Training, Bonds, and the Embodied Void

The weeks that followed the liberation of Serene Brook were an interlude of peace and preparation.Nyxra's castle, now cleansed of the Umbraclaw Clan's influence, became the group's temporary base of operations. Under Lyren's guidance, they transformed the training courtyard into their personal arena.

"Faster, Kaien! Your flourishes are pretty, but a dead enemy is even prettier!" Zaya shouted, dodging a dagger strike from her brother and retaliating with a paralyzing pulse from her drone that made Kaien stumble.

"It's about terrifying the enemy with style, little sister!" he panted, regaining his balance. "Death is temporary, but fabulousness is forever!"

Elsewhere, Lyren was instructing Mika. "Your agility is your greatest asset, Mika, but it's reactive. You need to anticipate. Feel the flow of battle, don't just respond to it." He drew his bow, but instead of an arrow, a soft breeze emanated from it, pushing Mika off balance. "Feel the wind before it becomes a storm."

Mika frowned, focusing. "Got it. Be the wind, not the leaf. I have to admit, pointy-ears, you're a good teacher."

In the middle of it all, Aeron Mithraldrake practiced his new ability. He would dissolve into a pool of shadow on the ground and reappear on the other side of the courtyard in a blink—nearly instantaneous. The "Shadow Step" was powerful, but consumed a significant amount of energy.

"The cost is still too high for continuous use in combat," he muttered to himself, his voice an echo of metal and shadow.

It was during one of those training days that a new figure joined them.Lian arrived—not as the timid innkeeper's son, but with new determination in his eyes. He wore an outfit of his own design: a short tunic of white and green linen, with practical shorts and leather pouches full of herbs and bandages hanging from his belt.

"I want to go with you," he announced, his voice clear and firm, interrupting the training.

Everyone stopped."Lian, it's dangerous," Zaya said gently.

"I know," he replied, looking directly at Aeron. "That's why you need me. You're fighters, warriors. But who heals your wounds? Who eases your pain? I may not have Aeron's strength or Mika's speed, but I can keep you standing to fight another day. I want to do my part. Let me be your healer."

There was a moment of silence. Mika looked from Lian to Aeron, arms crossed, a barely hidden expression of jealousy on his face. But it was Aeron who made the decision. He saw the logic. A dedicated healer was an invaluable tactical resource.

"You have courage, Lian," Aeron said. "And courage is a weapon as valid as any blade. Welcome to the team."

A radiant smile lit up Lian's face. The team was now a sextet.

The dynamic subtly shifted. Lian was quiet, but his presence was soothing. He tended to their wounds after training, prepared invigorating teas, and brought a calm that balanced Kaien and Mika's chaotic energy. And his devotion to Aeron was evident—something Mika did not fail to notice, resulting in a silent competition to see who could stay closer to the dragon.

It was one night, as they all sat gathered around a campfire in the courtyard, that their world came to a halt.

The air suddenly turned cold. Not normal cold, but absolute cold—the total absence of heat and life. The flames of the fire flickered and went out, leaving only embers that seemed frozen in time. The twilight sky above the castle became a deep, starless black. The silence was so complete they could hear the blood pulsing in their ears.

And then—he appeared.

In the center of the courtyard, space folded in on itself and opened—not with light, but with darkness. From it emerged a figure.Neth'Rakul. In person.

He was exactly as in the visions: a silhouette of cosmic armor that seemed to contain the night itself. Wherever his gaze fell, color and life seemed to drain away. He didn't walk—he was simply there.

"So," Neth'Rakul's voice echoed—not in the air, but directly into their minds, a cacophony of a thousand dying civilizations. "This is the anomaly. A handful of noisy children and a broken relic."

Fear was a physical force—a pressure that crushed them, threatening to shatter their bones.Lian collapsed to his knees, trembling. Kaien, for the first time, was speechless, pale as a ghost.

Aeron was the first to move, placing himself in front of the group, a shield of metal against the incarnation of entropy."Neth'Rakul."

"Relic," the cosmic god repeated, his "head" tilted. "You feel it, don't you? The echo of the light you once were. A faint echo. It's pathetic."

"We destroyed your Commander," Zaya managed to say, her voice trembling but defiant. "And we'll destroy the rest."

Neth'Rakul let out a sound that might have been laughter—a sound that fractured the soul."You destroyed a pawn. A pawn I allowed to be taken. You are part of my game, not a threat to it. Your struggle, your hope… they amuse me. Like the final convulsions of a dying star before it goes dark."

He raised a hand."But the game is growing dull. I thought I'd come remind you of your place."

"We are not your toys!" Mika shouted, overcoming his fear with rage. He lunged forward, a blur of agility.

It was a mistake.

Neth'Rakul didn't move. He simply extended a finger.Before Mika could get within a meter of him, an invisible wave of force struck. Mika was hurled back like a rag doll, crashing into the castle wall with a sickening thud and dropping to the ground, unconscious.

"MIKA!" Lian screamed.

Fury overtook the group.

"NOW!" Aeron roared.

They all attacked at once. Aeron dashed with Shadow Step, reappearing behind the god with his blade ready. Zaya, Kaien, and Lyren unleashed everything they had: lightning, daggers, arrows of light.

Neth'Rakul merely raised a hand and closed his fist.

The universe around him contracted.Aeron's attack froze inches from its target, suspended in the air. The daggers, arrows, and lightning disintegrated into dust before reaching him.Then, a wave of pure gravitational force exploded from the god's fist.

It wasn't an attack. It was reality collapsing.

Aeron and the others were slammed into the ground as if a mountain had dropped on them.Aeron's armor groaned and creaked, threatening to shatter. The pain was excruciating—overwhelming.Consciousness slipped away.

When they awoke—minutes or maybe hours later—he was gone. The sky had returned to normal. The fire was lit again. If not for Mika, still unconscious and being tended to by a frantic Lian, and the throbbing pain in every bone of their bodies, it might have all felt like a nightmare.

But the message left in their minds was clear—an echo from the god:

[...Weak. Grow stronger. Make the game more interesting. Or next time... I won't let you wake up.]

They had tasted the true power of their enemy.And for the first time, victory didn't just seem difficult.

It seemed impossible.