Orin had been practicing for hours. His arms ached, his legs burned, but still, the energy within him felt... wild, uncontrollable. It was like trying to hold onto water with clenched fists — it slipped between his fingers, threatening to drown him if he wasn't careful.
He stood in the clearing outside the shack, the wet grass beneath him slick and trembling underfoot. He focused on the tip of his right index finger, where a faint thread of golden-red energy flickered in the air. He could feel it now — the Chaos energy was no longer just inside him, but around him, weaving into the world as though it was an extension of his very being.
"Chaos Spear," he muttered under his breath.
The energy gathered, swarming around his finger in an unpredictable arc. He didn't even have time to properly aim before it shot forward, a jagged bolt of power.
It missed. Completely.
The Chaos Spear embedded itself into a tree just past where he had intended, the bark splintering from the force. Orin winced, his chest tight.
"Dammit," he hissed, running a hand through his hair. The energy inside him was still chaotic. Unruly. But he felt it — the potential, the power that wanted to be controlled.
He could do this. He just had to—
Wait.
Something shifted. A strange hum filled the air, vibrating through his bones. He froze, staring at his hands.
Had the ground just... moved? His breath hitched.
There. A flash — so fast it couldn't be real — a split-second of blurred motion in his peripheral vision. His heartbeat raced.
Then the feedback hit. His body jerked forward.
"What the—"
Before he could even process, he crashed into the tree he'd just missed, his shoulder slamming hard into the trunk. The Chaos energy flickered in his hand, almost as if it had pushed him.
He stumbled back, rubbing his sore shoulder, his heart pounding.
"Okay... that was not intentional," Orin muttered, looking around.
Had he just... blinked?
He took a step back, a bit more cautious now. He breathed slowly. Could he replicate that?
The strange pulse of energy inside him hadn't gone away — it was still humming, but this time, it felt different. More focused.
"Alright... Chaos Spear," he muttered again. He held out his hand, carefully this time, focusing not just on the energy but on the speed of it — the idea of channeling it fast enough.
He flicked his wrist. The energy swirled, a controlled blast of Chaos Spear that flew straight and true, embedding itself in the tree like it was supposed to.
But before Orin could even smile, it happened again.
In an instant, his feet moved before he could think — a sudden lurch forward, his body zipping a few feet ahead. The air warped as he slammed into the dirt, his hand still outstretched, barely catching the edge of the tree.
"What the hell?" he gasped, pulling himself up again. This time, he caught his breath, his hands shaking slightly. His pulse was erratic, his mind racing.
He hadn't even meant to move that fast. His body wasn't ready for it.
The energy inside him was growing faster than he could handle.
The System pinged in his mind, the familiar, robotic voice sounding almost too calm:
"Warning: Energy Stabilization Required. Uncontrolled Movement Detected."
"Synchronization Increasing. Current Level: 30%."
Orin blinked. Thirty percent.
Damn, he thought. He hadn't realized he was that close. But if his energy was this unstable at thirty percent...
He took a few cautious steps back, then stood still. The Chaos energy swirled inside him, restless but not too wild.
"Okay, just... take it slow," he whispered to himself. "One step at a time. If I push too hard, this will spiral out of control."
But even as he said it, he could feel the energy growing, pulling at him. He needed to train harder. Push himself to master it — now.
His body had already begun to move faster. But what if, with more control, he could do it without the side-effects?
What if he could blink without falling flat on his face?