The Flow-state

As the time past by, Aiden's survival instincts sharpened with every bitter encounter. Each time he clashed with the Frost Warden, he came closer to understanding the brutal rhythms of this frozen world, honing his mind and body to adapt to its merciless conditions. Ithara's icy grip had once chilled him to his bones, slowing his movements and sapping his strength, but now the cold was an afterthought—a distant memory.

For months, Aiden had evaded the Warden, hiding among jagged cliffs and icy caverns, fighting only when necessary. Using his telepathy, he could sense the Frost Warden's presence long before the creature could ambush him, which gave him enough time to flee or prepare. This cat-and-mouse game had taught him patience, but with every escape, he grew stronger, his powers evolving in the relentless cold. The fire inside him now blazed brighter than ever.

Flying was now second nature, and the once-oppressive gravity of Ithara was a forgotten burden. His muscles had hardened, his reflexes sharpened, and his mind had adapted to the harsh environment. Even the biting cold, which had once threatened to break him, no longer bothered him. Aiden had become a part of Ithara's brutal landscape, as much a creature of this world as the Warden itself.

A year had passed in this frozen wasteland, and Aiden realized he had changed in ways he couldn't have imagined. He was no longer the person who had arrived on this hostile planet. The hardship had forged him into something else—something stronger. The voice in his head, always present, had been his guide, pushing him beyond his limits, forcing him to grow.

"Change is inevitable," the AI had told him once. "So is death."

Aiden's body had become a testament to this truth. His once-torn clothes were now little more than rags clinging to his form, his bare feet no longer sensitive to the cold ground. His skin, toughened and resilient, bore the scars of countless battles, each one a marker of his journey.

And now, after a month of no sign of the Warden, Aiden felt it was time to face the creature once more.

The wind whipped around him as he soared into the skies, faster than he'd ever flown before. The freezing air barely registered on his skin, and the gravitational force that had once weighed him down was nothing to him now. He was free, and his power surged with each passing second.

Below him, the landscape of Ithara stretched out in all directions, vast and endless. The sharp peaks of ice-covered mountains and frozen plains blurred beneath him as he scanned for the one opponent who had haunted his thoughts for so long. And then, there it was—a figure standing amidst the swirling snow, unmoving, as if waiting.

The Frost Warden.

The creature's unsettling smile was visible even from a distance, its sharp, crystalline teeth catching the pale light of Ithara's sun. Aiden hovered above the ground, his eyes locked onto the Warden as the mist and fog swirled around them, slowly dissipating in the tension of the moment.

Without hesitation, Aiden descended, touching down on the snow-covered ground. His landing sent a ripple through the icy earth, and the two adversaries stood facing each other once again. The silence between them was thick with anticipation, a final showdown long overdue.

For a moment, they simply stared at each other, two forces of nature now equally matched. Aiden had once been outclassed, but now, after countless battles and near-death experiences, he knew he was different. He was ready.

The Warden's smile widened into something sinister as its icy blue eyes glinted with malice. It tilted its head, as if considering the man who had dared to return after so long. Aiden could feel the weight of its gaze, but he refused to flinch.

Then, without warning, the Frost Warden lunged forward, moving with that same unnatural speed that had caught Aiden off guard all those months ago. But this time, Aiden was ready. His muscles coiled and released, propelling him forward at blinding speed to meet the attack head-on.

The clash was thunderous.

Aiden's fist collided with the Warden's icy form, sending shockwaves through the frozen ground. The impact rattled his bones, but he barely registered the pain. The Warden responded in kind, its own powerful punch slamming into Aiden's side, knocking the wind from his lungs.

The two traded blows at a ferocious pace, each hit echoing across the wasteland. Aiden moved with fluid precision, his every strike calculated and deliberate. He ducked, dodged, and weaved through the Warden's attacks, his enhanced reflexes keeping him just out of reach. The cold didn't slow him anymore, and the crushing weight of the Warden's fists, though still powerful, no longer sent him reeling like it once had.

Aiden gritted his teeth as he felt the familiar sting of the Warden's icy fists crashing into him, but he didn't back down. His own strikes hit harder now, his punches landing with enough force to crack the Warden's crystalline skin, but the creature showed no signs of slowing. It only smiled wider, its eyes burning with a cold fury.

"He's really strong... heh." Aiden thought grimly, feeling the weight of his opponent's power. But despite the pain, despite the overwhelming strength the Warden still held, a small smirk tugged at the corner of Aiden's lips.

This was the fight he had been waiting for.

Aiden moved with blinding speed, his muscles surging with newfound power as he shot forward. The Warden's eyes widened in shock, its icy grin faltering for the first time. Before the creature could react, Aiden's fist slammed into its chest with the force of a cannon, sending the Warden hurtling through the air.

