Chapter 56: Whispers Beneath the Moonlight
The forest lay cloaked in darkness, the canopy above swaying gently as silver shafts of moonlight spilled through the gaps. Mist curled around the base of the towering trees, wreathed in the chill of midnight. Amidst a clearing veiled by thickets and ancient stones, Lei Feng moved like a specter—fluid, relentless, precise.
His blade gleamed with dark lightning, trailing arcs of crackling energy through the air as he danced with shadows. Each step, each slash, resonated with growing power. The whisper of wind answered his footwork. The pulse of earth acknowledged his presence. There was a new rhythm to his form, a seamless blending of his twin affinities.
> Shadowstorm Slash!
His blade blurred, carving an afterimage across the clearing. The strike tore through a solid boulder in the distance—leaving behind a jagged, smoldering rift that hissed with residual dark lightning.
He exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing as the mastery percentage flickered in his mind.
> Mastery: 13%.
Still not enough. Again.
He thrust forward, shifting seamlessly into Shadowstorm Steps. His figure blinked in and out of sight, vanishing into a veil of smoke before emerging meters away. Shadows coiled beneath his feet as if guiding him, while the storm within followed.
The feedback loop of strain and success surged through him—and yet he felt alive. More than he ever had.
A sudden gust of wind rustled the foliage nearby.
Lei Feng's gaze snapped up.
A warm ember drifted past his face. Then another.
"Finally," he muttered, sheathing his sword.
From the shadows at the edge of the clearing, five radiant lights emerged—each flickering with distinct elemental hues.
The Elemental Vanguard had returned.
Ignis, Glacia, Aquari, Aeolus, and Granite—all five floated toward him in their combat forms, their energies now sharper, more refined.
Glacia was the first to speak, arms folded with her usual frosty elegance. "You must have been working hard. Obsessed with mastery, I see."
Ignis scoffed, flames flickering around his hands as he flared brighter. "He's not obsessed. He's just disciplined. If he could, he'd spar with thunder itself."
Aquari laughed softly, her translucent body rippling like calm waves. "And thunder would probably lose~"
Aeolus hovered silently above the ground, arms crossed, silver eyes scanning the surroundings. Only the occasional smirk hinted at the smugness beneath his airy composure.
Granite, the stoic sentinel, stomped once—more out of acknowledgment than commentary.
Lei Feng smiled, a mixture of pride and relief washing over him. "You're all back. Good… and stronger too."
He stepped forward, summoning their status screens one after the other. As each one appeared, he felt a swell of satisfaction.
---
[Status Panel]
Name: Ignis
Level: 3
Talent Rank: Supreme (Platinum)
Type: Flame Avatar
Elemental Affinity: Fire
[Attributes]
• Strength: 54
• Agility: 54
• Endurance: 54
• Intelligence: 34
• Perception: 34
Total Stat Points: 230
Ignis flicked his hair back, flames crackling. "Told you the air freak wasn't that impressive". I could handle a few monsters on my own, he said his voice beaming with pride.
---
[Status Panel]
Name: Glacia
Level: 3
Talent Rank: Supreme (Platinum)
Type: Frost Fairy
Elemental Affinity: Ice
[Attributes]
• Strength: 54
• Agility: 54
• Endurance: 54
• Intelligence: 34
• Perception: 34
Total Stat Points: 230
"Efficiency is elegance," Glacia said simply, her gaze cold and calm.
---
[Status Panel]
Name: Aquari
Level: 3
Talent Rank: Supreme (Platinum)
Type: Tranquil Spirit
Elemental Affinity: Water
[Attributes]
• Strength: 54
• Agility: 54
• Endurance: 34
• Intelligence: 54
• Perception: 34
Total Stat Points: 230
Aquari swirled gently in the air, voice melodic. "I tried not to cause a mess… but some puddles may have gotten aggressive."
---
[Status Panel]
Name: Granite
Level: 3
Talent Rank: Supreme (Platinum)
Type: Golem
Elemental Affinity: Earth
[Attributes]
• Strength: 84
• Agility: 34
• Endurance: 84
• Intelligence: 14
• Perception: 14
Total Stat Points: 230
Granite gave a low grunt, nodding once. That was all the communication required from the towering stone guardian.
---
But then Lei Feng's eyes landed on the last screen—and paused.
---
[Status Panel]
Name: Aeolus
Level: 3
Talent Rank: Supreme (Platinum)
Type: ???
Elemental Affinity: Air
[Attributes]
• Strength: 35
• Agility: 65
• Endurance: 55
• Intelligence: 65
• Perception: 55
Total Stat Points: 275
---
Lei Feng blinked. "Two level-ups… but a five-point increase in all stats? The others only have four!" He cried inwardly.
Aeolus raised an eyebrow. "Surprised?"
"At this rate, you'll surpass me in no time."
"Maybe. But boss... strength isn't just about stats," Aeolus replied, a faint breeze curling around his feet. "It's about control. Precision."
A pulse of power flared briefly around him, enough to make the air vibrate.
Lei Feng's smile returned, more competitive now. "Then I guess I'll have to keep pushing forward."
"You'd better," Glacia chimed in. "We're not going to follow someone who falls behind."
Lei Feng laughed, ruffling her hair, earning a cold glare. "You're all doing amazing. You've earned a rest."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the five spirits began to glow softly, their combat forms dissolving like mist in moonlight. One by one, they reverted into their chibi mascot forms—round, miniature versions of themselves with oversized heads and sparkly eyes.
