The world felt… different.
Not because Tigren had changed—
But because Anish had.
He stood outside the tower, staring at the fractured sky.
Earlier, it felt distant.
Unreachable.
Now—
He could feel it.
Not just see the cracks—
But understand them.
"…it's all connected," he murmured.
Zehrat crossed her arms beside him.
"…you've been saying that for the past ten minutes."
A slight smirk appeared on Anish's face.
"…because it's true."
She studied him carefully.
"…you're different."
Anish didn't deny it.
"…I know."
A New Kind of Awareness
The wind moved slightly.
Anish raised his hand.
Without touching anything—
The air bent.
Not forcefully.
Naturally.
Like it obeyed him.
Zehrat's eyes narrowed.
"…that's not normal."
Liora, standing a few steps away, finally spoke.
"…that's not power."
They both looked at her.
She continued—
"…that's authority."
What is Authority?
Anish turned toward her.
"…explain."
Liora walked closer.
For once—
She didn't sound calm.
She sounded serious.
"…power forces things to change."
A pause.
"…authority makes things accept the change."
Silence.
Zehrat frowned.
"…that sounds the same."
Liora shook her head.
"No."
She pointed at the broken sky.
"If you use power…"
"…you can break it."
Then she looked at Anish.
"But with authority…"
"…you can tell it to stay."
Demonstration
Anish looked up again.
The cracks in the sky flickered slightly.
Unstable.
Falling apart slowly.
He raised his hand.
But this time—
He didn't try to control it.
He just… spoke.
"Hold."
Silence.
For a second—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The cracks stopped spreading.
Zehrat's eyes widened.
"…what the hell…"
Liora didn't react.
Because she already knew.
"…you're adapting faster than I expected," she said quietly.
The Cost of Authority
Anish lowered his hand.
"…there's a limit, isn't there?"
Liora nodded immediately.
"Yes."
"For now."
Zehrat looked between them.
"…for now?"
Liora's gaze darkened slightly.
"…authority grows with understanding."
A pause.
"…but if you try to control something beyond your comprehension…"
She looked directly at Anish.
"…it will break you."
Training Begins
Anish exhaled slowly.
"…then I need to understand more."
Liora nodded.
"…then we start now."
Zehrat raised an eyebrow.
"…we?"
Liora looked at her.
"…you're part of this whether you like it or not."
Zehrat smirked slightly.
"…good."
The First Exercise
Liora pointed toward a floating fragment nearby.
A piece of land—
Unstable.
Glitching in and out of existence.
"…fix that."
Anish looked at it.
"…that's it?"
Liora didn't respond.
Which meant—
It wasn't simple.
Attempt One – Failure
Anish stepped forward.
Focused.
He raised his hand.
"…stabilize."
The fragment reacted—
But violently.
It shook.
Cracked further.
Then—
Collapsed.
Gone.
Silence.
Zehrat looked at him.
"…good job."
Anish sighed.
"…yeah, I felt that."
Correction
Liora shook her head.
"…you tried to force it."
Anish frowned.
"…I didn't."
"You did."
She walked closer to where the fragment used to be.
"…you wanted it to stabilize."
A pause.
"…but you didn't understand why it was unstable."
The Key Lesson
Anish stayed silent.
Listening.
"…authority isn't about commands," Liora continued.
"…it's about agreement."
Zehrat tilted her head.
"…agreement with what?"
Liora answered simply—
"…reality."
Second Attempt
Another fragment floated nearby.
Slightly more stable.
Anish walked toward it.
But this time—
He didn't raise his hand immediately.
He observed.
Felt.
Listened.
The fragment wasn't random.
It was breaking because—
The threads connecting it were weak.
Unbalanced.
"…so that's the problem," he whispered.
Understanding Before Action
Anish closed his eyes briefly.
Then—
Opened them.
"…you're not broken," he said softly to the fragment.
"…you're just unsupported."
Zehrat blinked.
"…are you talking to it?"
Anish ignored her.
He raised his hand slowly.
"…connect."
This time—
The threads didn't resist.
They aligned.
Strengthened.
Balanced.
The fragment stabilized.
Completely.
Success
Silence.
Then—
Zehrat smiled slightly.
"…okay… that was impressive."
Liora watched quietly.
Then nodded.
"…you're learning."
A Small Realization
Anish looked at his hand.
"…it's not about control…"
"…it's about understanding," Liora finished.
He nodded slowly.
"…yeah."
Liora's Secret Begins
Zehrat suddenly looked at Liora.
"…how do you know all this?"
Silence.
For the first time—
Liora hesitated.
"…because I've seen it before," she said finally.
Anish's eyes narrowed.
"…in previous resets?"
Liora didn't answer directly.
"…not exactly."
Suspicion Grows
The air grew slightly tense.
Zehrat stepped closer.
"…then what are you?"
Liora looked at both of them.
Long.
Quiet.
"…I told you already."
"…I'm a mistake."
End Setup
The wind picked up again.
The sky above shifted slightly—
But this time—
It didn't break further.
Because now—
Someone was holding it together.
But far beyond—
The watcher observed.
More focused than before.
Because now—
Anish wasn't just surviving.
He was learning.
And that—
Was far more dangerous.
End of Chapter 15