Alex smiled, glancing at Hati, whose eyes remained shut.
He crouched down, focusing. Lightning crackled around his legs.
Crack! Crack!
BOOM!
A shockwave burst from the ground as he launched forward.
A flicker of black light streaked through the Academy's forest garden, fast and barely visible.
Boom!
A thunderous crash echoed—like a boulder smashing through a tree.
A human-shaped dent formed in a tree trunk. Moments later, someone skidded across the grass, leaving a trail of ripped earth behind.
Far off, Alex lay near another tree, clothes torn, face streaked with mud and grass. Groaning, he slowly stood.
"It really hurts… to swim in the ground," he muttered dryly.
He summoned the healing aura of his wood element, a soft green glow surrounding him. Once restored, he took off again.
As a tree loomed in his path, he tried to change direction. He barely managed it—his right shoulder grazed the bark, and he tumbled, rolling painfully across the dirt.
