Chapter 32: Power of Krutone

The air in the military training room buzzed faintly with energy, a low hum pulsing from the Intergy panels embedded in the walls and floor. Towering glass monitors displayed battle analytics and terrain simulations, while crates of weapons and tactical gear lined the far edges of the space. In the center stood Sen, Dain, Yerah, Makota, Shera, Zarnem, Esako, and Jaze.

Sen: So, what’s this all about?

Zarnem: They wanted to… umm… test your strength.

Esako (stretching): A light spar! Just wanna see what Clyden’s got.

Sen: Oh…

Jaze: What he means is he’s curious to see if Zarnem has been keeping up his job, teaching others military combat.

Sen: Well… we barely—

Zarnem: A spar. Esako was seeking a spar.

Dain: With?

Esako: With you.

Dain (shocked): Me?

Esako: You’re Dain, right?

Dain: Yeah.

Esako: I heard great things about you. Zarnem praises you for your fire combat.

Dain looked at Zarnem.

Dain: He does?

Esako: Yeah! Just a while ago he was saying you’re one of the best fire users he knows. Even I never got that kind of compliment.

Zarnem: Well, I never looked down on your skills—

Esako: Ah shut it. Zarnem was a mean instructor. Was he like that with you guy?

Dain: Kind of? Not really? We didn’t really—

Zarnem: I did what I could.

Esako gave a weird look to Zarnem.

Esako: Sure. Whatever you say. So, yeah, Dain! How about a little bit of a flame duel? Surely, you’ve done plenty of those.

Dain: Umm. No?

Esako: What!? Has Zarnem taught you nothing?

Dain: Well, we never—

Zarnem: Dain never went to higher schooling. Neither did Sen.

Esako: Oh. Is that how education works in Clyden?

Makota: I went to school.

Shera: Yeah, same.

Yerah: Me too.

Esako: Eh, either way, I’d like to see what you’re made of. Just a friendly spar.

Dain looked at Esako awkwardly, then look to Zarnem for assurance.

Zarnem: It’ll be fine.

Sen: Why though? Is it a pride thing?

Esako: I’m just curious.

Jaze: It’s a pride thing.

Esako: Shut it, lieutenant.

Jaze rolls his eyes.

Sen: Will it be safe?

Esako: Safe enough.

Sen: What does that mean?

Dain: I’ll do it.

Sen: Dain, are you sure?

Dain: Yeah. It’s friendly right?

Esako: Of course it is.

Sen looked at Dain with concern. Dain nodded back.

Dain: Let’s do it.

Esako grinned and removed his gloves.

Esako: This will be fun.

Moments later, the group stepped aside, putting a wide distance between themselves and the center of the training room. The floor beneath them shimmered faintly with embedded Intergy lines, marking the combat zone. Makota, Shera, Yerah, Sen, Jaze, and Zarnem gathered off to the far edge, their footsteps echoing softly as they settled near one of the reinforced observation panels. No one spoke at first. Even the air felt different—charged, tense, expectant. Every pair of eyes locked on the sparring floor, knowing that while this was only a friendly duel, fire users rarely held back when pride was on the line.

Dain: So, what are the rules?

Esako: First person knocked down loses. Simple as that.

Dain: So, it’s not like training?

Esako: It’s sparring.

Dain looked nervous.

Esako (grinning): Go easy on me!

Without warning, Esako burst toward Dain, a sonic boom trailing behind him as the air cracked open with a roar. Flames erupted in his wake, heatwaves bending the light around him, leaving a distorted trail of fire that scorched the training floor. His speed was unreal—like a rocket breaking off the earth. The sheer force of his launch sent wind and debris in every direction. Sen, Yerah, Makota, and Shera instinctively shielded their faces with their arms, caught off guard by the sudden impact. Zarnem and Jaze remained still, unfazed, their expressions calm—accustomed to the kind of power that rattled walls. At the center of it all, Dain stood firm. He raised his arms just in time, catching Esako’s punch with a clean block, halting his momentum in an instant. The ground cracked beneath Dain’s heels, but he didn’t budge. Esako grinned as fire erupted violently from his still-connected fist, trying to push Dain back with raw flame, launching Dain back.

