The Transmigrated Author

Chapter 168: Prodigies Awaken

[Geneva, Switzerland - International Heroes Association Headquarters - 1st Floor: Training Room]

"But you're... you're a monster!"

As Valencia tightened her grip with both hands, her strength and speed increased 2 fold.

The elemental attribute of lightning is an exceptionally rare gift, bestowed upon those who have lost something precious to their hearts.

It awakens only when the soul desperately seeks a power to protect, to avenge...

Alessandro couldn't comprehend how she could awaken her attribute before him. His hands trembled, and a primal instinct screamed, 'If that lightning hit me... I'd be dead.'

Valencia had no thought for technique, no strategy.

Her mind was aflame, consumed by a blinding need to inflict pain far greater than she had suffered.

Valencia soared towards the ceiling, and her sword began to envelop the weapon with the elemental attribute of lightning.

Alessandro stared, speechless. One pathetic word choked in his throat.

"How...?"

The light was blinding, searing, and he had to shield his eyes.

But there was something else...

This feeling... this emotion was so unfamiliar to him.

It's so utterly disgusting... He didn't know what it was or what he was truly feeling.

He didn't know what it was, only that it needed to be crushed.

Was it that he was going to lose in this moment?

Was it his fear of death?

No.

It was his fear of being a disappointment.

He couldn't afford the thought of losing to someone lesser than him.

"Disgusting..." he spat, his face a mask of fury.

Then she was falling, lightning blazing, ready to strike.

Seconds turned into an eternity.

Something hot and strange was building inside him, a wild flow of power.

His mana was twisting, swirling straight towards his heart and...

SHAAAA!

A flash of green light, an energy he didn't recognize, bursting outward.

CLASH!!!!

He thought she'd landed the killing blow, but then... a shield, a barrier of pure energy, deflected her strike.

Valencia hung suspended in the air, locked in a desperate struggle against Alessandro's energy shield.

CRACKLE...CRACKLE...

Lightning crackled and coiled around her as she tried to break through.

A smirk twisted Alessandro's lips.

"This wouldn't last long." He thought.

tch!...

Then, her fury sparked.

Lightning shot from her eyes, then an absurd overflow of mana mirrored the power coursing through the blade.

crack...

A feeling of warmth crossed Gerrard's face.

"Ah yes, Mr. Florentina! I forgot he's still adventuring within the Towers after two years!"

"A great man, indeed," Florian agreed.

Gerrard held up a hand, a playful look in his eye stopping and correcting Florian.

"A great 'hero'," he corrected. "Come on now...that's his official title."

Florian smiled. "Of course. Everyone calls him that nowadays."

"Well, they're not wrong," admitted Gerrard, a hint of fondness in his words.

Florian took a sip of his coffee. "Indeed. It was quite the feat - that Garrick in his prime defeated the entirety of Quadra..."

Gerrard gave a knowing nod.

"The world's most infamous threats, each wielding a terrifying element..."

"...Primordial elements," he finished, a touch of awe in his voice.

Florian's curiosity spiked. "Primordial?"

"The purest elements," Gerrard explained. "They can command any variation of their element at will."

BAAAANG!

"...!"

"...?"

Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed through the hall.

The tranquillity was shattered, the sound a stark contrast to their recent conversation.

Florian and Gerrard rushed to their feet, leaving their cups crashing to the floor, forgotten.

Then an icy dread filled them as they rushed towards the direction of the noise -- towards where Valencia and Alessandro had disappeared off to.

***

Gerrard and Florian burst through the training room, battle-ready, feeling the concern of their children.

"What's going on here?!"

Gerrard thundered, his eyes landing on Valencia unconscious on the floor.

The training room was a scene of utter devastation.

Scorch marks dirtied the floor, the walls a canvas for haphazard lightning strikes.

And standing amidst the chaos were their children, their expressions inscrutable.

Florian's rage zeroed in on his son. "Alessandro! What did you do to her?"

Alessandro, still reeling from the fight, stumbled.

"W-we were playing," he stammered, "playing swords. But Valencia, she... she fainted, and well, she kinda lost control..."

Florian marched towards his son and laid a hand on his shoulder.

The touch was deceptively gentle, but something in Florian's eyes made Alessandro tremble.

Ignoring his son's words, Florian turned his gaze towards the three rooms behind Alessandro.

His eyes traced a deep, ragged scar that cut through the walls like a lightning bolt.

"Did she do that?" Florian's voice was quiet, yet it held an undeniable menace.

Alessandro flushed scarlet and looked away from his father. "Yes," he muttered.

Florian pivoted, a calculating glint in his eyes, as he gazed at the unconscious Valencia now cradled in her father's arms.

___________

No Authors Notes Today...