The impact sent the Warden crashing into the distant mountains, a trail of shattered ice marking its path. The earth trembled as the creature collided with the frozen peaks, snow and rock tumbling down in an avalanche of destruction.

Hovering in the sky, Aiden paused for a moment, his breath heavy but controlled. He could feel it—the strength coursing through his veins, the cold no longer biting at his skin, the limits he had once known shattered. He had come so far.

But the fight wasn't over. In the distance, through the settling snow and fog, the Warden rose once more, its body cracking and reforming as it shook off the blow. Its smile was gone, replaced with something more primal—rage.

Aiden's smirk widened. 'Now it's a fight.'

As Aiden hovered in the frozen sky, he closed his eyes, and for a moment, everything stilled. There was a shift inside him, subtle yet profound—a sensation he had never felt before. The world slowed, every detail around him coming into sharp, crystalline clarity. His heartbeat, once pounding from the relentless fight, became a calm, steady rhythm. The pain from the Warden's relentless strikes was nothing more than a distant memory. He had slipped into a state of pure instinct—a flow state.

In this space, time lost its grip. Aiden was hyper-aware of everything: the faintest tremor in the air, the shifting fog, the nearly imperceptible twitch in the Warden's icy body as it prepared its next attack. His mind, usually crowded with thoughts, became still, like a vast, silent lake. In this clarity, Aiden felt untethered from the limitations of his physical form.

The Warden lunged, its speed unnatural, a blur of cold fury ripping through the fog. But Aiden was already in motion, moving like the wind itself, effortlessly sidestepping the strike. Each punch the Warden threw was futile—Aiden was gone before the attack could even land, his body weaving through the onslaught like a shadow slipping through light. He wasn't thinking anymore, wasn't analyzing—his body moved on its own, perfectly attuned to the rhythm of battle.

In this state, Aiden wasn't just fighting; he was one with the fight. His movements were fluid, an unbroken dance of power and precision. Each dodge, each counter, was seamless, as if he had rehearsed this fight a thousand times in his mind. When he struck back, his blows were devastating, each punch landing with crushing force. He could feel the ice beneath his fists give way, cracks spiderwebbing across the Warden's body with every impact.

The Warden, once a towering, unyielding force, began to falter. Its attacks became desperate, erratic. It could sense the shift in Aiden, the change in their dynamic, but it was too late. Aiden had transcended the limits that once bound him. Every motion, every strike, felt effortless yet carried the weight of his untapped potential. His body no longer felt like his own; it had become a force of nature.

*This is it,* Aiden realized, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. *This is what I've been waiting for.*

The fight wasn't about survival anymore. It was about mastery. And Aiden, at this moment, had become something far beyond the boy who had once struggled to survive. He was the storm, the fury, and he would not be stopped.

Aiden pressed the attack, his fists a blur as they connected with the Frost Warden's crystalline body. Each strike reverberated through the icy landscape, the sound of shattering ice echoing like thunder across the frozen wasteland. The Warden, once a towering menace, was now being pushed back, step by step, under the onslaught.

But it wasn't just brute strength fueling Aiden—it was the culmination of every hardship he had endured, every battle that had forced him to dig deeper into himself. His body had grown stronger, yes, but it was his mind, sharpened by the relentless cold of Ithara and the AI's constant guidance, that had elevated him beyond the limits of his flesh. He could feel it now, the energy coursing through him, as if the very elements of Ithara had become a part of him.

The Warden, sensing its own demise, roared—a deep, guttural sound that sent tremors through the ground. A surge of frost exploded outward, the temperature plummeting even further as a blizzard erupted around them. Snow and ice whipped violently, obscuring the world in a swirling storm of white.

But Aiden didn't flinch. His telepathic sense allowed him to track the Warden through the storm. He could feel the creature's energy—a cold, relentless force—lurking in the blizzard, waiting for the perfect moment...

The battle had stretched on for days, an endless barrage of power and speed that tested Aiden's limits—and broke them. The Frost Warden, once a near-invincible predator, was now the prey, struggling to stay one step ahead of the storm that was Aiden.

Each passing hour had seen Aiden's strength grow exponentially, his every punch hitting harder, every movement faster and more precise. He didn't need to dodge anymore; the Warden's attacks were slow, clumsy in comparison to Aiden's newfound speed. The icy landscape was no longer a challenge—it was a playground where Aiden couldtest the full extent of his abilities.

Now, the Warden was running.

It sprinted through the frozen mountains, leaping from one jagged peak to another, its once-calculated movements now desperate. Every second, it glanced over its shoulder, hoping for a moment's reprieve, but Aiden was always there—just behind it, barely visible through the swirling snow.

Aiden watched with cold amusement as the creature scrambled for its life. His muscles barely felt the strain of the prolonged fight; he was no longer bound by the limitations of exhaustion or hunger. The icy winds that once slowed him were now nothing more than a soft breeze on his skin. The world seemed to bend around him, accommodating his every desire.