Zarnem: Starting off strong.

Jaze: Huh? This is light work.

Esako’s flames flared again as he landed, kicking off the floor with enough force to crack the Intergy panels beneath him. Twin arcs of fire blazed from his fists as he surged toward Dain in a spiraling motion, trailing a helix of flame that cut across the training room. Dain watched with focused eyes, his hands lowering, not to surrender, but to guide. Dain twisted his wrist, and in a single smooth motion, the flames trailing behind Esako began to pull inward. The spiraling inferno compressed midair, folding tightly around itself like it was being drawn into a vacuum. Esako gritted his teeth as his own fire warped around him—constrained—losing its wild edge.

Esako: Taming it, huh?

Dain didn’t respond. He stepped forward, fire blooming softly from his palms, not explosive, but elegant. He clapped his hands once, and a small ball of flame hovered between them before shooting forward like a bullet. Esako ducked, but three more followed—each one shaped differently: one long and sharp like a javelin, one wide and disc-like, and one like a net. Esako dove into a roll, springing up with fire spiraling around his arms like twin blades. He slashed through the net with a high arc, incinerating it, then leapt into the air and hurled both flame-blades downward. Dain caught them, literally, his hands flashing with heat. The blades sputtered and flickered, pulled inward by his control, shaped into twin tendrils that wrapped up his arms without burning him. Then he launched upward, spiraling through the air as the tendrils exploded outward, crashing toward Esako like fiery whips. Esako barely blocked with a shield of compressed heat, but the pressure of the attack drove him backward. He grinned as he skidded.

Esako: You’re better than I thought.

Dain’s eyes glowed faintly, and then he raised both arms to the sky, spinning quickly in place. A spiral of fire began to rise around him, tightening like a cyclone. The heat intensified in the room, forcing even Shera and Makota near the wall to take a step back. The fire climbed higher, forming a full-blown tornado of swirling flame.

Yerah: Whoa…

Jaze: Well, that’s new.

Zarnem (quietly): No… he’s done it once before.

Esako’s grin finally faltered. He became serious.

Esako: Heh… cute.

The tornado barreled toward him, wild and roaring—but Esako lowered his stance, placed one foot behind him, and summoned a concentrated beam of flame launched from his palm—thin, hot, and deadly. It cut straight through the tornado like a spear piercing the sky. The spiral collapsed, the flames blown outward in every direction. A gust of smoke and heat swept the room. Dain shielded his eyes as his own fire fell apart. Then, Dain’s skin lit red. Esako’s eyes widened.

Esako: You can do that too, huh?

But Dain looked at his own hands, saw the way they trembled—not with fear, but restraint. He lowered them, exhaling hard, the red glow fading.

Sen (softly): He stopped himself…

Dain surged forward with normal fire, fists cloaked in heat. He clashed with Esako in a flurry of hand-to-hand strikes. Fire laced every punch. Esako blocked and countered, his feet gliding with practiced motion, but Dain matched him step for step.

Then— bam— a clean punch landed across Esako’s face, snapping his head sideways. His feet nearly left the floor.

Makota (shocked): Dain got him!

Esako stumbled, but just before falling, he slammed his palm against the ground. A burst of flame launched upward from his hand like a geyser, balancing him mid-fall. He hovered in the air for half a second, then flipped back onto his feet. However, Dain didn’t stop. His breath quickened, his fists tightened, and then a straight beam of fire surged from his palm, a tightly packed lance of heat that cut through the air like a laser. It was precise, condensed, and burning hot. The sheer force of it hissed as it carved a path across the training floor, but Esako didn’t flinch. With both arms rising, he summoned a towering wall of flame that rose like a wave. It crashed against Dain’s beam, the impact booming through the chamber. The energy collided, forcing both combatants to brace as the clash pushed them backward. The fire howled before bursting apart into steam and cinders that rained down between them. Then Esako exhaled and his skin began to turn red. A glow radiated from his core outward, spreading across his arms and neck like molten metal under skin.

