Chapter 30: His own way

Taking a slow, deliberate breath, Kaleb concentrated on the warm connection lingering right beneath his collarbone. He pulled his hand back slightly. Instantly, the hovering ball of water dissolved into a puddle on the floor, some washing over his skin before evaporating entirely into the cool air. The blue glow over his hand faded back, leaving his arms feeling slightly heavy but completely steady.

The sudden drop in energy hit Kaleb like a physical wall. His knees buckled slightly, and he had to catch himself against the side of the padded training wall, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. His arms felt like pure lead, and a dull ache throbbed deep within his chest where it had just been resting.

"Don't fight the fatigue," Neiry said, his gravelly voice calm as he watched Kaleb steady himself. "Your human biology is still adapting to the structural pressure of Infinity. Every time you pull from that current, it's going to drain you until your nervous system fully rewires itself."

Kaleb nodded weakly, pushing his fogged-up glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "Yeah... feels like I just ran a marathon in five seconds. But at least I know that feeling now. I can actually feel how to access that power."

"You're getting exactly what you asked for, Tempest," Neiry warned, walking over to check the feeds. "Now you have to learn how to walk it under pressure. At least unlike Mia we have the luxury of time."

Kaleb grinned, the heavy exhaustion in his muscles instantly taking a backseat to the couch. He dragged himself over to the chair, his fingers laying back turning on the tv. He wanted to relax just for a second to finally catch his bearings, but the urgency in his chest made him have a kind of adrenaline.

"Dude, what are you looking to watch?" Neiry asked, stepping up behind his shoulder.

"Honestly probably the news to see if we're on there or anything else to be honest," Kaleb muttered, his eyes scanning the news as the news anchor talked blocks of text. "Thanks to the hero Team titled "The team" the containment team over at iron veil secured Carf, they should be back at their main sector grid by now. But for some reason their local drone activity isn't slowing down. In fact, they just doubled their sweeps around the foundry coordinates."

A sharp, double electronic chime echoed from the primary computer as Kaleb and Neiry looked at the news. A diagnostic script cracked a heavily encrypted data coming from an Iron Veil command ship.

Kaleb's jaw tightened as they turned to translate the text compiled on the glass display.

"All sector units, be advised," the corporate directive read. "Deep sensors have finalized the environmental telemetry from the Sector 4 foundry incident. Data logs indicate massive, unnatural water displacement patterns prior to target neutralization. Residual energy signatures confirm the presence of an unidentified secondary combatant utilizing high-tier water manipulation. Initiate area lockdown. Locate and secure the secondary asset immediately."

The silence in the underground base became suffocatingly heavy. Kaleb stared at the flashing red alert on his screen, the reflection of the corporate warning dancing across his glasses.

Iron Veil wasn't stupid. They knew Carf didn't overload on his own, and they knew exactly what kind of power had brought him down. They didn't have his name or his face yet, but they were actively hunting for him.

"They're looking for a water user," Kaleb whispered, his voice catching in his throat as he looked up at Neiry. "They know I'm out there."

Neiry's eyes narrowed as he looked at the screen, his face hardening into a light, but serious expression. He reached down, placing a firm hand on the back of Kaleb.

Kaleb looked up, blinking. "But they're actively deploying security, Neiry. They know a water user exists."

"They know a signature exists," Neiry corrected, his expression calm and steady. "They don't have a name, a face, or a location. They're blind. It's just a matter of when I think you're truly ready to go out on the field with us as Tempest. We control the narrative, not them." "It's okay I won't let them figure out it's you, I mean after all you're on my team."

Kaleb swallowed the lump of anxiety in his throat, Neiry's reassurance grounding the sudden rush of adrenaline in his chest. A faint, residual spark of determination flashed across his eyes. He nodded once, locking his fingers over the keyboard and immediately starting to code a rolling encryption loop to completely mask the base's signature from the corporate grid. He was done being a spectator, and for the first time, he knew he had the time to prepare.

Even though the computer's screen stabilized and a clean status bar indicated that their signature was completely hidden from Iron Veil's deep sweeps, Kaleb didn't feel comfortable enough.

