Chapter 101: The First Awakening
The moon hung high over the training courtyard, casting silvery light across the stone tiles.
Caelum knelt at the center, sweat clinging to his brow despite the cool night air. Volundr stood nearby, arms folded, watching closely as Caelum attempted to enter a meditative state—something that had always been difficult for him.
The light energy within Caelum pulsed like a storm caged in glass, barely restrained. Born from the twisted ambitions of the Holy Sword Project, his very soul carried unstable divine power that surged unpredictably. Tonight, however, something was different.
As Caelum focused inward, attempting the breathing technique Volundr had taught him, the pressure inside him began to climb. At first, it was just a flicker of warmth. Then, a flood.
His body trembled, eyes wide as his hands erupted in radiant light, searing hot and brilliant white. The energy lashed out wildly, cracking the ground around him and shaking the air like a quake.
Volundr didn't flinch. He stepped in swiftly, kneeling beside Caelum and placing a firm hand on his back.
"Breathe, Caelum. Anchor yourself. You are not a vessel—you are the will that shapes the light. Command it."
Caelum grit his teeth, struggling to hold on as arcs of holy energy sparked across his arms. He tried to speak, but the light roared too loudly in his head. Instead, he focused on Volundr's voice—calm, resolute, unwavering.
Then, something clicked.
The radiant outburst dulled, condensed, and changed. From the uncontrolled flare emerged two translucent gauntlets of pale aether—etched with softly glowing sigils and flickering with strands of light and mana.
They shimmered like glass refracting moonlight, semi-solid and humming with quiet power.
Caelum fell forward onto his hands, chest heaving. The gauntlets didn't vanish. They pulsed with his heartbeat—faint but steady.
Volundr narrowed his eyes, fascinated.
"So that's it… Your Sacred Gear. Aetherion Construct—first form. 'Aether Frame.'"
He helped Caelum to his feet as the gauntlets crackled and settled.
"Looks like it's not just your light that was waiting to awaken. This gear... it's responding to your need for control. Or maybe... to your need for purpose."
Caelum looked at his hands, awestruck. The gauntlets didn't feel like just armor—they felt alive, resonating with the very part of him he had always feared.
"So this… is mine?"
"Yes," Volundr said, a slight smile forming. "And now, we begin your real training."
As the night deepened, the soft glow of the Aether Frame lingered, flickering like the first embers of a forge—ready to shape something greater.