NOVEL WEB Chapter 86: Training
The broadcast hadn't ended.
Lucifer Morningstar leaned back slightly in his chair, then spoke again with a voice like silk over steel.
"Now, as promised… an example."
The screen flickered , the black wolf symbol vanished. A new live feed took its place.
It showed a burning city block, smoke rising into the air like war had just erupted. Screams echoed faintly in the background.
People ran. Buildings crumbled. A tall, muscular man with glowing red veins in his arms tossed a car like it was made of plastic. Another figure, a woman with dark hair and lightning crackling from her palms, was floating mid-air, laughing like a maniac.
Ethan's eyes narrowed. The room was silent — even Carter and Alistair had serious expressions now.
"These two," Lucifer's voice narrated calmly over the footage, "thought awakening gave them freedom. That they could destroy cities and take lives for fun."
Behind them, black-clad enforcers in armored suits appeared — smooth, inhuman movements, each one wearing a variant of the black wolf mask.
The laughing woman fired a lightning bolt at one.
It bounced off his chest.
The enforcer raised a hand , and without a word, vaporized her with a compressed pulse of dark-blue Chi. Her body shattered into sparks.
Sasha gasped aloud. "W-what the hell?!"
The muscular man tried to run, but a blade of Chi energy sliced through both his legs in a blink. He howled in pain, crawling away ,only for an enforcer to step on his spine, pressing him into the concrete like a bug.
Lucifer's voice returned.
"We are not here to oppress. We are here to maintain balance. This is not revenge. This is order."
The screen shifted again.
A third person, a boy barely older than Ethan, stood surrounded by civilians, protecting them from collapsing rubble. He looked terrified, but not dangerous.
"This one," Lucifer said, "awakened instinctively. No criminal record. Protected innocents. We will not punish him."
The enforcers bowed to the young man, then disappeared in a flash of light.
"Your future depends on your choices," Lucifer said, now face-to-camera again. "Awakened or not… remember: we see all. And we do not forgive twice."
The screen faded to black.
Silence.
Even the Hayes estate ,usually a domain of bold voices and power games, remained quiet.
Until Carter finally spoke, his voice gravelly. "They've declared global martial authority."
Walter crossed his arms. "And they want us to play along."
"They've already shown their strength," Alistair added, tone unreadable.
Natalie looked at Ethan. "You're already on their radar."
"I figured," Ethan muttered, eyes still on the now-black screen. "The moment I did those things… I became someone they want to either recruit… or erase."
Clarissa gently touched Mina's shoulders and ushered her to the side, away from the tension.
"Let them come," Ethan added, standing up slowly.
An hour later, deep beneath the Hayes estate, Ethan stood in an underground chamber that looked like a fusion of ancient dojo and high-tech lab.
Cracked stone floors. Faint glowing inscriptions on the walls. Training dummies made of reinforced alloys. An artificial waterfall trickled down one wall, glowing softly with embedded Chi crystals.
Walter stood in front of them, arms behind his back. Beside him stood Natalie, Rhea, Jasmine , all in training clothes. Ethan had changed too, wearing a loose martial robe provided by the estate. Even Sasha and Nate stood at the sidelines, watching wide-eyed.
"This," Walter began, "is the true training chamber of the Hayes bloodline. It has remained hidden for decades. Only those with potential… or trust, are allowed to step inside."
Rhea cracked her knuckles. "So when do we start breaking bones?"
Walter raised an eyebrow. "Patience. I'll be teaching you how to feel Chi first. Not throw punches like drunk monkeys."
Jasmine stepped forward, expression calm. "I've studied the theory. But the real application… is different, isn't it?"
Walter nodded. "Exactly. Awakening Chi isn't just about power. It's about alignment. Your mind, your breath, your intent."
He walked to the center of the chamber and raised a hand.
With a small flick, a glowing orb of blue Chi formed above his palm , humming quietly, swirling like liquid starlight.
"Chi," he said, "is not your slave. It's your reflection. You command it only when you understand yourself."
He turned to Ethan.
"You awakened in the middle of chaos. That means you're a rare type — an instinctual user. That's dangerous… and powerful. But right now, your Chi is wild. It listens to adrenaline, not reason."
Ethan crossed his arms. "So how do I make it listen?"
Walter smiled faintly. "You break yourself first."
Suddenly, the ground shifted ,tiles moved away, and a circular platform rose. On it stood a training dummy the size of a truck.
Walter gestured toward it. "Your first task ,strike this with controlled Chi. Not brute strength. Channel your energy."
Ethan stepped up, focused.
He closed his eyes.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
He tried to recall the feeling, that moment he charged into the chaos, the way his body moved on its own, the burning in his chest, the clarity. Forcharactersheetsandglossaries,visitMV|LEMPYR.