Jaze (concerned): Wait… no way… Is he really going to use that?

Esako moved. No charge. No windup. In a blur of blinding speed, Esako fired himself forward like a human projectile, flame trailing behind him in a spiraling tail. The floor beneath him cracked with the force of his launch, a molten streak of lava carved in his wake. Dain didn’t react in time. The speed was inhuman.

Zarnem took half a step forward, his hand twitching. He was ready to intervene— ready to stop it if he had to. But, Esako stopped. His fist halted less than an inch from Dain’s face. The heat radiated like a furnace. Dain’s hair shifted from the sheer force of it. His body had locked in place, braced for an impact that never came. His eyes were wide. Esako’s red skin slowly cooled, the glow fading like a sunset in reverse. His breathing slowed. Then, he opened his fist, extending his hand.

Esako: Good fight. You really are as good as Zarnem says!

Dain didn’t move at first. The adrenaline hadn’t left him. He stood frozen, unsure if it was a trick or if this was genuine. Slowly, cautiously, he reached out… and took the handshake. Esako’s grin returned, this time without cockiness. Just respect. From the sideline, Jaze exhaled, finally blinking again.

Jaze: And that… is Esako holding back.

Zarnem stayed silent, shocked at the power and restraint Esako possessed.  Yerah, Makota, and Shera exchanged glances. The tension in the room had cracked—but something else lingered beneath the surface now. This wasn’t just sparring. It was a preview of what kind of power Krutone has.

Dain walked back to the group, his steps slower now, every inch of him humming with residual heat and adrenaline. He wiped a thin line of sweat from his brow and let out a shaky breath. The others watched in silence, then Sen stepped forward to meet him.

Sen: You good?

Dain nodded, eyes still distant from the intensity of what just happened.

Dain: Yeah. I’m good.

Sen: You were holding your own. Never even hit the floor.

Dain gave a small smirk, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Dain: Maybe. But… he was on a different level. If he wanted to, I wouldn’t still be standing.

Sen: That bad?

Dain shrugs.

They both looked back to the center of the room where the smoke was still thinning, the training floor marked with scorched streaks and warped Intergy panels. Makota and Shera were still murmuring between themselves.

Zarnem turned slightly to Jaze.

Zarnem: Since when did Esako get that powerful? And what was that last thing he did?

Jaze: It's been a while. He doesn’t spar with fire users much anymore.

Zarnem: Who then?

Jaze: Water users. Some of Krutone’s best. He trains with people who are literally his worst matchups, people who can shut down everything he does… and the crazy part is he can keep up with them.

Zarnem’s eyebrows raised, but he masked it with a slow, thoughtful nod. Impressive. Just then, Esako returned to the group and stood by Jaze, his gloves slung over his shoulder, the last of the heat from his skin now faded.

Esako: That Dain guy is better than the majority of Krutone’s fire users. Not bad… especially for a guy from Clyden. Controlling fire instead of just letting it loose. Not my philosophy of fire, but he’s good at it.

Then he turned to Zarnem with a cocky grin.

Esako: You know, next time we should spar. It’s been a while. I wanna kick your ass like you used to do with me.

Zarnem didn’t flinch.

Esako: What? You scared now? Or just getting soft?

He clapped his hands once.

Esako: And Jaze! I said there’d be a double match. So how about it? Zarnem versus Jaze. Right here. Right now.

All eyes turned to Zarnem. He looked at his team. Sen, Dain, Yerah, Shera, Makota. No one said anything. The room was still.

Zarnem: …Alright.

Jaze raised an eyebrow.

Jaze: Wait— seriously?

Zarnem gave a small nod.

Zarnem: Let’s see what you’ve become.

Jaze grinned and rolled his shoulders.

Jaze: Didn’t think you’d actually say yes.

The floor hummed again. A new match was about to begin.

Esako: This one's gonna be fun to watch.

Sen glanced sideways.

Sen: Zarnem trained you both long ago right?

Esako nodded.

