Path of the Unmentioned: The Missing Piece-Chapter 49: Lightning Steps

The dim glow of morning light filtered through the training room’s high windows as Kyle stepped into the private training room.

Today was supposed to be a break.

A day off.

But rest was for people who could afford weakness.

And Kyle? He wasn’t strong enough yet.

He rolled his shoulders, shaking out the stiffness.

Lightning Steps.

The technique had saved his life in the ruins—when that silver-rank monster’s claws had been inches from his throat.

In that moment of pure desperation, his body had moved on instinct, lightning crackling through his veins as he blurred out of danger.

He hadn’t thought. Hadn’t planned.

He had just survived.

Now? Now he couldn’t recreate it no matter how hard he tried.

Kyle exhaled, focusing inward.

Mana hummed beneath his skin, restless and electric. He could feel it—the familiar buzz of lightning affinity, coiled tight in his core.

"Just like before" he muttered.

He bent his knees slightly, muscles tensing like a spring.

Then—

Flash.

Lightning surged down his legs, and for half a second, he moved—faster than a sprint, his body a blur—

Then his foot caught on nothing.

"Oof—!"

He hit the ground hard, skidding face-first across the dirt before slamming into the far wall. Dust plumed around him as he groaned, rolling onto his back.

His ribs throbbed. His knee screamed. His left elbow felt like it had been smashed with a hammer.

He lay there for a second, staring up at the brightening sky, before letting out a frustrated growl.

’Again.’

5th Attempt

Sweat dripped down Kyle’s temple as he wiped his mouth, tasting blood from where he’d bitten his tongue.

This time, he had made it three steps before crashing.

Progress?

Not really.

His boots scuffed the dirt as he pushed himself up, ignoring the dull ache in his side. The training uniform clung to his skin, damp with sweat and dirt.

"Maybe I’m putting too much power into it," he thought, adjusting his stance.

He tried again—this time, a gentler surge of lightning.

The result?

He barely moved an inch before stumbling.

Worse.

20th Attempt

Kyle’s breath came in ragged gasps, his lungs burning.

He had tried everything—

More mana? He face-planted faster.

Less mana? He barely moved at all.

Different footwork? He tripped in new and creative ways.

His knees were scraped raw, his palms stinging from catching himself too many times.

He spat out a mouthful of dirt, glaring at the ground like it had personally offended him.

’Why isn’t this working?’

He had done it once—back when he was weaker, when he barely understood mana control.

So why couldn’t he do it now?

Was his stance wrong? His mana circulation off? His timing too slow?

He clenched his fists, frustration boiling under his skin.

nth Attempt

Kyle’s vision swam as he pushed himself up again, his arms trembling.

His body was a mess of bruises and scrapes.

And still—

Nothing.

No matter how many times he tried, he couldn’t replicate that split-second burst of speed.

He checked his mana band.

8:07 PM.

The sky had darkened, the first stars peeking through the twilight. He had been at this for twelve hours straight.

And he was no closer to figuring it out.

Kyle sat heavily on the ground, his legs refusing to hold him up any longer.

His lightning affinity was at Adept - 100%—just shy of the next rank. He had taken down silver-rank monsters with less. He should be able to do this.

Unless...

Unless he was missing something fundamental.

Something he couldn’t see on his own.

Aurelia had said she would be busy today—buried under paperwork in her office. Normally, he wouldn’t bother her. She had enough on her plate without him adding to it.

But right now?

He needed help.

***

The academy halls were eerily quiet at this hour, the kind of silence that made footsteps sound louder than they should.

Kyle’s boots clicked against the polished marble floor as he made his way toward the faculty wing, each step sending a fresh ache through his tired muscles.

’I feel like I got run over by a carriage.’

He rolled his shoulders, wincing as a sharp twinge shot down his back. Twelve hours of face-planting into dirt had left him sore in places he didn’t even know could be sore.

’Maybe I should have stopped after the tenth fall.’

But no. He had to keep going. Because right now, he was still too weak.

And weakness wasn’t an option.

When he reached Aurelia’s office, a sliver of golden light spilled out from under the slightly ajar door. The faint scratching of a pen against paper told him she was still working.

Kyle hesitated, hand hovering near the door.

’She said she was busy today. Maybe I should just... figure this out on my own.’

But then he remembered the way his face had met the ground for the 100 th time earlier, and he grimaced.

’Yeah, no. I need help.’

He knocked.

"Come in" came Aurelia’s voice, crisp and distracted.

