A Glimmer of Potential

A golden Portal opened in Kamar-Taj, and Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry stepped through one after another.

The morning air in Kamar-Taj was crisp, carrying a chill from the nearby snow-capped mountains. It was nothing like coastal Los Angeles.

By the time the four reached the training ground, plenty of mages were already practicing. Some worked on their magic, others tried to draw complex formations, and still others sparred at close range.

Several mages who had sparred with Lin Hai before spotted them and nodded in friendly greeting. Lin Hai and Gwen smiled and waved back. Peter and Harry did not know them, but returned the greeting with polite smiles and nods.

The four went to the edge of the training ground, where several heavy stone targets stood for testing magical power. Runes etched into them flickered now and then with a faint magical glow.

"All right. First, let's see how powerful this new energy is." Lin Hai approached a target, eager but a little nervous. Gwen, Peter, and Harry stepped back to give him room, watching with curiosity.

Lin Hai recalled how it had felt to move the energy before and guided the new power using his usual method.

Since he had far less of the new energy than he once had, he drew on only about a third of what he used to put into an energy attack.

When the energy gathered around his right hand, it gave off no startling surge of power. If anything, it felt restrained.

"It looks... kind of gentle?" Peter whispered to Harry, tilting his head.

Harry adjusted his glasses but kept his guard up. "The nature of the energy has probably changed. Let's see what happens when it hits."

The process felt no different from before, which put Lin Hai at