Esako: Yeah. Jaze isn’t just some prodigy. He’s a mutant… like Zan. Like Penim…

The group collectively turned at the mention of those names

Dain: And Jaze is like them?

Esako (grinning): Just watch.

On the battlefield, Jaze rolled his shoulders once, relaxed as ever. Zarnem stood tall and focused across from him, his stance grounded—one foot already sunk slightly into the Intergy-lined floor.

Jaze raised three fingers.

Jaze: Three… two… one—

The moment the countdown ended, the chamber cracked with the snarl of lightning. Bolts burst from Jaze’s arms, swirling around his body in wild, luminous threads.

Makota: Lightning.

But before anyone could react further, Jaze and Zarnem collided—fast, brutal, elemental. Zarnem’s walls of stone erupted from the ground, jagged and solid, just barely blocking the arcs of thunderous voltage slicing toward him. Dust and sparks filled the room. Shockwaves slammed into the walls. Massive boulders launched from the ground below as Zarnem’s palms raised, but Jaze darted between them, flipping through midair, the lightning on his back propelling his every move. Then, with no warning, Jaze unleashed a series of fireballs. Not sloppy. Not wild. Controlled. Dense spheres of white-hot flame that roared through the air. One of them struck Zarnem’s wall, exploding it into molten debris

Shera: He can use fire at that level too?

Esako (with a chuckle): Oh, we’re just getting started.

Suddenly, the room’s temperature dropped.

Makota: Wait— no way—

Shards of ice exploded into existence midair, forming long, gleaming spears that whistled toward Zarnem. The ground user stumbled backward, raising stone shields, but the sheer precision and force of the attack had the team watching in disbelief.

Yerah (quietly): That… his ice control is sharper than mine.

Jaze slid across the floor, now using thin sheets of ice under his boots to skate through the terrain. He launched himself upward, hurling down another blast of flame, then a follow-up bolt of lightning, then a wave of water surged across the floor, crashing into Zarnem’s defenses. The sand under Zarnem’s feet clumped, soaked by the water. He narrowed his eyes, visibly frustrated as his movements slowed. Zarnem was struggling

Dain: He’s forcing Zarnem back…

Esako (smirking): Heh. There’s a reason why President Kyto trusts Jaze on missions with me.

Zarnem planted both feet into the floor. His body began to shift, skin graying over into thick stone plates, muscles bulging with reinforced density. The floor trembled beneath him as a sandstorm erupted, circling around the arena like a desert cyclone. Dust scraped the walls. Visibility dropped.

Yerah (covering her mouth): That’s Zarnem going serious…

Jaze didn’t flinch. He raised both arms, Intergy pulsing in tight threads around him. He countered the storm not with defense, but with wind. Sharp, slicing air currents surged forward, clashing with the sandstorm in a whirlwind of opposing forces. Sand collided with air. Dust swirled, redirected, warped. Then, Zarnem lunged. Stone-bodied, fists like sledgehammers, Zarnem broke through the storm and charged in head-on. Jaze met him halfway. And instead of dodging, he hardened, mirroring Zarnem. They collided fist to fist. Shockwaves cracked the floor.

Makota (in awe): He’s copying Zarnem’s strength?

Their punches rattled the room, echoing like explosions in a canyon. Zarnem growled, driving forward with raw brute force. Jaze slid back, skidding, then smiled.

Water surged around Zarnem’s feet fast, subtle, controlled. Before he could react, the water froze. Zarnem’s legs locked in place. Then, boom, a violent blast of lightning erupted from Jaze’s palms, slamming into Zarnem’s chest. The force shattered the frozen ground and cracked Zarnem’s stone armor. His body was launched, crashing across the floor, debris scattering in his wake. But Zarnem rose staggered but not done.

Dain (wide-eyed): He cracked Zarnem’s stone form…

Esako: Yup.

Jaze didn’t stop. Still covered in hardened skin, he summoned fire in one hand, dense and blinding. In the other, wind, rushing like a jet engine. He hurled the flames forward, wind feeding the inferno until it spiraled into a storm of fire hurtling toward Zarnem.

