The Core of the Universe
The wind stopped at the center of the square.As if even time itself was holding its breath.
Two figures faced each other.One—a seasoned swordsman who had seen countless wars.The other… just a boy.
But in that boy's eyes—burned a fire that no one else could see.
Zeoth stood, refusing the wooden sword offered to him.Because he wasn't a swordsman.He was a mage.The only mage in the world…who could not use magic.
The swordsman narrowed his eyes."Ready?"
Zeoth swallowed hard.His heart pounded like thunder in his chest.His legs trembled. Sweat ran down his brow.But he did not back down.
"Can I really win…?"The doubt whispered from deep within.
And then—
The swordsman charged.
Like lightning.His blade sliced the air in a blur.
Before Zeoth could even react—
TIME FROZE.
Colors drained from the world.Wind vanished.Sound disappeared.Only darkness remained.
And in that darkness—
A voice echoed.
"DO YOU TRULY WISH TO WIN?"
Zeoth dropped to his knees inside the void.Breathless. Alone.
But his voice was firm.
"Of course I do! I have to protect Elizabeth!She's… my best friend!"
Laughter shook the void.A deep, cosmic sound.
"Hah! The universe entrusted its Core…to a child like you?How amusing…"
"Very well.Then take it.But only for a few seconds.Any more… and your body will break."
REALITY – TIME RESUMES
The sword fell.
But Zeoth was gone.
The swordsman's eyes darted, stunned.
"Huh? I… I was sure I landed the hit—"
Then—A voice behind him.Cold. Echoing. Inhuman.
"D O N O T D I E ."
Zeoth stood behind him.A force—unnatural, suffocating—wrapped around him.
His eyes gleamed like galaxies.His expression… empty.His voice wasn't a threat—It was a warning.
Not out of mercy.But because the power he now held…was not meant for mortals.
He reached forward—grasped the blade mid-air.
And pushed.
A pressure, like the burst of a collapsing star, erupted from his body.
The swordsman was flung backward like a ragdoll—so fast the very air screamed.
From the side, Tharion—the Captain—leapt forward, catching the man in mid-air.
Silence.
The world… froze.
Elizabeth stood motionless.Tears streamed down her cheeks—not from fear alone,but from something deeper.
Awe.
This wasn't the Zeoth she knew.This wasn't the shy, self-doubting boy who drew magic circles in the dirt.
This was something else.
She stared into those star-lit eyes…
And shivered.
Lily lowered her head, fists clenched tight.
She knew this power.She had always known.
And deep down—
It terrified her.
ZEOTH'S MIND – THE VOID
Zeoth knelt in the same black space that haunted his dreams.
But this time…
He couldn't wake up.
REALITY – THE POWER FADES
Light cracked across his skin like shattering glass.
His eyes dulled.
And then—he collapsed.
"ZEOTH!"
Elizabeth screamed, sprinting to his side.
She dropped to her knees, cradling his face.
"Please… open your eyes… Please…"
The King dismounted slowly.His voice was low, but firm.
"This aura…is far beyond what any child should possess."
He turned to Lily.
"You told us this boy couldn't use magic.Did you lie to me?"
Lily didn't flinch.
Her voice was cool. But tight.
"No. I didn't lie.Zeoth is… cursed.Born without the ability to use magic.
But his obsession with it…is what drew me to take him in.I never expected this."
She paused.Then added, flatly:
"Even I… cannot explain what just happened."
Of course—
That, too, was a lie.
Lily knew exactly what had happened.
She had known about the Core.She had known what was sleeping inside him.
But Zeoth…had crossed the threshold far earlier than she feared.
And that…
Scared her more than she'd ever admit.
But still…
One question lingered like smoke after a fire—
Who even is this woman named Lily?And how does she know all of this?