Extra's POV: I am the Sixteenth Son

Morning had come once again, and Ares sat on the cold stone floor with Roul, his roommate. They were both deep in meditation, legs crossed and breathing steady. Roul had gotten so tired of watching Ares meditate every single morning that he finally decided to join him instead of just lying in bed complaining about it.

"If you can't beat them, join them," Roul had muttered the first time he sat down beside Ares.

They both sat there in comfortable silence as the hour ticked by slowly. Then the morning bell rang, sharp and clear - the usual signal for their daily routine. They headed for their morning jog around the academy grounds before preparing for their day classes. Ares was planning to hit the lightning shrine today, while Roul had regular classes to attend.

"Try not to blow yourself up this time," Roul said with a smirk as they parted ways.

"Very funny," Ares shot back, though he couldn't help grinning. His roommate had a point after yesterday's burststep disaster.

---

It was now midday, and the morning physical conditioning had already been completed. Students were scattered across the academy, heading to their various classes. Roul walked along the polished stone hallway, his footsteps echoing softly as he made his way to his classroom.

He was now eight years old and in his fourth year at the academy. The fourth year curriculum wasn't really that different from the previous years, except for one new addition - history class. This was the class that taught the proud history of the Eisenklinge family, filled with tales from the time of the first patriarch all the way to the present day.

Roul walked into the classroom and immediately noticed that most people were already seated. The room had an interesting setup - nine chairs total, but only eight were filled. Three chairs were placed prominently at the front of the room, while the other six were arranged in the back.

Two of the three front chairs were already occupied, and Roul, without saying a word or asking permission, walked straight to the empty front seat and claimed it as his own.

This was simply how things worked in the fourth year class. By this point in their training, students had learned that power defined everything. Ever since they were small children, that had been the academy's unspoken motto. Now they arranged their classroom seating based on that same principle - raw strength and ability. Roul was among the three strongest students in the fourth year class, and this was no small feat. The fourth years were next in line to become finalists, the elite graduates of the academy.

After a few minutes of quiet chatter, an instructor walked into the room. But this wasn't just any normal instructor. It was none other than Veltrissa, the Matron of the Cradle herself. Her presence immediately commanded absolute stillness as she strode to the front of the class. Her footsteps were precise and deliberate, catching the attention of every single person in the room. Even though she wasn't actively projecting her intimidating aura, every trainee could feel the overwhelming impact of her presence pressing down on them like a heavy blanket.

She reached the front of the class and slowly looked through the nine students present, her sharp eyes taking in each face. Her lips curled into a knowing grin before she began to speak in her clear, commanding voice.

"Today we will do something different," she announced, her voice carrying easily through the silent room. "We won't be discussing ancient war tactics or battle formations. Instead, we'll talk about the progenitor of our bloodline - the first generation patriarch and the man who holds the honored title of War Father: Valek Eisenklinge."

The entire room fell dead silent. That was a name every single one of them knew by heart. They could see his portrait hanging in every classroom, every hallway, and even in the Matron's own office. The War Father was a title reserved for him alone, because he was the reason the Eisenklinge family had their territory within the mighty Zarethian Empire.

Valek had been the strongest human of his time, an absolute monster on the battlefield and the empire's ultimate weapon against the enemies they faced. After the Great War ended, not only the Zarethian Empire but also the Western Holy Church in the distant Caelondor continent had wanted to claim the Eisenklinge family as their personal powerhouse. But the empire had won that political battle, which resulted in the family establishing their base in the eastern part of the empire.

The Emperor himself had granted Valek the prestigious title of High Duke, making him an almost completely autonomous vassal. This meant he could do whatever he wanted for the sake of his people and territory, but whenever the empire needed him, he and his entire family would come running without question.

Veltrissa's class stretched on for two full hours, and the students hung on every single word she spoke. The War Father was someone they all looked up to and wanted to become. Even Roul, who usually seemed bored by most things, paid complete attention to every story and detail.

When the class finally ended, Roul stood up from his seat and was about to walk out of the classroom when he suddenly felt a firm hand land on his shoulder.

Roul's normally detached expression immediately changed, his face hardening as his aura began to leak out around him like visible heat waves. He was at the intermediate high-level, and so was whoever had just grabbed him.

"Juno, right?" Roul said coldly, not bothering to turn around. "What do you want? And why is your hand on me?"