Zarnem slammed a palm to the floor. A massive wall of earth burst upward, absorbing the impact in a plume of steam and shattered dirt. But that wall blocked his sight of Jaze. Jaze noticed and dropped into a slide, ice instantly forming beneath his feet. Wind whipped behind him, propelling him at blistering speed. He carved a narrow arc around the edge of the earth wall. A blur of movement and he was there, then an electric fist caught Zarnem clean across the jaw, sparks bursting from impact.

Sen (gasping): He got him good.

Shera: He’s controlling every element around him…

Makota (quietly): And Zarnem’s actually struggling.

Esako (grinning wider): And this isn’t even what he’s really capable of.

Zarnem wasn’t just fighting now. He was furious.

His Intergy exploded from within, the ground around him splitting in jagged lines. He roared, both fists slammed into the floor as a barrage of giant stone spears erupted upward— dozens of them, massive, serrated, sharp. The training floor was no longer the same room.

Zarnem: I’m not done yet!

The spears hovered, suspended for a breathless second then rained down, all targeting Jaze. Jaze nodded, his expression calm.

Jaze (smirking): Here’s a little taste of what I’ve learned to do.

The Intergy around him began to glow not flicker, not pulse. It radiated.

Esako (relaxed): Back up a bit everyone.

Without waiting for argument, he extended. A massive wall of red Intergy surged upward between the fight and the group— a clear, crystalline barrier that shimmered like glass. Through it, they could still see. Behind the barrier, Zarnem had already released the rain of spears that fell like a meteor shower— fast, heavy, impossible to dodge. Jaze didn’t flinch. He raised one hand slowly, steady, calm. Then it happened.

The first spear reached within a few feet of him— and vanished. No explosion. No deflection. Just gone. It disintegrated midair, breaking apart into glimmers of light, fading into nothing. Then the rest of the incoming spears, gone. Stone after stone dissolved before touching him, as if reality itself refused to allow the impact.

Makota (jaw dropping): What is that!?

Esako (softly): That… that is Jaze.

On the other side of the barrier, Zarnem stood panting, chest rising and falling with each breath. His body steamed from overuse, his hardened skin cracked in places, his brow dripping sweat. His eyes met Jaze’s. Jaze didn’t press. He didn’t follow up. He didn’t retaliate. He just lowered his hand.

Jaze (grinning): Looks like we’re done here. Good stuff like always, Captain Zarnem!

Zarnem exhaled. Slowly, the stone plates across his body softened, fading into his normal form. He nodded once, still catching his breath, the faintest smirk tugging at the edge of his lips. Sen, Dain, Yerah, Makota, and Shera stood frozen behind the barrier, watching. Not one of them had words. Just awe. Zarnem and Jaze stepped back into the group, the faint buzz of their battle still lingering in the air like static.

Zarnem (exhaling): You’ve learned to control it better.

Jaze gave a slight grin, wiping sweat from his brow.

Jaze: Sort of. Getting better at it, yeah… but there's still so much to learn.

Dain: What was that?

Sen: That last move you did… how’d you do it?

Before Jaze could answer, Esako leaned in with a smirk, raising a single finger to his lips.

Esako: (teasing) Shhh. Let the boy keep a few secrets.

Jaze chuckled, brushing his fingers through his hair.

Jaze: It’s just my special ability. Still a work in progress, though.

His eyes flicked over to Sen, curious—warm, not invasive.

Jaze: But you… I’ve heard stories. Light and darkness together? I’d love to see that in action someday.

Sen’s smile came slowly— soft, unsure.

Sen (softly): Yeah… maybe someday.

Esako: Well, whatever war battle we’re preparing for, our enemies are going to have a really hard time getting to us. Jaze and I are just two soldiers from Krutone out of the many, and now we get you guys on our side. Whoever thinks they’re taking us down has got to be a special kind of stupid.

Jaze: Not to mention, our military bots.

Esako: Maybe that’s why they haven’t attacked yet. They know they don’t stand a chance.

Sen stayed quiet. He remembered Aku. He was supposed to stay quiet. And he did.