Kyle pushed the door open.

Aurelia sat behind her desk, surrounded by stacks of papers that looked like they would topple over if someone sneezed too hard.

Her black hair was tied back in a messy ponytail, a few loose strands framing her sharp features. She didn’t look up immediately, her pen still moving across some document with the kind of focus that suggested she would stab the next person who interrupted her.

Then her gaze flicked toward him, and her expression shifted from focused to unimpressed in half a second.

"Kyle." Her voice was flat. "What the hell happened to your face?"

Kyle blinked, then reached up to touch his cheek.

Right. The bruises. The dirt. The general ’I lost a fight with the ground’ look he had going on.

"Training" he muttered.

Aurelia set her pen down with the kind of slow, deliberate motion that usually meant she was either about to scold him or throw something at his head.

"For twelve hours?"

"Yes"

She exhaled through her nose, the same way she did when she found out he had eaten the last of her favorite snacks. "You look like you got trampled by a herd of wild boars."

Kyle snorted. "Feels like it too."

Aurelia gestured to the chair across from her. "Sit. Before you collapse and make my floor dirty."

Kyle dropped into the chair, wincing as his sore muscles protested.

Aurelia leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk. "Alright. Spill. What’s the disaster this time?"

Kyle hesitated for a second before speaking.

"I’m trying to learn Lightning Steps—a short-distance burst technique. I have done it before, back in the ruins when that claw monster nearly killed me. But now I can’t get it right."

Aurelia’s eyebrows lifted slightly. "You are trying to teleport?"

"Not teleport. Just... a really fast dash."

She hummed, tapping her fingers against the desk. "And how many times have you eaten dirt today?"

Kyle scowled. "That’s not the point."

Aurelia smirked. "It’s absolutely the point."

He groaned, rubbing his temples. "Look, I know you are not a lightning user, but you are still a Radiant rank. I thought maybe you would—"

"Know how to fix your terrible form?"

"Yes."

Aurelia leaned back in her chair, studying him like he was a particularly frustrating puzzle. Then, to his surprise, she stood.

"Fine. Let’s go."

Kyle blinked. "Now?"

"You came here for help, didn’t you?" She grabbed her coat from the back of her chair. "Or did you just want to whine at me?"

Kyle scrambled to his feet. "No, I—yeah. Let’s go."

Aurelia rolled her eyes, but there was something almost amused in her expression as she led the way out.

***

Back in the training room.

Kyle’s body still ached, but the pain was duller now—more of a background annoyance than the sharp stabs from before.

Aurelia stood a few feet away, arms crossed. "Alright. Show me what you are doing wrong."

Kyle took a deep breath, then attempted the technique again.

Lightning crackled around his legs—

He moved—

And immediately tripped over his own feet.

"Oof—!"

He hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop at Aurelia’s feet.

She looked down at him, unimpressed. "That was pathetic."

Kyle groaned, pushing himself up. "Thanks. Really helpful."

Aurelia sighed. "Your problem isn’t mana control."

"Then what is it?"

"Your balance." She stepped closer, poking his shoulder. "You are treating it like a sprint. It’s not."

Kyle frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You are too stiff. You are fighting the movement instead of flowing with it." She mimicked his stance, exaggerating how rigid he was, and Kyle had to admit, it looked ridiculous.

"Okay, okay, I get it," he grumbled.

Aurelia smirked. "Try again. This time, don’t force it. Let the lightning guide you."

Kyle exhaled, shaking out his arms.

’Alright. Flow with it. Don’t fight it.’

He bent his knees slightly, feeling the familiar hum of lightning mana in his veins. Then—

Flash.

He moved.

This time, he didn’t fall.

He skidded to a stop a few meters away, breathless.

It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t smooth.

But it worked.

Aurelia nodded, satisfied. "Better."

Kyle grinned. "Yeah?"

"Still sloppy. But better."

"Wow. High praise."

Aurelia rolled her eyes. "Don’t get cocky. You have got a long way to go before you are not embarrassing to watch."

Kyle laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, yeah."

For a moment, they stood there in comfortable silence, the night air cool around them. Then Aurelia turned toward the exit.

"Come on. It’s late. You have tortured yourself enough for one day."

Kyle hesitated. "You are not gonna make me keep practicing?"

Aurelia shot him a look over her shoulder. "If I let you keep going, you will probably break something. And then I will have to deal with the paperwork."

Kyle snorted. "Priorities."

"Always."

***