The weight still clung to his limbs. Every motion sent a tremor through his muscles, but Knox refused to falter. Gravity pressed down like an unrelenting tyrant, the invisible force threatening to grind him into the floor. His breaths came sharp and controlled, each one a battle against the strain.
Seraph lay sprawled nearby, arms flung out, chest rising and falling in uneven intervals. "This is actual hell," she muttered.
Knox exhaled. "It could be worse."
Seraph cracked an eye open and shot him a glare. "How?"
He smirked faintly. "We could be doing this underwater."
She groaned, rolling onto her side. "You're sadistic."
Knox took a deep breath and forced himself to strand. His legs felt like iron bars, stiff and sluggish, but he managed to straighten them. He turned his gaze toward the far end of the gravity chamber, where a solid wall of condensed energy shimmered—a barrier that kept their environment stable.
Knox clenched his fists. 'She let me live.'
The memory burned. That woman—Nyxara. She had stripped him of his power with a mere thought, erased his strength as if it were never his to begin with. And she hadn't even considered him a threat.
She had let him live, knowing it wouldn't matter.
No. His jaw tightened. 'It does matter.'
"You're thinking too much."
Seraph's move cut through his thoughts. She had propped herself up on her elbows, eyes sharp despite her exhaustion.
Knox glanced at her. "And you're not thinking enough."
She smirked. "Oh, I know what you're thinking. You're obsessing over it. Over her." She shook her head. "You're treating this like a game you lost. But Knox—this isn't a game."
He stared at her for a long moment before looking away. "I know that."
"Do you?" She pushed herself up, wincing at the strain. "Because it looks like you're still trying to prove something. To her."
Knox didn't answer.
Seraph sighed, rubbing her temples. "Listen. Training is one thing. Preparing is necessary. But if you're thinking that breaking yourself down over and over again is going to change the fact that she's on a completely different level—"
"I'm not trying to change that."
She frowned. "Then what are you trying to do?"
Knox was silent for a long moment.
Then, finally, he said, "I'm making sure the next time, I don't freeze."
Seraph's expression shifted.
Knox flexed his fingers, recalling the sensation of absolute helplessness. He had stood before something so vast, so incomprehensible, that for the first time in his life, he had felt small.
It had paralyzed him.
He had watched as his power vanished, as reality itself bent beneath a will greater than his own. And at that moment, he had done nothing.
That was what disgusted him the most.
Not the loss. Not the humiliation.
The hesitation.
Seraph studied him for a moment, then exhaled. "Alright," she muttered, stretching out her arms. "Then let's make sure you don't."
Knox raised an eyebrow. "You want to go again?"
She smirked. "You still have energy to stand, don't you?"
Knox rolled his shoulders, a slow grin forming. "Alright. But don't complain when you get knocked down first."
Seraph cracked her knuckles. "I never complain. I win."
They launched at each other.
They clashed again, fists meeting with the force of miniature shockwaves. Every movement burned. Every breath felt like inhaling molten lead.
They weren't fighting each other anymore. They were fighting their own limits.
And they would win.
One Week Later
The sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed in the chamber as Knox and Seraph blurred across the gravity room, their movements now sharp, fast, and deadly. Their air cracked as Knox dodged a lightning-fast jab, countering with a spinning elbow. Seraph twisted midair, using her wings to propel herself out of reach, her foot lashing out like a whip toward his head.
He caught it—barely.
She flipped, using the momentum to drive her other knee into his ribs. Knox grunted but absorbed the hit, grabbing her leg and twisted, slamming her into the ground with enough force to rattle the room.
Seraph growled and shot upward, wings flaring, her form vanishing in a blur. Knox's eyes flickered toward her just in time to see her reappear, her fist inches from his face. He titled his head, avoiding the strike by a hair's breadth, then retaliated with a brutal uppercut.
Seraph twisted, dodging in a way that seemed impossible a week ago. The gravity that once made them sluggish was now their playground.
They were faster. Stronger. More precise.
Seraph's wings blurred, a faint—Knox didn't fall for it. He dashed low, aiming for her legs, but she countered midair with a powerful downward kick. He caught her foot, twisted, and launched her across the room.
She flipped mid-flight, landed on the ground, and shot forward without hesitation.
Knox grinned.
'She's getting better.'
The flight continued, their blows a storm of controlled destruction, their bodies now in perfect harmony with the crushing gravity.
Then, at last, they stopped. Both panting. Both grinning.
Seraph wiped sweat from her brow. "I think... we're past the beginner stage."
Knox chuckled, stretching his sore muscles. "Not even close."
She rolled her eyes but didn't argue.
"Come on," Knox said, walking toward the exit. "Let's check on the others."
The Training Hall
The vast chamber had been transformed.
What was once a standard training area was now a gravity-enhanced warzone. The air felt denser, heavier—but it was only twice the normal gravity. For some, it was already unbearable. Others had adapted.
Max stood at the center, watching as warriors struggled under the invisible weight. Some moved well, others staggered, and a few lay collapsed, trying to catch their breath.
As Knox and Seraph approached, Max turned with a smirk. "You two look like you've been through hell."
Seraph scoffed. "We live in hell."
Max chuckled. "Good. Because this place is only going to get worse." He gestured toward the chamber. "We converted the entire training area into a gravity room—twice the normal weight. Some are already used to it." He nodded toward a group of fighters moving fluidly despite the resistance. "Others... not so much."
Knox watched as a soldier stumbled mid-punch, his body sluggish under the force. Another collapsed completely, gasping for air.
Max continued. "We're already working on another chamber. One for those who've adapted. The weight there will be.... considerably higher."
Knox nodded. "Good. They need to be at their best."
Max folded his arms. "And you? Done with your training?"
Knox shook his head. "Not yet." He turned to Seraph. "Go back to the gravity room. Keep increasing the weight as you adapt."
Seraph raised a brow. "And you?"
Knox smirked. "I have something else to do."
She stared at him for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. But don't come crying to me if you get yourself killed."
Knox chuckled. "Noted."
With that, he turned and left.
Knox stepped outside the base, feeling the crisp air against his skin. He tilted his head up, staring at the vast expanse of space beyond the planet's atmosphere.
Then, without hesitation, he launched upward.
The wind roared past him as he ascended, the sky darkening as he breached the outer layers of the atmosphere. Soon, the world was below him—a small, distant sphere against the infinite black.
He floated there for a moment, staring out the void.
Then, he spoke.
"Kaelina."
Her voice echoed in his mind. ["Yes, Knox?"]
"If I fly into the sun... will I survive?"
A brief silence. Then amusement tinged her voice.
["Yes. Now that you are at 100%, your body can withstand the heat. And even if something did go wrong, the suit will protect you. It grows with you—I made sure of that."]
Knox smirked. "Good to know."
He turned his gaze toward the distant, burning star. It pulsed with raw energy, an inferno of unimaginable power.
A deep breath.
Then, he shot forward.
Within seconds, he reached the Sun, hovering above its surface. The fire raged beneath him, a sea of molten fury.
Knox exhaled, then dove in.
The flames wrapped around him, consuming him whole. The pressure, the heat—it was overwhelming.
But he did not burn.
He embraced it.
Deeper.
Deeper.
Until he reached the core.
There, in the heart of the Sun, he sat in a lotus position, closed his eyes—
And let the fire consume him.