TRAINING BEFORE FIGHT

The moon hung low over Lumisgrave, a ghostly sentinel casting pale silver light across the spires and ridges of the Mythic Base. Most of the city was asleep, resting in uneasy slumber as anxiety swirled around the strange and sudden emergence of the Demon Sites.

Arslan stood near the balcony of his chamber, eyes fixed in the direction of the Lake District. A faint pulsing shimmer on the horizon marked the location of one of the Sites. Even from this distance, he could feel it—a dull pressure in the air, like something breathing beneath the earth.

"This isn't normal," Arslan muttered.

"No," Kar'Thael's voice echoed within him, grim and focused. "The ground is not just wounded... it's infected. These Sites are not just entry points. They're beginnings."

Arslan turned, his brow furrowed. "I don't think we can handle this the way we handled ZARELLE. We need more. We need to go there not just to investigate, but prepared for whatever might rise."

"You mean... you want me to teach you another technique."

"Yes," Arslan said, a note of urgency in his voice. "Something strong. Something different."

Kar'Thael paused. For a moment, there was only the wind.

Then came the reply, smooth and deliberate: "Come. To the training ground. Tonight."

The moon hung low, half-veiled behind storm-brewing clouds, casting silver shadows across the obsidian-surfaced Mythic Training Grounds. The torches embedded along the periphery flickered in rhythm with the breeze, each flame trembling like the anticipation in Arslan's heart.

Kar'Thæl stood at the center of the circle, arms folded, his long, ember-wrapped cloak rustling around his armored form. Arslan approached him, silent but determined.

> Arslan: "I want more than just readiness. I want to crush what's coming."

Kar'Thæl narrowed his glowing eyes, then gave a subtle nod.

> Kar'Thæl: "Then I will teach you the Surge... But once started, it will shake every vein in your body."

> Arslan (without hesitation): "I can take it."

The training ground began to pulse. Kar'Thæl raised one clawed hand, fingers arcing inward as if pulling something from the void.

> Kar'Thæl: "The technique is called Eclipture Surge. A release of all inner energy — but not blindly. It's funneled through every muscle, every nerve, amplified by a rhythm, a state of resonance between soul and will."

He drew a small sigil in the air, a ring of red glyphs that hovered like molten runes. It spun, then shot into Arslan's chest — not hurting him, but unlocking something.

Arslan stumbled back slightly.

> Arslan: "What was that?"

> Kar'Thæl: "A seal breaker. It released the first key to your Surge Potential. Now, mirror me."

Kar'Thæl took a wide stance. One hand extended forward, the other drawn back near his ribs. He closed his eyes, exhaled sharply — and his aura shifted.

His fiery energy collapsed inward for a moment — and then exploded outward, but controlled, almost musical in its wave.

> Kar'Thæl: "The Eclipture Surge starts not from power… but from intention. You must focus your rage, your grief, your conviction — and force it into rhythm."

Arslan mirrored the stance. Eyes shut. Breath slowed. Around him, faint pulses of shadow and violet-blue light began to flicker — unstable, trembling.

> Kar'Thæl: "Don't contain it. Command it."

With a roar, Arslan thrust his energy forward — but the wave collapsed, erupting in a chaotic burst that threw him to the ground.

He coughed, gasping.

> Arslan: "Tch... again."

He stood up.

Again.

Then again.

Each time, the energy bent closer to the right form.

Kar'Thæl observed silently until — on the fifth attempt — it happened.

Arslan's aura sank into stillness, coalescing into threads of pitch-black lightning crackling across his body. His hair lifted with energy. His eyes shimmered in dark amethyst flame.

> Kar'Thæl: "Now... release it."

Arslan extended his right hand. The energy surged into his arm — and with a single punch forward, a wave of distorted force shot across the training field, not in a straight line but in a spiraling arc. The ground cracked. The trees beyond the fence bent backward from the pressure.

A 30-meter trench scorched the training field, glowing faintly with dark fire.

Silence.

Kar'Thæl smiled — genuinely.

> Kar'Thæl: "You did it. That's the first stage of Eclipture Surge."

> Arslan (wiping sweat from his brow): "There's... more?"

> Kar'Thæl: "Three stages in total. Each exponentially stronger. But unlocking the second will cost you part of your soul's reserve. For now — let this one settle in your bones."

Arslan looked down at his hand, trembling, still buzzing with aftershock.

> Arslan: "It felt like I was pulling from something deeper than me…"

> Kar'Thæl: "Because you were. You drew from your essence, not just your energy. It's a technique meant for those who fight not for glory… but to survive."

He placed a firm hand on Arslan's shoulder.

> Kar'Thæl: "Tonight, you became a little more dangerous."

And with that, they walked from the scorched field, the trench behind them a symbol of what was coming — and what would stand against it.

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___________NOTE_______________

🔥 Technique Breakdown: Eclipture Surge (Stage One)

Type: Offensive Technique

Range: Mid-to-Long

Effect: Releases a spiraled wave of concentrated soul-energy in a crescent arc, causing terrain disruption and short paralysis of affected demons.

Downside: Requires significant spiritual control. Overuse can cause aura collapse or energy burnout.

Stage 2: Requires battle activation.

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