Morning light poured through the trees in golden shafts, painting long shadows across the training camp. Most of the trainees had already begun their morning drills or found their usual corners of the grounds to work in silence.

  Rei, however, veered off the usual path. He had a different goal today.

  Instead of joining the others, he turned toward the less-visited end of camp—where the dull hum of machinery echoed faintly behind reinforced doors.

  The workshop.

  He approached with some hesitation, raising a hand to knock. Only for the door to creak open on its own.

  “Hey,” a groggy voice greeted.

  Oliver stood there, goggles perched on his head, black sleeves rolled up to the elbow. His hair was tousled, and dark circles clung stubbornly under his eyes.

  “You look like death,” Rei said bluntly.

  Oliver gave a small shrug. “Haven’t slept much.”

  He stepped aside to let Rei in.

  The inside of the workshop was organized chaos, blueprints scattered across every available surface, wires snaking like vines, and digital screens flickering with diagnostics. At one of the far desks, Andrei hunched over a disassembled module, fingers moving in practiced, precise motions.

  He looked just as sleep-deprived as Oliver.

  “Hey, Rei,” Andrei said without looking up. “Mind the loose capacitors. They explode when stepped on.”

  “…Good to know.”

  Rei walked over, surveying the work. “So… what exactly have you guys been doing these past two weeks? You’ve basically vanished.”

  Oliver glanced at Andrei, who gave a small nod.

  “We just finished it,” Oliver said. “Wanted to build something new. Something better.”

  “And sleep was optional, I guess?” Rei muttered.

  Oliver didn’t answer. Instead, he stepped over to the workbench and picked up a long, sleek weapon resting on a magnetic rack.

  Dark matte black. Olive undertones. Subtle ridges lined the barrel.

  “This,” Oliver said, voice low with pride, “is Arcveil.”

  Rei leaned in. “Looks like a rifle.”

  “It is. Until it isn’t,” Oliver replied.

  He pressed a button on the side of the trigger guard. A low mechanical whir echoed as the barrel split open, revealing twin glowing rails that extended forward, locking into place. The inner chamber pulsed with light.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Railgun mode,” Oliver said, almost grinning. “It’s modular. I can shift between this and rifle form on the fly.”

  Rei whistled. “That’s… kind of awesome.”

  “The ammo system is coded to my grace,” Andrei added, stepping beside them. “I designed what we call ‘Core Rounds.’”

  He held up a small capsule—metallic, with faint color glows at the tip. “Each one has an elemental or kinetic effect. We’ve got Cryo, Volt, Ignis, Solar, Crystal, and Gale. Color-coded. Calibrates the moment it’s inserted.”

  “Test run?” Oliver asked.

  Rei nodded. “Hell yes.”

  ---

  [Training Field – Fifteen Minutes Later]

  Dummies lined the far end of the field—pre-set by Casper before he left earlier.

  Oliver stood still for a moment, then inserted a red-orange round into Arcveil’s chamber. The weapon hummed, syncing. He fired in rifle mode—clean, rapid semi-auto bursts. Each round detonated on impact with small explosions of fire.

  “Switching to railgun,” Oliver muttered.

  He tapped the trigger guard again. Whir-click. Arcveil transformed. He loaded a bright gold-white Solar Core and took aim.

  The shot lit the air with a piercing boom, tearing through the dummy and the reinforced metal sheet behind it.

  Rei’s eyes widened. “...Okay, that is terrifying.”

  Oliver allowed himself a small smile.

  As they walked back toward the workshop, Andrei asked casually, “You naming it?”

  Oliver nodded. “Yeah. It’s called Arcveil.”

  “Fitting,” Rei said. “It’s like a veil hiding its true force.”

  As they re-entered the workshop, Rei turned. “By the way, where’s Casper? Haven’t seen him since… forever.”

  Oliver grimaced. “Testing his suit.”

  Andrei chimed in, “His last one powered off mid-flight during the market incident. The Cyclops’ EMP blast nearly fried him. He passed out mid-air—he doesn’t talk about it, but that scared him.”

  “So, I rebuilt the core,” Andrei continued. “He’s running on a layered energy system now, much harder to shut down. Self-repairing too.”

  As if summoned, a blur passed by the workshop window.

  WHUMP.

  The door opened, and Casper stepped in a suit sleek, slimmer than the last, with a glowing spine panel and reinforced joints.

  He gave them a glance, said nothing, and simply walked past to the back room.

  “…He’s still the same,” Rei muttered.

  “Yep,” Oliver agreed.

  Rei was about to ask if Andrei could help him make something similar, maybe even his own hybrid weapon—but before he could open his mouth—

  “Rei,” came a voice from behind.

  Raphael.

  Standing there in the doorway, arms crossed.

  “Your break’s over. Training grounds. Now.”

  Rei flinched slightly, then gave Oliver and Andrei an apologetic wave. “Guess I’ll come back another time.”

  “Next time, bring snacks,” Andrei grumbled, already back at his desk.

  ---

  [Zane – Forest Edge]

  Somewhere near the outskirts of camp, Zane moved to a beat only he could hear.

  Lightning sparked across his forearms and legs as he stepped, turned, and twisted. His body pulsed with electricity, his movements fluid—almost like a dance.

  A pair of worn headphones clung to his ears, feeding him rhythm. The music drove him. Sharp jabs followed by gliding steps. Controlled bursts of voltage localized to his limbs.

  After a while, he stopped, panting lightly.

  He took his headphones off and dropped onto a fallen log.

  He reached into his pack and pulled out the beat-up notebook once more.

  The cover had faded. But the words still remained.

  Volt Tempo.

  He flipped it open, eyes scanning the first few pages—diagrams, notes, scribbles from a time when he still believed he could be something bigger.

  Something brighter.

  His fingers hovered over the edge.

  Maybe it was time to bring this back.

  ---

  [Tessa – Cliffside to Training Grounds]

  The wind whispered against her face, but her thoughts were louder.

  “You’ll never master Gale Force until you master yourself.”

  She’d tried to reflect. Tried to listen to the wind like Haruto said. But it just didn’t click.

  Frustrated, she stood and walked briskly through the camp, her steps quickening until she found him—standing by the edge of the sparring grounds, arms folded, watching trainees from a distance.

  “Haruto.”

  He turned. “Tessa.”

  “I don’t get it,” she said, stopping in front of him. “What does ‘mastering myself’ even mean? You’re saying I can’t control Gale Force until I figure out… what, exactly?”

  He studied her, then gave a small nod. “Walk with me.”

  They moved toward a quieter clearing, the breeze brushing past.

  “Gale Force isn’t a ‘sacred blade.’ That’s the wrong word,” Haruto said. “It’s a sacred weapon. Something malleable. It becomes what you make of it.”

  He picked up a stick and tossed it aside.

  “Swords are rigid. Weapons adapt. Your blade doesn’t want to be one thing, it wants to be what you are.”

  Tessa’s brow furrowed.

  “You’ve been treating it like a badge,” he continued. “A status. But it’s not. It’s a reflection. And the reflection’s cloudy.”

  He turned to her.

  “So here’s a question. One you need to answer for yourself.”

  His voice softened but carried weight.

  “What does the wind mean to you?”

  Tessa stared at him. No immediate reply came.

  “That answer,” he said, “will shape your style. Shape your blade. Shape you.”

  Haruto began to walk away, but paused after a few steps.

  “Once you find it,” he called over his shoulder, “come train with Raphael. You’ll be ready.”

  He gave her a sidelong glance, eyes sharp.

  “Don’t let someone else’s idea of strength define yours. Find your own. Once you do, shine.”

  And then he was gone.

  [End of Chapter]