He stared at his palms, flexing his fingers. The raw, heavy memory of the water current was still vibrating faintly beneath his skin, and the thought of just going on about his day felt impossible. He didn't want to wait until tomorrow. The reality that Iron Veil was actively hunting a "combatant" made every second spent sitting still feel like a liability.

"Neiry," Kaleb said, turning sharply in his chair. "Let's keep going. Let's do a real match. Right now."

Neiry, who had been turning to head toward the exit, paused. He looked back at Kaleb, his eyes assessing the tight, stubborn line of his friend's jaw. "Your body was drained earlier, Kaleb. Pushing yourself without stamina is how you permanently damage your system."

"I'm not tired, I'm just getting used to this," Kaleb insisted, standing up so fast he moved the couch back in. He stepped into the hallway then onto the concrete training mat, raising his fists into the loose, amateur guard he'd been practicing. "You said it yourself—they're looking for me and it's up to you if I'm gonna be able to help you guys out. If any crime or villain gets active before I even know how to fight under real pressure, then I'm done and stuck at home. Just one instructional match. Show me how a real engagement feels."

Neiry stared at him for a long, silent moment. Then, with a slow exhale, he unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt, rolling them up past his forearms. He stepped onto the opposite side of the mat, his posture shifting instantly into something fluid, predatory, and perfectly balanced.

"An instructional match means I don't hold back and I'll teach you the entire time," Neiry warned, his voice dropping into a low, serious register. "Keep your feet planted. If you lose your center, you lose any balance."

Neiry moved without warning. He didn't use his mana, but his physical speed was overwhelming even with how much he was holding back. In a flash, he closed the distance, throwing a crisp, straight jab toward Kaleb's face. Kaleb panicked, throwing his hands up blindly to block. He managed to catch the brunt of the strike on his forearms, but the sheer force rattled through his teeth, sending him stumbling backward three steps.

"Too rigid," Neiry chided, advancing calmly. "You're trying to block a physical force with raw muscle. You should try to deflect."

Kaleb gritted his teeth, his eyes wide behind his glasses as he tried to call on the water. He thrust his palm forward, trying to project a wave to push Neiry back, but the energy wouldn't leave his skin. It just pooled uselessly in his chest, heavy and stubborn. Neiry easily slipped inside the telegraphed motion, sweeping Kaleb's front leg out from under him. Kaleb hit the concrete floor with a heavy thud, gasping for air.

"Again," Neiry commanded, standing over him. "You're trying to throw the power like it's a weapon outside of you. It's a part of your body now."

"It's kind of hard to think about what's in my body when you're knocking the wind out of me," Kaleb groaned, pushing himself up on shaking elbows.

"Then stop trying to fight like Neiry."

The bright, confident voice cut through the hum of the base's hallways. Both of them looked over to see Mia leaning against the metallic doorframe of the living center. She looked completely recovered, a warm, healthy luminescence lightly tracing the edges of her jacket. She walked over to the edge of the mat, a supportive, knowing smile on her face.

"You're awake," Neiry noted, his posture relaxing only a fraction.

"Hard to sleep with all the thudding out here," Mia said, winking at Neiry as he dragged himself back to his feet. She crossed her arms, looking at Kaleb's frustrated expression. "Look, Kaleb, you're trying to copy Neiry's style. He's all about more heavy, grounded deflections and counters. But you aren't him. You're your own person—you think in terms of close-range coordination and speed. You need to try doing this your own way."

Kaleb blinked, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. "My own way?"

"Yeah," Mia encouraged, stepping closer. "Stop trying to blast the water across the room like a projectile. You don't have the stamina for big area-of-effect moves yet. Bring the current closer. Keep it tight to your own body. Use it to supplement what you're already doing."

Mia's words clicked instantly in Kaleb's brain, unlocking a completely different tactical pathway. He looked down at his fists. He didn't need to flood the room; he just needed to protect his own space. He thought about how he handled a complex video game—shielding the core, reinforcing himself.

"Alright," Kaleb muttered, taking a deep, controlled breath. He didn't focus on the air around him this time. Instead, he drew the deep, ocean-blue current straight down his arms, channeling the fluid pressure directly into his hands.

