One-Eyed Monster

Igor was grateful that it was his friend Kadi who stood by his side during his most challenging times.

Although Kadi always appeared a bit goofy, he always played a vital role in crucial moments, unfailingly standing by Igor’s side to share his burdens.

Igor felt truly fortunate to have a friend like Kadi.

”You mean Stan Sol knows how to capture Lightning, but he doesn’t actually do it?” Joseph, still a bit confused, pressed Kadi further.

”It’s probably as you’re thinking,” Kadi replied, glancing at Yuga. ”But I’m not sure if Stan Sol is the one who knows how to capture Lightning. I think Yuga seems more likely. As a Wizard who controls the Natural Force, he must possess some powers that others don’t, powers that could help him accomplish a remarkable feat.”

Yuga, caught off guard by Kadi’s sudden remark, was quite flustered. He coughed and shrugged; the feeling of all eyes on him was always intense, and this unearned attention made him particularly uncomfortable. If there had been a valid reason for the scrutiny, Yuga wouldn’t have uttered half a complaint. But being singled out like this for no apparent reason felt rather unfair.

”I do not know!” Yuga stated unequivocally. ”Those who can master such things are no ordinary people. I believe only the mysterious Hunter could potentially possess this knowledge.”

Stan Sol sensed the eyes turning towards him and quickly waved his hands. For him, verbal explanations were a bit too tiring; body language was more his style. His dismissive wave clearly meant, ’Don’t expect anything from me; I don’t know anything either.’

This left the crowd even more perplexed. What on earth was going on? Everyone was just passing the buck; was there no end to this game of deflection?

”Please, don’t misunderstand,” Igor began, finally calming down amidst the awkward situation and stepping forward to explain. ”It’s all my fault for not expressing myself clearly and causing confusion among you all, seniors.” He was no longer flustered, and his words flowed much more smoothly. Perhaps this is the power of friendship, he thought. Having someone silently supporting and encouraging you by your side makes a vast difference compared to struggling to explain everything on your own.

Igor’s polite apology eased the crowd’s frustration somewhat. They realized it wasn’t just their understanding that had been slow; Igor himself admitted his own mistake! Hearing this, their perception shifted, and they began to see the young man as someone with more substance.

Igor continued to clear up the confusion he had created. After all, I dug this hole, so I have to be the one to fill it, he mused. Besides, who else could explain it clearly? No one. Having Kadi standing here supporting me is already a great comfort.

”Stan Sol is indeed the person I was referring to, the one who can definitely master the power of capturing Lightning,” Igor asserted decisively. For him, providing an answer now was more important than anything else.

”But I... I simply...” Stan Sol stammered, growing anxious. He had been inexplicably dragged into this by Igor and was determined to get to the bottom of it. However, his halting speech significantly slowed down the conversation.

”I know you don’t know anything about it right now, Sol,” Igor said slowly, ”but your story features Thunder. Have you forgotten your own story?” To Igor, everything was connected.

Thunder… Stan Sol murmured, falling into deep thought.

”Have you forgotten your story, Sol? You are the Flame, and he is Thunder!” Igor reminded him.

Stan Sol shivered. He remembered. It was the true story he had told Igor and the others. The part about Thunder—that was precisely about his brother, Tobin.

And Tobin was indeed capable of capturing Lightning.

”Just... based... on that?” Stan Sol asked. Though his words were brief, he was certain Igor would understand.

Indeed, Igor understood. ”You and your brother are like the palm and the back of the hand—two sides of the same entity. You can surely achieve a deep understanding and synergy. Moreover, when brothers are united in purpose, their combined strength can cut through metal! It’s clear you two are connected, especially since you can still sense his blood flowing, can’t you?”

Igor’s explanation left Stan Sol silent. Indeed, as Igor had said, he could still feel his brother’s aura.

”Of course, you naturally don’t know how to capture Lightning right now,” Igor continued. ”Learning this skill takes time. However, I believe my friends can definitely help you shorten that process.”

Upon hearing this, the crowd was once again in a fog. What exactly did Igor mean?

”Seniors, you must be wondering why I’m so certain that someone among us definitely knows the method for capturing Lightning.” Igor sounded like he was giving a speech, actively working to stir the crowd’s emotions.

”The reason I can be so certain is that I’ve also played with Lightning before, during my time at the Yonder Travel Academy!”

This statement by Igor startled many. They naturally didn’t understand where Igor got the power to control Lightning, let alone claim he had ’played’ with it.

”Seniors, have you heard of the Thunder Army?”

Everyone was, of course, familiar with the renowned Thunder Army; it was the Empire’s most formidable military force. Oddly enough, this army had been established by a governor from the City Administrative Office. No one knew how this governor had mastered the power to collect Lightning.

Fortunately, this governor had dedicated the entire Thunder Army to the Kayne Empire. Otherwise, it would have undoubtedly led to another bloodbath.

”The Lightning utilized by the Thunder Army is precisely this captured Lightning. There’s a specific charm used to capture it. I don’t know what that ’thingamajig’ is, but my friend does.”

”You mean, among us is an old friend of yours, and this old friend knows how to capture Lightning?” Estev finally managed to keep up with Igor’s pace.

”Exactly!” Igor nodded vigorously.

Everyone exchanged glances, wondering who Igor’s friend—an old friend, at that—could be.

Could it be Kadi? they wondered. No, impossible. Then who could it be?

They all looked around but still couldn’t pinpoint a suitable candidate.

”My friend’s name is Hustace,” Igor announced, seeing how hard everyone was struggling to guess. ”He is here with us right now, just... not as himself.” His revelation instantly lifted a weight from their shoulders.

Everyone immediately understood who Igor was referring to—it was the young man whose body was possessed by the Witch Spirit!

”He is the son of Luona’s Governor Rostov, and he knows many things. The Lightning we played with before was provided by him. Moreover, he even knows how to store Lightning within an ordinary stone!”