Chapter 5 — The Devil in Me
After reaching home, Eldric looked at his son and said,
"From tomorrow, I won't be training you anymore, my son."
Aris looked at him with a confused expression.
Inside his mind, a hundred questions appeared at once.
Why would he suddenly stop training me?
He couldn't understand what his father meant. Was Eldric really going to stop teaching him? Or was there something else behind his words?
Aris decided not to ask immediately. He simply nodded and followed his father inside.
That evening, everything seemed normal at first.
The smell of dinner slowly filled the house, and the two of them sat together at the table. Aris was unusually quiet, still thinking about what Eldric had said.
While eating, Eldric suddenly looked at him.
"How are you mastering these elements so quickly?"
Aris stopped eating for a moment.
He honestly didn't know what to say.
"I... I don't know," Aris replied innocently. "I think I'm just blessed."
Eldric stared at him for a few seconds.
"A god? A devil? Or something else?" he thought.
There was something strange about Aris.
His progress wasn't normal.
Most people needed years to properly control even one element, but Aris had already learned several of them in a surprisingly short amount of time.
Eldric didn't say anything more. He simply continued eating.
After dinner, both of them went to sleep.
---
THE NEXT MORNING
The next morning, Aris woke up and went to brush his teeth.
He was still half asleep when Eldric suddenly shouted from outside the bathroom,
"Don't use that bathroom! Someone is inside!"
Aris didn't hear him properly.
Still sleepy, he walked toward the bathroom and reached for the door.
He slowly opened it.
A voice immediately came from inside.
"Who are you?! Go away!"
Aris froze.
Before he could understand what was happening, the door opened wider and a hand grabbed him.
Aris was pulled inside.
For a moment, he couldn't even react.
Then he saw her.
A well-built, muscular young woman was standing there.
Aris stared at her in complete confusion.
She stared back at him.
For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.
Then Aris finally realized what had happened.
"AAAAHHHH!"
His scream echoed through the house.
Eldric, who had been drinking his tea, almost dropped the cup.
"What happened?!"
He rushed toward the bathroom.
The moment he arrived, he saw Aris standing there, completely shocked.
Eldric immediately understood the situation.
He sighed.
"That's my son."
Aris looked at him.
"YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME!"
Eldric tried not to laugh.
The woman also looked embarrassed by the whole situation.
After everything was finally explained, the awkward moment passed.
Eldric then looked at Aris seriously.
"From now on, my son Kairo is going to train you."
Aris looked confused.
"Kairo?"
"Yes."
Eldric continued,
"He has mastered Thunder. His control over it is far beyond normal people. If you're going to continue growing stronger, he is the one who can help you."
Aris nodded slowly.
He still didn't completely understand why his father had chosen Kairo, but he decided to trust him.
---
BREAKFAST
Later, they all sat together for breakfast.
Aris took his first bite.
The moment he tasted the food, he stopped.
Something about it felt familiar.
The smell.
The taste.
The warmth.
It reminded him of something he couldn't clearly remember.
I've tasted this before...
But where?
The thought disappeared before he could catch it.
Aris looked at Eldric.
"Dad, why does today's food taste different?"
Eldric smiled.
"Because today, my son made it."
Aris looked toward Kairo.
Kairo gave him a small smile.
"Yes. I made it."
There was something strange about the food.
It tasted almost heavenly.
Aris couldn't explain it.
Kairo casually added,
"This dish was learned from the chefs of Heaven. And it's much more powerful than ordinary food."
Aris stared at his plate.
Now everything made sense.
The familiar taste wasn't just his imagination.
It really did remind him of Heaven.
After breakfast, Eldric went to take a bath.
That left Aris and Kairo alone.
Kairo slowly stood up.
"Come with me."
Aris followed him.
They walked through the hallway until Kairo stopped in front of an old, dusty room.
He opened the door.
Inside were dozens of old pictures hanging on the walls.
Aris looked around.
Most of the pictures were of a beautiful woman.
Aris pointed toward one of them.
"Who is she?"
Kairo's expression changed.
His voice became much deeper.
"She was the person I loved the most."
Aris looked at him.
"What happened to her?"
Kairo remained silent for a moment.
Then he said,
"She passed away when I was ten."
Aris felt a little sorry for him.
Kairo continued,
"And now I'm twenty-three years old."
Aris looked at the pictures again.
There was clearly a story behind them.
A story Kairo didn't want to talk about.
Aris lowered his head.
"I'm sorry."
Kairo didn't respond immediately.
After a few seconds, he took a deep breath.
"She could either be in Heaven... or Hell."
Then he looked at Aris.
"But that's enough talking about the past."
Kairo turned around.
"Come on. Let's start training."
---
THUNDER TRAINING BEGINS
Kairo and Aris went outside.
The air was calm, but Aris could already feel that something different was about to happen.
Kairo stood in front of him.
"First of all, focus all your power into your hands."
Aris looked at his hands.
"Like this?"
"Not yet."
Kairo shook his head.
"You need to control your body first. Don't let the power control you."
Aris nodded.
Kairo continued,
"Once you've focused your power properly, I'll give you some of my Thunder power. Your job is simple."
"What?"
"Control it."
Aris looked slightly nervous.
Kairo raised his hand.
Small sparks of electricity appeared around his fingers.
The air suddenly became heavy.
"This is Thunder."
Aris watched carefully.
Kairo released a small amount of energy toward him.
Aris felt electricity rushing through his body.
His hands began shaking.
But instead of panicking, he tried to control it.