Then,he moved.
A punch, fast, clean, sharp.
BOOM.
The dummy cracked slightly,but not from strength. A small pulse of Chi had entered it, disrupting it internally.
Walter raised an eyebrow. "Not bad."
Natalie stepped beside him. "He's got a natural rhythm. But he'll need sparring."
Walter smirked. "Natalie. You're up."
The fiery girl grinned and stepped onto the platform.
"You sure?" Ethan asked. "You don't look like the patient type."
"Good," Natalie cracked her neck. "I'm not."
They clashed.
It wasn't a full fight , more like a test. But Natalie was stong, fast, and precise. Ethan dodged, blocked, and occasionally parried using basic Chi flow. Sparks flew. Energy flared. The others watched, impressed.
Jasmine murmured to Rhea, "They're both rough. But he learns fast."
Ethan ducked a sweeping kick, then countered with a short-range pulse that knocked Natalie back a few steps.
Walter clapped. "That's enough. You're not here to kill each other."
Natalie grinned, panting. "He's not half-bad."
Ethan smirked. "You too. For a red-haired bulldozer."
"Keep talking, pretty boy."
They laughed.
Walter stepped forward again. "From today on, you'll train here daily. All of you. Because the next time you face someone from the Organization, it won't be on TV. It'll be in blood."
He paused.
"And Ethan, one last thing."
Ethan turned to him.
Walter's voice dropped. "They'll come for you sooner than you think. Be ready."
Ethan looked up at the glowing Chi crystals lining the chamber walls. His eyes reflected the light steady, burning.
"I'm not afraid."
Walter glanced toward the side of the chamber, where Nate and Sasha still stood awkwardly like tourists in a martial arts movie.
"I would have trained your friends too," he said, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve, "but it's better they go to the official organization branch for structured development. Still—" he turned to Ethan, "since they're your good friends, I'll teach them the basics."
Ethan chuckled. "That's generous of you, old man."
Nate and Sasha both straightened up immediately.
"Thank you for this gracious help, Sir Walter!" Nate said, voice a little too loud.
Walter waved a hand, amused. "No need to be so formal with me."
"But… how could I not be?" Sasha said quickly, her eyes shining. "I've always read about you. How you built your empire from scratch despite coming from a commoner background. You started with nothing, and now you're here,this reputation, this power,everything built with your own hands."
Walter blinked, a little surprised by her admiration.
She nudged Nate. "He's like one of your biggest fans, sir."
Nate looked away, flustered. "W-Well, you're kind of a legend, you know…"
Walter laughed heartily, placing his hands behind his back. "Thank you, thank you! Now you've put me in a good mood. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
Sasha smiled brightly. "That means a lot, sir. But there's no need. We always dreamed of opening our own little café business. Thanks to Ethan, it's finally happening… though, now with all this superpower chaos… our plans might need to adjust."
Walter nodded approvingly. "Good. I like ambitious people. Power or no power, the world still needs dreamers. Keep your goals, but be ready to adapt. That's the secret to survival."
He stepped forward and gestured for them to sit down cross-legged on the smooth stone floor.
"Now then, I'll teach you two a basic method of Chi meditation. You might not awaken anything immediately,but learning to feel Chi, even faintly, is the first step. Calm your breath. Shut out the noise in your mind. Focus inward."
As he guided them through the breathing rhythm, the room settled into a light silence. The soft sound of the artificial waterfall created a peaceful atmosphere. Sasha closed her eyes, following the flow seriously. Nate peeked once or twice at Walter, clearly impressed, but did his best to focus.
Walter's voice softened. "Chi flows like a river. You can't force it. You must become the river. Let it pass through you."
Ethan smiled slightly at the sight. Even in a world shifting toward danger, there was still something… peaceful about this moment.
After a while, Ethan stood up and dusted his clothes.
"I should get going now," he said.
Walter raised a brow. "Going where?"
"My mom and dad," Ethan replied. "I made them worry too much. I need to go see them before they think I've been kidnapped by aliens."
Rhea leaned against a pillar and smirked. "Good luck handling your mom's wrath."
Natalie folded her arms. "You'll need more strength to survive that than you did in the fight."
Jasmine gave him a teasing look. "Tell her we said hi."
Ethan rolled his eyes, grinning.
He looked back at the group, especially at Rhea, Natalie, and Jasmine.
"We'll meet again in a week," he said, serious now. "At the organization's new branch."
"We'll be ready," Natalie said simply.
Rhea grinned. "Just don't get soft playing house."
Jasmine nodded. "Take care of yourself, Ethan."
A/n - Thanks for reading.