Roul slowly turned to meet the gaze of another fourth year student - Juno de Eisenklinge, his classmate and someone who was also at the intermediate high-level. Juno had short, curly blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a face covered in light freckles. He wore a completely unfazed expression, as though Roul's intimidating aura was nothing more than a gentle breeze to him. Juno was the strongest student in the fourth year and held the position of class captain.

"I have a message for you," Juno said calmly, still keeping his hand firmly on Roul's shoulder. "Vael wants to see you."

The moment Juno mentioned that name, Roul's entire body shivered involuntarily. He knew exactly what that name meant and who it belonged to. He had hoped and planned to go through his entire time at the Cradle without ever meeting the owner of that name. But now he knew exactly what this meant: trouble. Big trouble.

Juno quickly told Roul where he was supposed to meet Vael before walking away casually, as if he hadn't just delivered potentially life-changing news. As soon as Juno left, Roul bit his lower lip hard, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what Vael could possibly want from him.

This was definitely not good.

---

Meanwhile, in the lightning shrine, Ares stood firm and steady as bright blue lightning crackled and danced across his entire body like living serpents. He had successfully awakened his lightning element hours ago, and now he was deep in training.

The emotion needed to tap into lightning had been determination - that stubborn, never-give-up attitude that kept pushing forward no matter what. Ares had tried and tried for what felt like forever, concentrating until his head hurt. After a full hour of intense focus, he finally felt it - a subtle spark deep in his core, like touching a live wire. He grabbed onto that feeling and held it tight, and then there it was: pure lightning energy coursing through his body.

It felt incredible, like he had tapped into something celestial, something that wasn't meant for ordinary humans to touch.

He immediately started channeling the energy around his body and began training with it the same way he had with fire and ice. He practiced for hours, pushing himself to his limits, and now he was grinning from ear to ear. He had learned so much from this training session and had gained even more abilities than he had hoped for.

First, he discovered he could throw lightning projectiles, and his limit was twelve shots at most. All of his elements depended on his stamina reserves, and if his stamina was completely full, he could manage twelve lightning bolts, ten fireballs, and seven ice spikes. Of course, this would improve as he trained his stamina and grew stronger.

He also developed a skill he called "static body." By circulating lightning energy around his entire body, he could dramatically increase his speed and reflexes. This would be incredibly useful for both attacking enemies and dodging their attacks. He also mastered "lightning touch," which worked almost exactly like his ice touch ability, but with a shocking twist - literally.

But then he had an idea that made him pause. Something that might be completely crazy, but just might work.

What if he could combine two elements at once?

He had never heard of anyone doing it before, but the thought wouldn't leave his mind. What if a fireball could have the explosive speed and power of a lightning bolt? It sounded impossible, but then again, so had everything else he'd accomplished.

Ares concentrated on his open palm, and the usual small flame appeared, dancing innocently on his skin. Then he made his hand into the shape of a gun, as if he was going to shoot the flame forward. He focused intensely, trying to merge his fire and lightning energies together. In the next moment, he launched the attack.

But this wasn't just a regular fireball anymore. This projectile was completely different - faster, more focused, and deadlier. Instead of the usual slow, round fireball, this attack streaked through the air like a golden bolt of lightning. When it hit the far wall, instead of simply burning out like a normal fireball would, it exploded with a loud CRACK that echoed through the entire shrine.

Ares stared at the scorch mark on the wall, his mouth hanging open in shock. Then a huge grin spread across his face as he jumped up and pumped his fist in the air.

"YES! I did it! I actually combined the flame and lightning elements!" he shouted to the empty shrine, not caring if anyone heard him. He was so happy he could barely contain himself. He honestly hadn't thought it would work when he first tried it, but now he felt like he could take on the world.

"I'll call this technique... Fire Bolt!" he declared proudly, striking a dramatic pose that would have made his roommate laugh.

He was now one step closer to becoming a true Eisenklinge warrior, even if his methods were completely unorthodox and probably broke several academy rules. With techniques like this, he just needed to keep training hard, and he would eventually be ready for the class captain selection event that was coming up soon.

He wasn't planning to lose easily anymore. He would fight with everything he had for his own spot and his own honor.

The shrine walls still echoed faintly with the sound of his explosive new technique, and Ares couldn't stop smiling.

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A/N – Was it fire or mid? Don't just vanish—powerstone, comment, review. Let me feel your presence.