Alpha Instinct

The atmosphere gradually calmed; the once relentless wind died down, replaced by a gentle breeze. Leonard's violent trembling subsided, his muscles slowly unclenching. His features softened, his appearance returning to something closer to normal, though a lingering paleness remained.

Mikaela cautiously approached, her gaze darting between Leonard and the others. "Is it... is it over?" she asked, her voice hesitant. "Do you think he's alright?" She looked at him worried.

Evelyn, leaning against a nearby tree, nodded slowly. "It seems so," she replied, her voice still slightly hoarse. But at what cost?

Kaleb, ever the comedian, chimed in, attempting to break the tension. "Think he scrambled his brains up there? Maybe he thinks he's a chicken now, cluck cluck?" He flapped his arms and started to cluck, but his heart wasn't in it. The display had been too unsettling.

After a brief moment, as if waking from a deep sleep, Leonard slowly opened his eyes. He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers, a faint smile playing on his lips. So much power..., he thought. He whispered, "Blade Domain... and Elemental Sword Dance..." The faint smile erupted into a triumphant laugh, a release of pent-up energy.

Kaleb, witnessing the scene, muttered under his breath, "Yep, he's finally lost it. Completely bonkers. Poor guy." He probably thinks he's a dragon now.

Evelyn, ignoring Kaleb, stepped out from behind the tree and walked slowly towards Leonard, her steps measured.

Mikaela and Kaleb followed close behind, their expressions a mixture of relief and apprehension.

Evelyn cleared her throat, politely interrupting Leonard's moment of self-congratulation. "Hey, Leo... Did you... get it?" She asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Leonard turned to her, a spark of excitement in his eyes. "Yes."

"Can I know what it is?" Evelyn asked, her curiosity piqued.

"No, you can't," Leo responded, a teasing glint in his eyes. He couldn't resist a small smirk.

"Too bad," Evelyn said, feigning disappointment, though a part of her was relieved she wouldn't have to immediately face whatever he'd just learned.

"I'm not going to tell you! I'm going to show you! Come on, let's go to the training clearing!" Leonard said excitedly, already getting up and moving with determined speed, his earlier exhaustion seemingly forgotten.

Evelyn jogged, quickening her pace to follow Leonard. He's definitely not himself, she thought, a knot of worry tightening in her stomach.

Mikaela and Kaleb exchanged a look—a mixture of concern and bewilderment—and then followed.

Leonard positioned himself in the center of the clearing, drawing Smiling and Absolution. But instead of his usual battle stance, he turned sideways to Evelyn, placing both swords parallel to each other, pointing them forward, his knuckles touching. His pose resembled that of a monk about to offer a greeting before a fight, but sideways and with a clear, almost predatory, intent to attack.

Evelyn felt a shiver run down her spine; she knew something unique and dangerous was coming. "Careful with that. Don't kill me," she said, a mix of apprehension and excitement in her voice, trying to mask her unease.

Leonard grinned, a flash of his old self. "I don't even know exactly how strong this is, so please be careful."

Mikaela, arriving with Kaleb, commented, "I'm here in case any nasty wounds show up. Have fun," she said, but her voice held a tremor of anxiety.

Kaleb just said, "I'm next, get ready to suffer." But no one paid him any attention. He shrugged.

"Ready?" Leonard asked, his eyes burning with an intensity that was both exhilarating and terrifying. They weren't icy stones anymore, but something else entirely.

Evelyn readied herself, her fighting stance firm, her two black daggers held at the ready. "Ready," she replied. "Here I come." Let's see what he's got.

Leonard thought, Blade Domain, and said aloud, "Dimensional Step..."

Evelyn dashed forward using Subterfuge, appearing directly behind Leonard, emerging from his own shadow. Her attacks, swift as the wind, whistled through the air, stopping mere millimeters from the back of his neck. "I win..." she declared, a hint of triumph in her voice.

Leonard's image shimmered, then dissolved like mist in the wind, leaving behind only the faint scent of ozone.

He was now standing beside her, the blade of one of his swords inches from her face, a ghost of a smile on his lips. He responded, "Who won, again?"

Disbelieving, Evelyn replied, "You win... but how...?" He moved... but it wasn't just speed. It was... something else.

Mikaela turned to Kaleb, her voice a hushed whisper, "Did you see that? How did he do that?"

Kaleb, equally baffled, answered, "I'm just as stunned as you are. I saw... nothing. Just... gone."