I can do this.
He slowly closed his eyes.
Kairo watched him carefully.
Aris was learning faster than expected.
However, Aris wasn't thinking only about becoming stronger.
He was thinking about something else.
If I learn this power too quickly, I'll become a target.
He knew that if the gods or Saturn discovered his full potential too early, they might come after him.
So Aris decided to hide some of his abilities.
He wanted everyone to believe that he was still learning.
He didn't want anyone to know what he was truly capable of.
Kairo noticed that Aris was holding back.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
Aris smiled innocently.
Kairo didn't completely believe him, but he didn't question it.
Instead, he stepped forward.
"Try to create lightning."
Aris stretched out his hands.
"Lightning."
Nothing happened.
Aris looked at his hands.
"Hmm."
Kairo almost smiled.
"Again."
Aris tried again.
This time, a tiny spark appeared.
Then another.
Kairo nodded.
"Good."
Aris suddenly looked excited.
He concentrated harder.
More sparks appeared around his hands.
Kairo moved closer and held his hand out.
"Focus."
Aris tried.
He focused on the energy moving through his body.
Slowly, the sparks became stronger.
Kairo watched silently.
After several minutes, Aris finally managed to control the electricity properly.
Kairo smiled.
"I knew you could do it."
Aris looked at his hands.
For the first time, he could feel the Thunder responding to him.
Kairo then said,
"Now use it carefully. If you lose control, the surroundings could be damaged."
Aris nodded.
"Okay."
But inside his mind, another thought appeared.
If I can master this... then maybe I can become strong enough.
Strong enough to defeat the gods.
Strong enough to face Saturn.
Strong enough to protect the people he cared about.
And strong enough to discover the truth about himself.
---
Aris then looked at Kairo.
"I heard you mastered the Hell Fire in just a few minutes."
Kairo raised an eyebrow.
"You want me to show you?"
Aris nodded.
"Yes."
Kairo smiled.
"Fine."
He extended his hand.
A small flame appeared.
Then another.
Within seconds, the flames became larger.
Aris stared at them.
The heat around him increased.
Kairo calmly controlled the fire.
"I'll teach you from the weakest level to the strongest."
Aris nodded.
"I'm ready."
Kairo looked at him.
"Then start with five fireballs."
Aris stretched out both hands.
"Five balls."
Five small flames appeared.
Aris looked surprised.
Kairo nodded.
"Good."
But then Aris noticed something.
The ordinary fireballs weren't enough.
He concentrated.
The flames began changing.
Their color and intensity shifted.
Kairo's eyes widened slightly.
Aris had transformed the ordinary flames into powerful Hell Fire.
Kairo stared at him.
"You did that already?"
Aris looked confused.
"I just tried."
Kairo shook his head.
"You really are unusual."
Aris smiled.
"Can you teach me how to control it?"
"I can."
Kairo looked toward the sky.
"But you'll need access to Hell."
Aris looked at him.
"Don't worry about that."
Kairo smiled.
"I have access."
Before they could continue, a strange sound came from behind them.
Kairo stopped.
Aris looked around.
"What was that?"
Kairo's expression became serious.
"Something is coming."
The peaceful atmosphere suddenly disappeared.
---
THE OLD WORLD
Kairo suggested that they go somewhere else for training.
They travelled toward an old area of the world where there were no cars and almost no people.
It was an ancient place.
The sky was covered with clouds.
Kairo looked around.
"Here."
Aris nodded.
They stepped onto a large cloud that had formed close to the surface.
At first, Aris looked nervous.
But Kairo reached out his hand.
"Don't worry."
Aris took his hand.
The moment he did, he felt safe.
The cloud lifted them slightly above the ground.
Aris couldn't help smiling.
"This is actually amazing."
Kairo smiled.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
The two of them travelled together through the clouds.
Aris began enjoying the experience.
He didn't know it yet, but this peaceful moment wouldn't last.
---
SOMETHING IS COMING
As they continued travelling, the clouds suddenly became darker.
Kairo looked behind them.
"Wait."
Aris stopped.
"What happened?"
Kairo's eyes narrowed.
"I don't know."
Then—
A sharp sound cut through the air.
Something moved behind them at incredible speed.
Before Eldric could react, a powerful attack struck him.
He was thrown backward.
"KAIRO!"
Aris screamed.
Kairo tried to move, but the attack had already caught him off guard.
The force was extremely strong.
Aris looked behind them.
A huge beast was standing there.
Its presence alone made the atmosphere feel dangerous.
Aris's eyes widened.
"What... is that?"
Kairo slowly stood up.
The beast stared at them.
It had appeared out of nowhere.
Aris immediately understood that this wasn't an ordinary creature.
Something about it felt wrong.
Very wrong.
The beast suddenly moved again.
Aris stepped forward.
"KAIRO!"
Kairo raised his hand.
"Stay back!"
But Aris didn't move.
He clenched his fists.
The Thunder inside his body began reacting.
The sparks around his hands grew stronger.
Kairo looked at him.
"Aris... don't lose control."
Aris took a deep breath.
"I won't."
The beast roared.
The clouds shook.
Aris looked directly at it.
He didn't know what the creature wanted.
He didn't know why it had attacked them.
But one thing was certain.
His training had just become something much more serious.
And somewhere deep inside Aris...
something else was beginning to awaken.
Something that even he didn't understand.
The power hidden within him was no longer sleeping quietly.
It was waiting.
Waiting for the right moment.
And perhaps...
this beast was the beginning of that moment.
TO BE CONTINUED...