Shhhhh.

With a soft, pressurized hiss, the ambient moisture violently condensed right over his knuckles and forearm. Deep blue, glowing liquid rapidly spiraled around his hands, locking into place like heavy, rippling gauntlets. The water wasn't loose or dripping; it was densely compressed, spinning at a high velocity around his fists and forearms, forming a fluid set of armor that hummed with kinetic energy.

Kaleb raised his fists, the brilliant blue glow reflecting sharply off his glasses. He felt the weight of the water, but it didn't feel so heavy anymore—it felt like an extension of his strike. With these fluid gauntlets, he could block physical impacts with the shifting density of the water, and every punch he threw would carry the pressurized force of a tidal wave.

A genuine, excited grin broke across Kaleb's face as he bounced lightly on his feet, looking up at Neiry. "Like this?"

Neiry looked at the pressurized water wrapping Kaleb's fists, a rare, genuine flash of approval crossing his dark eyes. He raised his hands back into his guard, a slight, lethal challenge returning to his voice.

"Better," Neiry said, stepping forward. "Let's see if it holds."

Neiry didn't waste another second. He closed the distance instantly, testing the boundaries of Kaleb's newly formed defenses. He threw a heavy, straight punch directly toward Kaleb's chest.

Instead of panicking and flinching backward like before, Kaleb stood his ground. He drove his right fist forward to meet the strike head-on.

SPLASH!

The moment Neiry's knuckles collided with Kaleb's fist, the high-velocity, spinning water gauntlet absorbed the massive physical impact. The compressed fluid shifted its density instantly, dispersing the kinetic force outward in a sharp, pressurized spray of mist. The shockwave didn't rattle through Kaleb this time; the water had completely grounded it.

Before Neiry could pull his hand back, Kaleb tried pulling him in with it through his left wrist, the ocean-blue current swirling around his fingers as he drove a sharp, fluid-heavy counter-jab straight toward Neiry's shoulder.

Neiry caught the punch in the palm of his hand, but the sheer, concentrated hydraulic weight behind the strike forced the seasoned hero to take a solid step back across the concrete mat to keep his balance. A faint trail of blue vapor hissed off Neiry's palm from the friction.

Mia let out a loud, triumphant cheer from the sidelines, clapping her hands together. "Yes! Exactly like that! See? You don't need to flood the building when you can just hold down your guard!"

Kaleb dropped back into his stance, breathing heavily but wearing a massive, confident grin. The water gauntlets continued to hum and spin around his forearms, perfectly synchronized with his breathing. For the first time since waking up, the raw power didn't feel like a dangerous, unmanaged flood inside his chest—it felt entirely contained, a structure translated into physical, fluid fists.

Neiry looked down at his palm, then back up at Kaleb. A genuine, profound expression of respect crossed his features as he lowered his guard completely, rolling his shoulders out.

"You adapted your powers to match your own coordination," Neiry stated, his gravelly voice filled with a rare pride. "You didn't try to force a displacement wave. You kept your guard tight. That's a true tactical defense, Tempest."

"What can I say I learned from the best," Kaleb said, letting out a long, controlled breath. He relaxed his mind, and with a soft hiss, the pressurized gauntlets dissolved seamlessly back into a fine mist, leaving his skin completely dry and the floor beneath him untouched. The ocean-blue glow faded from his hands, leaving him exhausted, but completely grounded. "But man... I am definitely going to sleep real good after this."

"Go," Neiry said, a faint, supportive nod following. "You earned the rest. Both of you."

Mia walked over, looping an arm around Kaleb's shifting, sore shoulders to help him walk off the mat. "Come on, Neiry you too. Let's get some food together before you guys crash completely. Tomorrow, we start working on how you can use those water fists to actually throw me into a launch."

Kaleb laughed, leaning into the support as they walked toward the living quarters. As the heavy steel doors began to glide shut behind them, Kaleb took one last look back at the dark, silent doors. He wasn't just the guy sitting in the dark watching the monitors anymore. He had what he always dreamed about he had powers and he was finally ready to stand on the front lines.