The Frost Warden was nothing more than a test subject now.

Aiden vanished from the Warden's sight, disappearing into the thick fog that surrounded them. The creature hesitated, scanning its surroundings, its crystalline eyes wide with fear. It knew he was still there. Somewhere.

Suddenly, Aiden reappeared right in front of it, moving faster than the Warden could react. With a single, effortless motion, he slammed his hand into the creature's chest, his fingers digging into its icy flesh. The Warden let out a scream, a sound that echoed through the frozen peaks as Aiden lifted it into the air, holding it aloft as if it weighed nothing.

"You're not so dangerous anymore, are you?" Aiden mused, tilting his head as he studied the Warden. His voice was calm, almost casual, as if the fight had long since ceased to be a challenge. "I wonder how much more you can take."

The Warden writhed in his grip, flailing and kicking, but it was no use. Aiden tossed it aside like a broken toy, sending it crashing through the side of a mountain. The impact shook the earth, and an avalanche of snow and ice rained down upon the creature.

But Aiden didn't stop.

Before the dust had even settled, he was there again, hovering over the Warden as it struggled to free itself from the rubble. He watched it with cold detachment, the thrill of the fight long gone. Now, it was just... curiosity.

He experimented with his powers, sending out shockwaves with a flick of his wrist. The very ground beneath them trembled as he unleashed a wave of energy that sent the Frost Warden sprawling backward. Aiden felt the exhilaration of his abilities surging through him, an intoxicating rush that left him craving more.

In an instant, he moved faster than light, darting around the Warden in a blur. The creature barely registered his movement before Aiden was at its side, then behind it, then above. It was as if he were a ghost, haunting the Warden's every step, and the Warden was now nothing more than a target.

"Do you feel that?" Aiden taunted, his voice echoing in the icy air. "The weight of your defeat? The inevitability of your end?"

"You were once the apex predator of this world," Aiden said, almost mockingly. "But now? Look at you. Weak. Helpless."

The Warden's glowing eyes flickered with rage, but it didn't dare strike back. It knew it was outmatched, hopelessly overpowered. It tried to run again, to vanish into the endless expanse of snow, but Aiden was always there. Always right behind it.

With every attempt to escape, Aiden let it believe it had a chance, only to catch up in an instant, pulling the Warden back with ease. He was toying with it now, letting it run just long enough to feel the bitter taste of hope before snatching it away.

The Warden's once-ferocious grin was gone, replaced by sheer terror. Aiden had become a force far beyond anything it had ever encountered. The tables had turned, and the predator had become the prey.

Aiden's smirk deepened as he floated effortlessly in the sky, watching the Warden flee once again, its form becoming smaller and smaller as it dashed toward the horizon.

But there was no escape. Not from him.

Aiden's eyes narrowed, and with a thought, he was there—right in front of the Warden, blocking its path once more. The creature skidded to a halt, its body trembling with fear, unable to comprehend how Aiden had grown so powerful.

"I think it's time we end this, don't you think?," Aiden said, his voice low, final.

"H-how do you become so strongggg?!" the Warden stammered, its voice laced with disbelief and fear.

Aiden took a step closer, the ground beneath him vibrating with his energy. "Strength isn't just about power; it's about evolution, adaptation," he replied, his tone calm yet filled with an intensity that sent shivers down the Warden's spine.

Without another word, Aiden unleashed a devastating punch, driving his fist into the Warden's gut. The impact was brutal, a thunderous sound echoing through the air as flesh met bone. The Warden gasped, a look of shock crossing its face as blood sprayed from the wound, painting Aiden in crimson.

For a brief moment, time seemed to stand still. The Warden staggered backward, its eyes wide with disbelief and pain, grasping at the wound as blood flowed freely. But Aiden remained unmoved, his expression cold and devoid of emotion, a stark contrast to the chaos unfolding before him.

In that moment, Aiden changed completely. Not just in strength, but in demeanor. His emotions felt dead, buried beneath layers of rage and determination. The only thought that echoed in his mind was of Jonn.

"I will find you," he vowed silently, the weight of his resolve solidifying within him. "But for now, I'll grow stronger. When we meet again, I'll beat you until you come to your senses."

With that, Aiden soared into the skies, scanning the world below for any creature that could rival his strength. He quickly discovered that only three species inhabited this planet: the Voraths, fierce and primal; the Gargakoth, towering behemoths of immense power; and the Frost Wardens, icy guardians with abilities that chilled the very air around them.

Yet, no challenge proved sufficient to quench Aiden's thirst for power. Sensing the limitations of this world, he rocketed through the atmosphere, leaving the remnants of battle behind him. With a singular focus, he propelled himself toward the next planet, eager to find greater foes and push his abilities to their limits.