Chapter 191: Ch191: The Price of Power
The afternoon sun hung high in the sky, its warm rays blanketing the training grounds.
While the other young shamans trained beneath the sun, practicing their forms, Daniel sat beneath the shade of a Mystic Tree, with a glass of water before him, legs crossed.
Hours slipped by, yet faint arcs of lightning continued to crackle around his body without showing any sign of fading.
Marco had explained that this condition was common among Lightning-element users.
It occurred whenever they drew more lightning into their bodies than they could properly control.
’The only solution is to regain control over your own power,’ Marco had told him. ’Once you do, the excess lightning will settle on its own.’
*Sigh~*
Daniel let out a weary sigh as he sat apart from the others.
Even though he wanted to get closer to Elira or Cinderela, it simply, practically, wasn’t possible.
Atleast for now.
...
"Hey, what’s wrong with you?" a feminine voice asked, her tone filled with curiosity.
Daniel slowly opened his eyes and turned to his left, only to find Cinderela.
She stood several meters away. Red, scarlet robe clinging to every lethal curve. Full, heavy breasts strained the fabric with each slow breath.
Her body was a perfect diamond of soft width and sharp taper, finished by that thick, square-set ass that pulled every stare.
"I don’t know," he replied with a helpless smile. "My powers are out of my control."
Cinderela rested a finger against her chin, her brows knitting together as she searched for a solution.
"Maybe I can do something."
She reached toward a nearby Mystic Tree, plucked one of its blue leaves, and crushed it in her palm.
With a flick of her fingers, the mashed leaf ignited into a wisp of fragrant smoke. Then gently blew the smoke toward Daniel, hoping it might calm the unstable lightning coursing through his body.
Two minutes passed.
Nothing happened.
A disappointed look crossed Cinderela’s face. Still unwilling to give up, she crushed a few more blue leaves into her palm.
Just as she was about to repeat the process, she noticed the faint arcs of lightning around Daniel had weakened ever so slightly.
🌬️
This time, the smoke was much thicker, swirling around Daniel before enveloping him completely.
*Cough Cough!*
Daniel coughed repeatedly as the pungent smoke filled his lungs, forcing him to wave a hand in front of his face.
"What are you doing, Lady Cinderela?" he asked between coughs, looking at her in confusion.
"Just relax and watch," Cinderela replied, a confident smile spreading across her face.
A few minutes passed as the small sparks of lightning around Daniel gradually began to weaken.
A look of surprise spread across his face as he noticed the sparks becoming fainter with each passing second.
Seeing the change, Cinderela smiled in satisfaction and cautiously stepped closer to him.
Just then, the lightning around Daniel suddenly surged, the arcs growing wild and far more intense as though something had triggered it.
*Zap!*
"Ah!" Cinderela cried out as it struck her arm, forcing her to stagger back while gripping the injured spot.
"Lady Cind—"
Daniel abruptly stood up, but the sudden movement only caused the lightning around him to lash out again, striking another nearby target.
The moment they saw the lightning lash out, Bernard and Zushio rushed toward Daniel. Marco had just returned with drinking water when he noticed the scene and sprinted over, with Elira following close behind.
Daniel watched from a distance as they gathered around Cinderela.
Their expressions were filled with worry as they saw her hand trembling from the electric shock.
Slowly, their gazes shifted toward Daniel, their worried expressions turned toward him, making Daniel lower his gaze.
For the first time, he felt like his own power was something he needed to fear.
"Daniel, keep your distance," Marco said firmly, his tone serious but calm. "I apologize on behalf of my student."
"B-but—"
Before Daniel could finish, Marco raised his hand and pointed toward an empty spot farther away.
"Go and sit there."
...
Hours blurred by, and the sun slowly sank below the horizon, painting the sky with the colors of dusk.
Daniel sat alone in a far corner on a wooden stool, while his comrades gathered around a campfire, skewering pieces of meat they had bought from the marketplace before sunset and roasting them over the flames.
*Grrr...*
’Of course... they’re the only ones eating proper meat,’ Daniel thought, watching them with a hint of envy. ’And I’m stuck with this vegetable soup with only scraps of meat. Hm... at least I still have a biscuit in my pouch.’
A foul odor lingered around his body. He wanted to take a bath, not because he refused to, but because he was restricted from even going near the water well.
Outside the building, on the right side, he noticed a net bed prepared just for him to sleep in for the night.
Soon, the half-moon rose into the sky, and the smoke from the campfire gradually faded away as Daniel stared upward at the endless night sky.
"Sleeping like this... it’s not actually that bad," Daniel murmured. "The sky... the stars... they’re so beautiful."
*Tak-Tak*
The sound of wood tapping against wood caught his attention.
Daniel turned around and shifted his gaze toward the source of the noise.
Bernard stood there, holding a long stick with a piece of cloth tied to the end.
"What do you want, Bernard?" Daniel asked.
"Nothing. I just brought this for you. You must be hungry," Bernard said, his tone casual.
Daniel narrowed his eyes and looked at the stick with a hint of surprise. "Thank you," he said with a genuine smile.
"Don’t thank me. Besides, it’s not for free," Bernard replied. "The skewers are inside, and there’s only few pieces of wood left. Meet me near the campfire."
Daniel looked at him for a moment, slightly confused. Still, he walked over, placed a stool near the flames, and added the wood to the burning charcoal, letting it catch fire.
Meanwhile, Bernard sat opposite him at a short distance, crossing his legs as he leaned back. "I want to ask you a few questions about that guy."