The morning mist rolled across the Corzedar estate's training grounds, carrying the scent of steel and pine. The banners of House Corzedar fluttered softly against the breeze, a dragon coiled around a broken sword, the eternal crest of wind and will.

In the center of the courtyard stood Khael and Lord Lito Corzedar, facing one another across the packed earth.

The old general's stance was grounded, solid as mountain stone, while his son's presence shimmered faintly the air bending ever so slightly around him, touched by dragonfire.

Lady Maricar Corzedar stood nearby, calm and radiant in her pale robes, hands folded as she watched. Beside her, Ren and Lyra sat cross-legged on the grass, eyes wide with excitement.

Ren leaned forward eagerly. "He's actually sparring with Father…"

Lyra clasped her hands, eyes gleaming. "Do you think Brother will win?"

Lady Maricar only smiled faintly, the morning wind tugging at her hair. "Winning isn't the point, my dear. This is how Corzedars speak through Shinrei and steel."

The moment felt half sacred, half familiar.

Father and son soldier and knight about to clash not for victory, but for understanding.

Lito's voice rumbled through the courtyard.

"Ready, Khael? Let's see it — the power of a Dragon Knight."

Khael gave a single nod. His eyes, calm and golden, reflected the faint shimmer of scales beneath his skin.

(Father's Shinrei… it's vast. Dense. Comparable to an Eclipse Vanguard. As expected of him.)

Lito's Shinrei gathered wind and earth, swirling together in a storm of dust and quiet thunder. The air rippled as the old general's aura expanded, his movements precise, practiced, without wasted breath.

Khael exhaled slowly. His own Shinrei flared in response a harmonic convergence of every element, each one whispering its own color: crimson flame, sapphire wave, violet storm, golden light. The dragon within stirred, eager.

Maricar's voice broke the silence, soft but steady.

"Be careful, both of you."

Ren leaned forward, whispering to Lyra, "He's serious now. Look at the ground, it's cracking already."

Lyra nodded, whispering back, "Father's enjoying this too much."

Lito's eyes gleamed with challenge.

"Then let's see if your wings can stand against the wind that raised you!"

He struck first. The earth buckled as he moved, a shockwave of compressed air roaring forward.

Khael stepped into it no fear, no hesitation and swept his hand outward. The wind bent. The pressure split like silk, the shockwave unraveling into harmless mist.

Then Khael's Shinrei surged his veins pulsing with prismatic light.

Scales flickered briefly across his arm as he launched forward.

Their blows collided thunder on thunder, light on stone. The training ground erupted with raw force. Dust spiraled skyward, trees bowed, and the air itself screamed.

Ren and Lyra shielded their faces, eyes wide. "That's insane!"

Maricar simply smiled faintly. "That's family."

Through the storm, two silhouettes clashed again father's laughter echoing between strikes.

"Good! You've grown stronger, Khael! I can feel the dragon in your blood!"

Khael grinned through the rush of power. "And I can still feel the general in yours!"

They moved faster than sight, until finally, both halted mid-strike Lito's blade of wind inches from Khael's throat, Khael's glowing palm hovering over his father's chest.

Then silence.

Both men smiled.

Maricar exhaled, shoulders relaxing. The siblings erupted into applause.

Lito dropped his stance, clapping Khael's shoulder with a proud, thunderous laugh. "Ha! Three years gone, and you come back strong enough to challenge your old man. My son, the Dragon Knight indeed."

Khael bowed his head lightly, breath steady. "And still no match for you, Father."

"Flattery," Lito said with mock offense, "is the first sign of retreat."

Maricar's laughter joined his, warm and melodic.

The family's joy filled the air light after storm.

After the sparring, the Corzedar family gathered once more around the long cedar table. Steam rose from the bowls of soup, the scent of herbs and roasted bread filling the hall.

As they ate, laughter and chatter danced through the room, Ren teasing Lyra, Maricar refilling everyone's cups, and Khael quietly studying the man seated across from him.

Khael glanced at his father, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

(He still wasn't using his full strength back then…)

Lord Lito felt the weight of that gaze. He met his son's eyes with a faint smile.

(He's grown. Stronger… steadier. Not just in body, but in spirit.)

Khael set down his spoon. "Father," he began, "how did you become one with the wind? When you move, it doesn't just surround you, it answers you. I can feel why they called you the Wind General."

Lito chuckled softly, the sound deep and warm like rolling thunder. He leaned back in his chair, memories flickering behind his eyes.

"The wind isn't something you command," he said. "It's something you listen to. It carries everything—the whispers of fear, the cries of hope, the pulse of a warrior's heart. When you stop trying to control it… that's when it begins to follow you."

Khael's eyes gleamed with quiet admiration.

"So that's your Shinrei… a bond built through harmony, not dominance."

Lito nodded. "Exactly. The wind reflects the soul. If your heart wavers, it scatters. If your will is calm, it carries you."

Maricar smiled gently from across the table. "That's why your father's Shinrei always feels peaceful, even when it's strong. His heart was never built to conquer only to protect."

Khael lowered his head slightly, a soft grin tugging at his lips.

(Protect, not conquer… just like you, Father.)

The wind outside whispered through the open window, carrying with it the faint sound of laughter, family, warmth, and a promise of calm before the storms yet to come.

To be continue

Author's Note: The Power System of Elysera

Power System: Shinrei and the Paths of the Soul

(Condensed and lore-engraved for reader immersion)

Shinrei – The Flame of Emotion:

The living energy born of feeling, it flows through every soul, shaped by passion, grief, love, and rage. Unstable hearts create unstable power.

Vein Gates:

Spiritual circuits of the body. Opening them grants new strength at a cost. The Ninth, Eternity Gate, is forbidden; its users rewrite reality or collapse into Voidborn.

Affinities:

Each fighter's Shinrei aligns with an emotion Flame (Rage), Wave (Calm), Storm (Despair), Stone (Resolve), Bloom (Hope), Shade (Fear).

Khael's Dragon Bloodline allows him all affinities, a harmony unseen in history.

Echo Arts:

Manifestations of the soul every technique a personal cry of emotion.

Bloodline Veins:

Mutations born of ancestry.

Khael's Dragon Bloodline grants dominion over wind, endurance of scales, and latent flight but at risk of draconic mutation.

Eclipse Vanguards:

Legends who mastered entire emotional spectrums, their Shinrei forming divine "Eclipse Forms."

The Keiryuu:

The heart of the Veinwalker Corps. Master Isen, the Supreme Commander calm as still water, powerful enough to defeat the Ancient Dragon of Emotion alone.

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