Leonard explained, "'Blade Domain' encompasses various techniques. That one was 'Dimensional Step.' I move so fast that I leave a certain amount of energy behind, creating an afterimage. It's very difficult for someone to perceive that I'm not actually there anymore." He paused, then added with a grin, "It's also very useful for avoiding chores."

"Wow, that's dangerous..." Evelyn commented, impressed and slightly intimidated. I need to be even more careful around him now.

"Let's go again," Leonard requested, smiling. He seemed to be enjoying himself, perhaps a little too much. "Come on, Mikaela, your turn..."

Mikaela pointed to herself, a look of disbelief on her face, mixed with a healthy dose of fear. "Me...?"

Leonard nodded enthusiastically. "Yeeees, you! Come on!"

Evelyn switched places with Mikaela and leaned back against a nearby coconut tree in a relaxed pose, crossing her arms. "Leo's getting exceptionally strong," she noted, a hint of concern in her voice.

Kaleb responded, "Excep... what? He's learning hard skills, and you're learning hard words." He scratched his head.

When Mikaela reached the center of the clearing, Leonard asked her, "I want you to use Kalendor... I'm going all out."

Mikaela smirked. "You're getting cocky..." Then, her expression softened. "I'll make you show a little more condescension."

Leonard resumed the same stance as before. "Show me what you've got."

Mikaela extended her right arm laterally, palm open, and whispered, "...Kalendor..." A beam of white light descended, and the sword artifact materialized in her hand.

Leonard then said, "'Blade Domain'... 'Ethereal Blades...'" His ELEV activated, glowing with a light much brighter than before. The blades of Smiling and Absolution began to crackle, small sparks jumping from the steel as if electrified. He poured all his strength into the technique, and the blades whistled, a high-pitched sound that made the air vibrate.

Whoosh

Like a million birds singing, the sparks leaped from the swords. Leonard seemed to be holding two bolts of lightning, crackling with barely contained power.

Mikaela smiled, a determined glint in her eyes. "Interesting... Let's heat things up then. Here I come!"

Mikaela charged head-on toward Leonard.

Leonard's eyes narrowed, focused; he spun his swords, making them whistle through the air, a keening sound. Then, finally, the clash.

The swords met. A monstrous clang echoed through the clearing, like a thunderclap. The grass beneath their feet vaporized in a small radius around them, leaving scorched earth. A shockwave of wind rippled outwards, shaking the nearby trees. Sparks of electricity danced in the air after the collision, like confetti and streamers at a violent celebration.

Evelyn and Kaleb jumped back, startled, not expecting such a powerful display. "So much power... from a single clash," Evelyn thought.

Mikaela's ankles sank into the ground under the sheer weight of Leonard's attack, her knees buckling slightly.

Kalendor blazed with a holy, incandescent light, a beacon in the sudden gloom.

"Kalendor lit up on its own?" Mikaela thought, a chill running down her spine, a premonition of danger. She jumped back, observing her sword as its light slowly faded.

She then said to Leonard, "Kalendor only ignites in the face of imminent danger. Were you trying to kill me?"

"Me? Never! Maybe that blow is just too powerful..." Leonard trailed off, a thoughtful frown on his face.

"Oh hoo! That's exactly it..." said Saito, stepping out from behind a thicket of bushes, where he had been observing, hidden, from the very beginning. "If it weren't for Kalendor, the holy sword, Mikaela's arms would have been ripped clean off." He stroked his beard, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. The boy is even stronger than I anticipated.

Mikaela looked incredulously at Kalendor, then at Leonard. "So, if it had been Evelyn, she would have died! This is dangerous!"

Saito responded, "I was watching; if that were the case, I would have intervened. Of course." But it was a risk worth taking.

Leonard also looked worried. "How strong are these skills?" he thought. Even he didn't know, a current of unease mixing with his excitement.

Saito then said to Leonard, "That time I sliced the clearing and split the mountain vertically? It was this skill I used. But my energy isn't electric like yours. Oh, hoo!"

Kaleb then interjected, "Grandpa, but electricity isn't energy; it's mana. A combination of the air and fire elements."

Saito said, euphorically, "Oh hoo! Exactly! I predict that Leonard will be the first sword-mage in the history of Humbra..."

"What? But that's impossible!" Evelyn exclaimed. "Only if he's a Weise!"

"Oh hoo. Bingo! That's what I think..." Saito said.

"Weise..." Leonard murmured, looking down at his own hands. "What is a Weise...?" Another mystery...

"Come, let's find out. I will be your opponent now," Saito said, getting into a fighting stance, a mischievous glint in his old eyes.