MYTHIC UNITED
The sun was just beginning to rise over Lumisgrave, casting a golden hue across the city as early birds chirped faintly in the cool air. A quiet mist clung to the massive walls of the Mythic Base, where banners representing each of the sixteen Mythic-ranked warriors swayed gently in the breeze. Today wasn't like any ordinary day—it was one of unity and challenge. For the first time since the attack of the goblins and imps, all sixteen Mythic-ranked members had gathered for a collective training session in the Mythic Training Grounds.
The grounds were expansive—an enormous open-air field surrounded by tall stone columns and ancient statues of past Echelon Knights. At the far end stood a series of sparring dummies and elemental testing zones, while at the center lay a circular arena for combat and demonstrations. Each Mythic had their own training preferences, but today, they had agreed to push their limits.
Arslan arrived in his usual silence, dressed in his modified Mythic robe—dark with metallic streaks, embodying both elegance and shadow. His steps were slow but firm, and his eyes scanned the grounds before taking a place by a tree's shade. The others had already begun warming up.
Inside his mind, Kar'Thael stirred.
> "Ah, all the shiny elites are out today," Kar'Thael whispered. "We should be careful.So we just use reshape of dark energy as all of them know about it.Today, we shape a new weapon—something none of them have ever seen. But before that…"
He paused dramatically.
> "…you'll be doing some intense physical training. Don't forget, the stronger the body, the more wrath the weapon can carry."
Arslan exhaled. "I figured you'd say that."
---
The Physical Grind Begins
Before touching any energy technique, Arslan knelt beside a stone bench and began a grueling regimen:
100 push-ups
100 pull-ups
50 chin-ups
Intense shadow dodging drills where he mimicked fast evasions under his own projected shadows
Sprints across the edge of the field while bearing the weight of dark energy pressure on his back
Mythic members took notice.
"Is he punishing himself?" Ravik Durn, the Stone Armorer, muttered.
Yuna Solthrae, the healer, smiled. "He just heals slow... but grows fast."
---
Now that all were assembled, they began their group training sequence. Here's how each Mythic member trained and expressed their unique abilities:
---
1. Vaelith Ren – Life Restoration
He stood barefoot on the ground, hands forward, channeling green pulses into dying plants. His aura pulsed in rhythm with the Earth, healing soil and trees. "The world doesn't fight back… it remembers."
2. Ismere Daeva – Blood Echo
Ismere practiced against a blood-illusion of herself, recreating enemy moves from past battles. Her signature move: Vein Mirage, allowed her to parry future strikes based on echoes of blood energy.
3. Tharion Vale – Earthshock
With his massive gauntlets, Tharion struck the ground, sending tremors in patterns. "This is to simulate battlefield control," he explained, as stone pillars emerged, then crumbled.
4. Nirela Quen – Moonlight Control
Despite the daylight, Nirela harnessed lunar energy, creating shimmering arcs of light in her palms. Her technique, Silver Drift, was used to reflect attacks harmlessly back toward their origin.
Arslan glanced briefly at her, but quickly turned away.
> "Uffff.... Her eyes.She can reflect attack" Kar'Thael whispered, teasing.
> "Shut up and focus," Arslan replied internally.
---
5. Caelis Morvayn – Frostbind
Caelis summoned thin blades of ice mid-air, launching them at heat targets. His field became a frozen arena. He tested how long enemies could stay conscious in the cold without falling into a frost trance.
6. Yuna Solthrae – Healing Pulse
Yuna trained by taking minor wounds from controlled dummies and healing them instantly. Her pulse skill was precise, often healing others before they even registered the pain.
7. Ravik Durn – Stone Armoring
Ravik trained with Tharion, forming moving armor from surrounding rubble and adapting it to different combat forms—thin skin, thick plating, and even spiked boulder suits.
8. Seris Vahla – Toxin Manipulation
Seris practiced forming smoke-like toxins that affected emotions. She summoned pink and green vapors, inducing laughter, confusion, or lethargy in animal test subjects, then reversed it just as quickly.
9. Orien Dravell – Soulflash
Orien's practice was with soul echoes. He fought shadows of his own fears—old friends, dead enemies—and banished them with soul-light daggers.
10. Maelis Kyrn – Flora Rejuvenation
She worked beside Vaelith, her power causing vines to bloom even from stone. She tested their grip and regeneration time under stress.
11. Tarric Vohl – Thunderstep
Tarric vanished in crackles of static, reappearing behind enemies. He trained with speed bursts—five-step teleport combos in one breath.
12. Zhalya Neris – Blood Sight
With blindfold on, Zhalya "saw" through blood senses—she trained her aim and intuition, targeting movements she couldn't see.
13. Kyren Daxe – Heat Pulse
Kyren formed heated fields that exploded in concentric circles. Each pulse wave had to be perfectly timed or risk overheating the ground.
14. Elyra Thorne – Emotion Freeze
She froze the aggressive emotions of sparring dummies. Her test? To see if they'd pause in battle without understanding why.
15. Malrik Envor – Rune Surge
He carved energy runes on surfaces, creating timed traps and boosts. His training was tactical, not brute-force.
---
Arslan's New Weapon: Abyssal Fang
With everyone distracted in their own zones, Arslan found a quiet moment. Kar'Thael's voice emerged again:
> "Time to craft the Abyssal Fang… This is more than a blade. It's a focus. A symbol. Shape your energy like a fang formed from vengeance."
Arslan extended his hand. A shimmering blade of blackened violet emerged—long, slender, and razor-curved, with a glowing red pulse at the hilt. It emitted a faint hum—sentient in nature.
He slashed it in a wide arc, and the ground split slightly.
Kar'Thael continued, "The Abyssal Fang is not just sharp. It bends shadows, distorts light. Use it not to destroy—but to erase presence."
---
A Brief Spar
Seeing Arslan now armed, Tarric Vohl stepped into the circle.
"Wanna test it?"
Arslan nodded silently.
The spar was brief but explosive. Arslan used Dark Bow ➔ Shadow Blades ➔ Shield Impact ➔ Abyssal Fang in rapid succession.
Tarric grinned after narrowly evading the final slash.
"You're a quiet beast, Arslan."
Others clapped. Even Nirela watched closely from behind a pillar, saying nothing, but her gaze said everything.
---
Kar'Thael's Whisper
> "You blended physical exhaustion with sharp mental control today. I felt your aura ripple. This is what ascension feels like."
---
As training ended, all Mythics gathered for hydration and rest. Yuna offered a healing pulse to anyone with minor injuries. Tharion clapped Arslan on the back. Seris teased him for finally "playing along."
For a moment, Arslan felt like he belonged.
---
He walked away in silence, back to his room.
Kar'Thael whispered,
> "This was a good day, wasn't it?"
Arslan didn't reply. But for the first time, his mind didn't resist the voice inside him.
Not with fear.
But with balance.