Glacia sat primly on a rock, closing her tiny eyes. Granite plopped beside Lei Feng like a loyal dog. Ignis floated above his head, occasionally flaring with warmth. Aquari curled like a puddle by his boots, while Aeolus hovered lazily overhead like a drifting cloud.
Lei Feng stretched and leaned against a smooth tree trunk, letting his body relax for the first time in hours. He looked up through the tree canopy, letting the stars wash over his tired mind.
With a soft exhale, he whispered, "I've come so far..."
The Elemental Vanguard nestled close around him, their soft breaths synchronizing with his own.
Dark lightning gently flickered around his body, casting quiet shadows across the clearing. The forest was still once more.
As sleep embraced him, the last thing he felt was warmth—like being protected by five miniature guardians.
And in the distance, unseen, the wind carried a whisper.
> The next trial draws near.
---
In the shadowed tranquility of the Ling Family Manor, silence reigned in the secluded east wing. One of its many meditation chambers—usually reserved for the most elite talents—now held a single occupant.
A young girl sat cross-legged atop a faintly glowing mat. Runes etched in silver spiraled across its surface, pulsing rhythmically with mana. This was no ordinary artifact—it was an Arcane Mat, a rare Silver-rank treasure known to amplify meditation flow and spiritual connection.
Expensive. Elusive. Coveted.
Only aristocratic families like the Lings could afford such a marvel, and even then, only the most promising of their bloodline were granted access to it.
Ling Mei was one such promise.
Her long raven-black hair spilled across her back like silk ink, strands fluttering despite the stillness of the room. She wore ceremonial white robes, stitched with silver-threaded windswept patterns that shimmered faintly under the dim light of the crystal lanterns. Her skin glowed with a soft, ethereal sheen. Though her eyes were closed, her aura was fierce—unyielding and resolute.
She had locked herself in this room for nearly a full day, refusing all who came to her door.
The reason?
A single word: defiance.
She had refused the arranged union with the Masaru heir, spurning the alliance between clans. And for that—anger. Disappointment. Even pleading.
Lady Qingyao, her mother, had threatened to force the door open, her voice sharp and laced with fury. Even Eira Solstice, the self-proclaimed sister Ling Mei shares her deepest dreams with, had come—only to be turned away by unyielding silence.
But through it all, Ling Mei remained unmoved.
Her father, Ling Zhejiang, alone had understood. He had calmed his wife with a few quiet words:
> "Let give her some time. She must make her decisions in silence."
And so she sat.
Motionless. Detached. Unwavering.
Before her floated a book—its cover bound in aged leather etched with spiraling symbols that seemed to shift like wind currents. The Book of Aeromancy, passed down from a forgotten age. It pulsed with the same mysterious aura that enveloped her, tugging at her spirit, whispering forgotten truths.
As mana seeped into her core, time lost meaning. Her breath was deep. Rhythmic. Centered.
Then it came.
A voice—ancient and vast—echoed in her mind. It wasn't a whisper. It was the roar of the sky itself.
> "Hearken, Child of the Gale."
"Oath-bound to the Skies."
"Let your soul break the fetters of earth."
"Bear the breath of storms and skyfire."
"In the name of Aeon Zephyr, Keeper of the Tempest…"
"Accept the Legacy of Aeromancy."
A violent rush of wind tore through her mind. Her body remained in the chamber, unmoved—but her spirit was pulled away.
---
Ling Mei found herself drifting—weightless—through a sky veiled in shifting dark clouds. Beneath her, the world reeled in chaos.
Thousands of cyclones writhed across the land like serpents of wind and fury. Storms howled as lightning slashed the heavens. Mountains crumbled. Oceans surged into cities.
It was not simply weather—it was wrath.
The air was electric with despair.
Her heart trembled as she hovered helplessly in the storm-ravaged sky. The clouds wept rain that shimmered like glass. The winds screamed with pain.
Her fists clenched unconsciously.
"What… is this?" she whispered, her voice shaking. "Where am I?"
Suddenly, a soft wind brushed her ear. A feminine voice answered, delicate and haunting.
> "This is your truth… and your trial."
Ling Mei turned around.
And gasped.
Before her stood a breathtaking beautiful woman clad in flowing robes of silver and azure, her figure elegant yet radiant, wreathed in gentle winds.
But what stole her breath wasn't the power the figure exuded—it was the face.
It was hers.
A slightly older version, regal and calm, eyes shining like emerald stars.
"You… You're me?" Ling Mei's voice cracked.
The apparition gave a soft smile. "I am what you may yet become. The future that sleeps within your blood… the spirit that answers your defiance."
Tears welled in Ling Mei's eyes, mixing with the wind around her. "Why show me this destruction?"
"To understand the gift, you must first witness the burden. Aeromancy is not just wind, storm or power—it is freedom, and responsibility. The sky grants no loyalty to those who fear it."
The storms around them intensified, the thunder a drumbeat in the sky. And yet, within it, Ling Mei felt something deeper—a rhythm. A language. A call.
The specter extended a hand.
> "Accept the Sky not as your weapon… but as your companion."
"Breathe the Tempest, not to control it—but to become one with it."
"Let your heart ride the storm, and the storm shall obey."
As Ling Mei reached for the outstretched hand, a cyclone of energy enveloped her.
The sky howled.
The vision shattered.
---
Back in the chamber, her eyes snapped open—glowing emerald and rimmed with silver halos of wind. The book before her trembled, then opened on its own, pages fluttering wildly as arcane glyphs blazed into the air.
Ling Mei rose to her feet, wind coiling around her like a living thing.
No longer the girl from yesterday.
She had seen the end. Felt the burden.
And accepted the legacy.