."
Boulder remained silent.
The very next instant, the currents surrounding Shawn trembled violently.
One after another, they burst apart, unable to withstand a force determined to return to its natural state of unrestricted freedom.
The suspended needles surged forward without resistance.
Shawn's body shuddered beneath the impact.
His breathing became uneven, and his concentration collapsed completely.
The warmth beneath his heart continued to pulse, but nothing answered his call.
He had not yet grasped the secret of the storm.
High above them, Shawn's body slowly tilted forward.
Exhaustion had finally overwhelmed him.
The tornado continued spinning without slowing, its countless currents sweeping past him as though he no longer existed.
Then his body fell.
The wind caught him before he could descend very far.
Instead of casting him out of the storm, the currents drew him deeper into its center, pulling him toward the absolute heart of the vortex.