Weakness

However, Akib had no idea there was no floor beneath him. His stomach lurched as he plummeted into the endless void beside the colossal tree, limbs flailing helplessly. The world around him blurred in a rush of motion and panic, but amidst the chaos, a voice rang out, calm and unsettling.

"Did you ever wonder what the fourth dimension is?"

Akib froze in midair, his mind racing. That voice—he knew it. He spun around, desperately searching for its source. Nothing. Just the echo of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. Before he could make sense of it, the voice came again, this time from behind.

"It's Time!"

Before Akib could even react, a powerful kick struck his back with the force of a sledgehammer, sending him crashing down hard into the stone floor below. His body crumpled on impact, bones feeling like they had shattered into a thousand pieces. His breath escaped him in a single, ragged gasp. He could feel tears welling up, his vision blurring as pain overtook him. His mind screamed for escape, but his body refused to move.

Hopelessness swallowed him whole. He was helpless. He couldn't understand Somnia's abilities, couldn't land a single blow on his enemies. His harpoon, the one weapon he could rely on, had turned into liquid the moment it left his hands. His strength, his resolve—it all felt meaningless.

Through the haze of pain, Akib saw him. Anim Das, Arindom's elder brother, loomed over him, a sneer twisting his features into something monstrous. He pressed his boot against Akib's face, pushing down cruelly, forcing his head into the dirt. The pressure on his mouth and jaw was unbearable, suffocating.

"The heck!?" Anim spat, his voice filled with contempt as Akib lay broken beneath him.

But something in Akib snapped. With nothing left to lose, he bit down. His teeth sank into Anim's boot. Hard. Anim recoiled, shock and rage lighting up his face.

"What the hell are you doing, you filthy pest!?"

With a furious shout, Anim lifted his foot and kicked Akib away like a ragdoll. Akib's body flew through the air, crashing into a concrete wall with a sickening thud. His body half-embedded into the stone, hanging there, limp and lifeless like a discarded puppet. Every bone in his body screamed in agony, and blood trickled down the back of his neck. He could barely keep his eyes open, but his heart—his misplaced, pounding heart—refused to give up.

As Akib's vision dimmed, Anim approached slowly, savoring the moment. He reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a lighter. His movements were deliberate, like a predator playing with its prey.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the air like a knife.

"Excuse me," it said, dripping with menace. "That kid is *my* target."

Anim stiffened. His eyes widened for a split second, but he quickly masked his surprise. Turning around, he saw the silhouette of a man cloaked in darkness, a figure that seemed to blur with the shadows themselves.

But Anim didn't falter. He flicked the lighter, igniting it with a sharp click, and with a sudden, violent motion, crushed it in his hand. The lighter exploded in a flash of fire, and within moments, the flames engulfed the room. His own men screamed as the inferno consumed them, the smell of burning flesh filling the air. Their death cries echoed through the burning building, but Anim showed no mercy. His eyes gleamed with a cruel satisfaction as the fire surged around him, painting him in shades of red and orange.

The flames reflected in his dead, soulless eyes as he whispered, "Your weakness isn't always something to laugh off."

Before long, the entire basement was ablaze, the fire spreading rapidly, fueled by the hatred and destruction Anim had left in his wake. But the mysterious figure moved quickly. He grabbed Akib's broken body, slinging him over his shoulder. With one hand, he picked up Arindom, unconscious but alive. The flames licked at their heels, but the figure moved with unnatural speed, darting through the smoke and flames, breaking through the first floor with a thunderous crash.

Once they were outside, the man raised his hand, and a barrier of shimmering energy formed around the building, trapping the flames within. The fire roared, but it couldn't spread. The commotion outside began to rise, people gathering in confusion, but the mysterious figure said nothing. He simply dropped Akib and Arindom on the cold, hard ground and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

Akib, barely conscious, lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling, the distant voices of bystanders fading into a dull hum. His body wasn't broken, the guy somehow fixed his wounds, but what hurt the most was his pride. His mind was drowning in thoughts of inadequacy.

"I'm not strong enough… I'm not smart enough…"

The words repeated in his head, louder and louder, until they were the only thing he could hear. Tears welled up in his eyes, mixing with the blood on his face. The realization of his weakness was crushing, a weight he couldn't bear. He had failed. He had nothing left.

---

As Anim lay dying in the flames, his skin crackling under the heat, he thought back to the moment his life changed forever. That day when both he and his brother faced an accident, they were accidentally given Aetherian blood leading him to awaken forbidden abilities. In exchange, he promised to stand by Aetherians untill the end

But the end had come, and all Anim could think about was how even in death, he was nothing more than a pawn in someone else's game.

With his last breath, Anim closed his borrowed eyes, and let the flames take him.