Chapter 10: The Unleashed Power

In the shadowy confines of my self-made sanctuary, I could feel the weight of solitude pressing against my skin. The silence was a stark contrast to the cacophony of thoughts racing in my mind. I had forged guardians with my newfound powers, but the cryptic warning from &Rainstorm about the Newbie Hunter lingered like an ominous cloud. With every paced step, I could feel the potential within me yearning to be unlocked, a restless energy craving for release.

Aria and Zephyr, my ethereal creations, floated ominously, their glowing forms suspended in the gloomy atmosphere. Aria's voice, soft as a whisper, broke the silence, "What is he doing, brother?"

Zephyr, ever the cautious one, responded with a low rumble, "I'm not sure, but we better not disturb him."

But Aria was the embodiment of impatience. Ignoring the advice, she flitted towards me, her form blurring as she poked at my face, her voice tinged with mischief, "Hey, hey, Kaelic, what are you doing? HELLO, can you hear me?"

I opened one eye, irritation seeping into my voice as I replied, "I'm meditating. I'm training myself to learn different fighting styles."

Her laughter rang out, filling the room with an echo that seemed to mock my efforts. She teased, the smirk in her voice as clear as if she were standing before me, "You'll never learn like that if you just float there."

Zephyr, hearing the exchange, couldn't help but join in, "Yeah, you practically know everyone else's capabilities. How about we see yours?"

Their challenge was a call I couldn't ignore. With a resigned sigh, I agreed to their spar, and the room's tension escalated palpably. The air hummed with anticipation, the moment before the clash stretched out like a taut string.

The first exchange was a blur of motion, *Swoosh! Thud!* Their attacks were relentless, and I found myself outmatched, my body hurtling through the air. Aria's kick sent me spiraling, *Whoosh!*, followed by Zephyr's forceful blow, *Crack!*, that drove me back to the ground.

Confusion and frustration whirled within me. "Dammit, I can't land a single hit. And yet, I don't feel any of their attacks. Is this the system shielding me?"

Their taunts were a catalyst, igniting a fire within me. "Are you the one that really created us?" Aria's voice was almost playful. "Umm... are you even trying?" Zephyr added, his tone laced with faux concern.

With each failed attempt, the memories of past failures haunted me. The scornful voices of those who doubted me, who saw me as nothing, echoed in my mind. I could feel the walls I had built around my darker emotions crumbling, Nocturna's influence seeping through the cracks.

I let go, and with a silent roar, the room transformed. Shadows danced like living things, and a swarm of crows erupted from the void. The gauntlets and armor materialized on my hands and feet, an inky blackness that seemed alive.

Zephyr's unease was palpable in his voice as he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, "Why are there crows everywhere?"

Aria, her earlier mischief replaced with apprehension, could only stutter, "I... I don't know."

I felt the power surge within me, a dark symphony that demanded to be unleashed. The gauntlets on my hands pulsed with a life of their own, and the air thickened with the power of my rage.

"Do you know what a group of crows is called?" I asked them, my voice no longer my own, but something darker, more foreboding.

The pause was pregnant with dread, their realization dawning as slow and inevitable as nightfall. "A... murder," Zephyr finally replied, his voice a mix of fear and awe.

*Crackling* energy wrapped around me like a storm, the Murder Gauntlets ready to demonstrate their lethal namesake. Aria and Zephyr stood before me, their earlier confidence shattered by the intensity of my aura. The room, once a haven, now felt like a domain where only darkness reigned.

The tension was a tangible thing, a *thrum* in the air that promised a collision of forces beyond their comprehension. They had incited the depths of my power, and now we stood on the precipice of a confrontation that could redefine our very existence.

As Aria and Zephyr braced for my onslaught, I raised my fists, the gauntlets feeling like extensions of my own will. With a thought, I commanded the crows, and they responded with a flurry of motion, each movement an echo of my inner turmoil.

*Flap! Flap!* The sound of wings beating against the still air was the only warning before the crows descended. Aria and Zephyr moved to counter, their forms blurring with the speed of time magic, but this was my realm, my power. I felt a primal satisfaction as my will dominated the space, the crows an expression of my unleashed fury.

The spar had turned into something else, something more primal. It was a test of my limits, a dance with the darkness that had taken root within me. As we moved, the room itself seemed to pulse with the rhythm of our battle, a symphony of sound and shadow that would determine the true extent of the power I had gained.

And in the midst of that chaos, I found a clarity I had never known. This was more than a fight; it was an awakening.