"Uh… what… what happened?" Pralaya muttered as he stirred, slowly lifting himself from the chair. His limbs felt heavy, like they were made of lead. "I feel like I just got hit by a mountain," he joked weakly, wincing at the soreness rippling through his body.
Arun approached with his usual carefree stride, but his red eyes were sharp, scanning Pralaya like a puzzle he couldn't quite solve. As he reached him, his expression softened back into its usual laid-back grin.
"Kid, how you holding up?" he asked casually.
Pralaya shot him a tired glare but didn't respond. Arun only chuckled in return.
"So… what happened back there?" Arun asked again, this time more gently.
Pralaya, now halfway standing, rubbed his temple and replied, "I don't really know. I found myself in this void… like a sea of darkness that stretched out forever. No end. It was completely silent. Then, there was this thing… like a black hole floating above me. I lifted my hand—instinctively—and it moved toward me. It entered my body."
He paused, trying to recall more, but everything else was a blur.
"That's all I can remember."
Arun's eyes narrowed slightly, clearly suspecting there was more beneath the surface.
Before he could press further, another presence approached.
Michael.
With silver hair that shimmered like moonlight and eyes like liquid mercury, he exuded an overwhelming aura of stillness and power. Pralaya didn't need an introduction to know this man was no ordinary figure.
Just as Arun opened his mouth to speak, Pralaya whispered, almost involuntarily, "Michael…"
Michael smiled gently. "Nice to meet you. I only wish it were under better circumstances."
Pralaya returned a faint, almost mechanical smile. "No worries…"
Michael took a step closer, his gaze calm. "Can you describe the place you found yourself in?"
Pralaya hesitated, then repeated, "It was like a void… but it didn't feel like one. There was a black hole above me. That's the only thing I clearly remember."
Michael's expression grew thoughtful. He turned to Arun. "I believe Pralaya possesses a Soul Space."
Arun froze in surprise, then quickly looked at Pralaya before turning back to Michael, disbelief flickering in his gaze.
"A soul what?" Pralaya asked, frowning.
Michael's voice turned instructional. "A Soul Space… is an inner domain that exists within one's very soul. Think of it as a personal sanctuary, a spiritual world. It's where a Śūnyavāda can train their spirit,view the progression of their karmic cores."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"A Soul Space is a reflection of your very nature,and your abilities. But not everyone has one. In fact, it's incredibly rare. Only Śūnyavāda who have reached the fifth cycle of the Earthly Core can begin to awaken it. And even fewer ever manage to do so. By the seventh cycle, if one survives, they can even manifest it into reality."
Michael stepped aside, picking a translucent flower from the edge of the garden. He turned it over in his fingers as if contemplating something deeper.
"I'm certain the place you described… was your Soul Space."
Arun let out a long breath. "If that's true… then he's far beyond what we expected."
Michael didn't look away from the flower. "Which is why… I'm allowing him to take the test."
Arun gave a faint, unreadable smile and nodded.
"Get him ready," Michael continued, "before the Red Blood Moon rises. I can tell by looking at him—he doesn't know how to fight. He doesn't even understand his own abilities yet."
"I'll do what I can in two weeks," Arun replied.
Pralaya thought. "Two weeks?" Before he could even process the thought, Arun clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Let's go."
"Go where?" Pralaya asked.
"Back to your room," Arun said. "I'd start your training now, but I think you need a day's rest first."
As they walked out of the sanctum garden, Pralaya couldn't help but glance back at Michael.
There was something about the man—something oddly familiar. Like he'd met him before, in another life or another dream. Michael simply smiled and raised his hand in a casual wave.
The gesture sent a chill down Pralaya's spine.
As they moved through the winding corridors, Pralaya asked, "Why two weeks? And what exactly is the Red Blood Moon?"
Arun's expression turned grim. "The Red Blood Moon is a celestial event. It only happens once every 132 years. During that time, the moon turns crimson, and the rift between our world and the Forsaken Realm weakens—dangerously so."
He looked up at the ceiling as if seeing the moon already.
"Even ordinary people can get pulled in if they're unlucky. One moment you're walking home… the next, you're in a nightmarish realm."
Pralaya's nervous smile betrayed the fear he tried to suppress.
"I only have two weeks to teach you how to survive in that realm," Arun said. "But you're a prodigy when it comes to karmic energy. I saw it back in the junkyard—how you controlled it instinctively. I'm just going to sharpen your skills… and teach you my signature technique: the Karmic Blade Art."
Pralaya remembered vividly how Arun had cut down the Sunyayoma that attacked the slums. The precision… the speed…
As they neared the end of the path, Arun suddenly stopped.
"You'll have to go the rest of the way on your own," he said.
Pralaya frowned. "Why? Can't you come with me?"
"I can't be seen with you—not yet. Not by the members of the Seven Scriptures."
Pralaya remember what Bailey said about Arun being one of the seven kings and how difficult it is to see one of them.
Pralaya sighed and nodded. "Alright, alright…"
Arun gave a lazy wave. "I'll come for you tomorrow morning."
"Yeah, yeah," Pralaya muttered as he walked away.
He finally reached the dark Disciples' base. As he entered, he could feel eyes following him—watching, weighing, judging. Strangely, it didn't bother him. Not anymore.
High above, in one of the observation towers, two figures stood silently.
Astrid, and beside her, a girl with long dark hair and deep violet eyes.
"Sister," the girl asked, "who is that boy? And why were you with him earlier?"
Astrid didn't turn.
"Raven… that boy's name is Pralaya," she said calmly. "He'll be one of the candidates entering the Forsaken Realm with you."
Raven's eyes narrowed as she looked down at the boy disappearing into the base.