NIGHT SHIFT

The moon hung like a silver guardian above the Mythic Base, bathing the land in a soft glow. The courtyard lay quiet, wind brushing against stone and lanterns flickering in the breeze. Inside Arslan's room, the atmosphere was still, but his thoughts were not. He had spent the day training with the Mythic members, helping them stabilize their newly emerging powers, particularly helping Seris Vahla maintain her toxic aura without losing control. It was exhausting, but something about working with the others had brought a calmness to him.

Then Kar'Thael's voice cut into his thoughts like a silent knife.

Kar'Thael (serious tone): "It's time. Get up. Tonight, we begin the seventh technique."

Arslan sighed, pulling himself up. His muscles ached, but his mind was already shifting into focus. He dressed silently, wrapped his wrist guard tight, and stepped out into the night. The air was crisp. A perfect atmosphere for what was to come.

They met at the training ground. The silence of the world felt almost sacred, and the only sound was the slow breath of Arslan and the faint crackle of Kar'Thael's dark energy.

Kar'Thael: "What I will teach you tonight is not a defense, not a retreat. It is an offensive wave meant to break armies. It is called Noir Tempest."

Arslan: "Noir Tempest...?"

Kar'Thael: "It draws power from your deepest fury and channels it through precision movement and explosive energy surge. Think of it like a storm — calm at first, but when it breaks, it devastates everything."

---

Kar'Thael guided Arslan to stand still, eyes closed, grounding his feet like roots piercing the ground.

Kar'Thael: "You must draw power not from the air, but from the void in yourself. The pain. The loss. Your unspoken anger."

As Arslan focused, memories surged. The devils that attacked Lumisgrave. The sight of innocent citizens torn apart. The helplessness of standing before mid-tier demon threats. The grief of not knowing his family's fate. Shadows began swirling around his feet. Not summoned—extracted from his core.

Kar'Thael nodded.

Kar'Thael: "Now channel it outward. Let it crawl up your spine and lock into your arms."

The aura climbed. Arslan's fists clenched, his breathing deepened, and a visible storm cloud of obsidian mist formed around his body.

---

Kar'Thael: "Now create four points in your mind. North. South. East. West. Your attack will spiral out in all directions."

Arslan crouched low, then in a burst of movement, shot forward, dragging his shadow behind like a comet. As he reached the center of the training field, he slammed his fist into the ground.

The energy split into four tendrils of darkness, firing in cardinal directions. The visual looked like an ink explosion spreading across canvas.

Kar'Thael: "Good. But not strong enough. Let's amplify it."

---

Now came the heart of the attack.

Kar'Thael instructed Arslan to manifest a rotating orb of energy — a storm nucleus at his center.

It was incredibly difficult.

Every ounce of his stamina bled out as he concentrated. His ribs ached. His knees buckled. His vision blurred. But still, a spinning mass began to form above his open palm. A black sphere with small arcs of lightning circling it.

Kar'Thael: "When you throw it, it will split into multiple strikes—like lightning from a god's wrath."

Arslan hurled it. The orb soared forward and then exploded mid-air. Shards of black energy pierced the area in a perfect 360-degree arc, leaving burn marks across the stone floor.

The training field shuddered. The earth cracked slightly at the edges.

---

Kar'Thael: "The real trick... is what comes after."

As the shards struck, Kar'Thael told Arslan to pull back the expelled energy. Recalling the remaining aura to strike a second time.

The recall drained everything.

Arslan coughed, stumbling, yet summoned the final sparks. They regrouped around his fists. Then—like twin battering rams—he pounded the ground, releasing a final shockwave.

He collapsed.

---

Aftermath

When he woke, Kar'Thael had placed a canister of charged herbs by his side.

Arslan (groggy): "That... was brutal."

Kar'Thael: "But worth it. You just created a battlefield technique that even Zeniths don't know. Noir Tempest is yours now."

Arslan laughed weakly. "At this rate, I'll never live to see ten techniques."

Kar'Thael smirked. "Don't be dramatic."

They walked back to the base in silence. As they entered Arslan's room, Kar'Thael leaned casually against the bookshelf.

Arslan turned slightly, raising an eyebrow.

Arslan: "Tell me one thing…"

Kar'Thael: "About what?"

Arslan (smirking): "Are you married or not?"

Kar'Thael blinked in silence for a second, like someone who hadn't heard that question in a long time.

Kar'Thael: "Why do you ask?"

Arslan: "Well... just by observing your 'age, I thought I should."

Kar'Thael sat on the windowsill of Arslan's mind, smiling faintly in the shadows. For a moment, he said nothing.

Arslan (pressing): "So?"

Kar'Thael (after a pause): "Yes. I'm married."

Arslan leaned forward, surprised. "Then why didn't you ever tell me?"

Kar'Thael (softly): "I didn't think it was necessary."

Arslan: "Where is she now?"

The mood turned still.

Kar'Thael (quietly): "She was captured… by the demons. Long ago."

Arslan sat up straighter, his voice lower now. "We'll reach her. I promise."

Kar'Thael didn't respond, but a grateful silence lingered between them.

Then—breaking it—Arslan smirked. "So… is she beautiful? Or just like your smug face?"

Kar'Thael (offended): "Hey! Smug face?! In my world, girls wandered around me!"

Arslan (laughing): "OMG, really?"

Kar'Thael (with mock pride): "Yes! And for your information, she was the most beautiful woman in all the realms. So hot… her eyes could melt the glaciers of Oryth."

Arslan (grinning): "So, what about my sister-in-law? Tell me more!"

Kar'Thael (with a shy smile): "She had golden hair that shimmered like wildfire. Her smile could stop storms. Her aura... radiant. Elegant. No other woman ever came close."

The mood softened, Arslan now smiling as he imagined it.

Then Kar'Thael teased with a calm, cheeky tone.

Kar'Thael: "You should get married soon."

Arslan: "I'm not interested in it… not yet."

Kar'Thael (chuckling): "I don't know... I think you'll regret it when you see someone like Nirela Quen with another guy."

Arslan narrowed his eyes. "Don't start that."

Kar'Thael: "Her eyes change when she sees you. Her voice softens. Her energy shifts. You really don't notice it?"

Arslan: "Maybe you're the one in love with her, not me."

Kar'Thael: "Nah, I'm married. You're the one she looks at like you're her whole constellation."

Arslan (getting under the blanket): "Just stop it already. I have to sleep."

Kar'Thael (laughing): "What happens if she shows up in your dreams tonight?"

Arslan (muttering): "Shut up, man. Do some rest."

As Kar'Thael's laughter faded in the back of his mind, Arslan finally closed his eyes. And for the first time in a while, sleep came softly, like moonlight dancing on calm water.