Time: 12:10 AM – Voyager Association Colosseum
The air grew thick with anticipation.
As the battlefield was reset, and the crowd barely caught their breath from the last fight, a new tension gripped the colosseum—a pressure so heavy it bent even the sturdiest auras.
Spotlights converged on the two figures at opposite ends of the battlefield.
Kai Xander.
Aria Flamehart.
Their names echoed across the colosseum like twin roars of fate. As the stadium went quiet, their footsteps sounded louder than war drums.
Each step they took toward the center of the arena sent a pulse through the crowd. Dust stirred. Water in the fountains quivered. The planetary alignment overhead shimmered as if it, too, was holding its breath.
From the balcony above, Master Elric stood. Silent. Watching. William leaned forward, eyes wide with uncharacteristic solemnity. Even General Rage crossed his arms, no longer smug.
These weren't just rookies anymore.
They were forces.
As they stood across from each other, mere paces apart, Kai's breathing slowed. His muscles relaxed, shoulders dropping, every cell in his body vibrating with focus.
Aria's hands glowed faintly with lightning—unstable, volatile. Her breath was ragged, not from exhaustion, but from excitement.
"Ready?" she asked.
Kai offered a calm nod. "Let's speak through our fists."
The referee gave the signal—and vanished in a blink.
Aria struck first.
She disappeared in a burst of lightning, reappearing above Kai, driving her leg down like a meteor. He barely raised his arms in time, catching the blow and sliding backward across the marble.
She didn't let up. Her Martial Muti: Thunder Pulse Kata turned every blow into a shockwave.
Kai countered with Mirage Step, flickering to her blind spot. His fists, sharpened by years of monastery training, met her strikes midair.
The impact cracked the ground.
Aria smirked. "You've gotten faster."
Kai exhaled. "You've gotten scarier."
They clashed again—fist to fist, aura to aura. Lightning arced across the arena, thunder reverberated through stone. Rain began to fall lightly. Then heavily.
Aria summoned a Tempest Halo, lightning swirling in a spiral ring around her, while mixing it with wind from her Aero sub-Muti.
Kai responded with Flame Weave, his basic Elemental Muti catching the wind and turning it into a cyclone of fire around his strikes.
The result? A storm vortex that towered over the stadium.
Their clashes shaped the battlefield itself—
Columns cracked and fell.
Water from underground springs shot upward, forming a cascading waterfall in the center as lightning exploded against fire.
The sky darkened, clouds spiraling in rhythm with their aura flows.
William whispered, "They're rewriting the terrain with every hit."
Aria's body shook. Her aura surged. Eyes glowing electric blue, hair lifting with static.
She screamed.
And the Lightning Veil Form erupted.
Inspired by ancient Limit School teachings and her father's stormbreaking techniques, her body pulsed with aura gates opened by sheer force of will. Veins of lightning danced across her arms.
Speed. Power. Precision.
She was everywhere at once, raining down combo strikes with unrelenting fury. Kai bled.
Kai staggered.
He closed his eyes.
And remembered William's words:
"There is light within you that doesn't shine—it burns. But you must focus it, or it will devour you."
With a slow breath—he activated it.
Sage Mode: First Incandescence.
Golden light erupted from within. His eyes gleamed like twin suns, hair flickering to radiant blonde-gold. A faint cloak of light wrapped his body like silk.
His Muti spiked.
Martial. Celestial. Elemental. Aura.
All of it sang.
His aura no longer fought the storm—it danced with it.
He met her strikes with effortless precision, not just defending—but guiding. Redirecting. Accepting the power.
Aria pushed harder, breaking bones in her hand just to land a strike.
Kai bled from the mouth, his body not yet built to endure Sage Mode. But he endured.
She unleashed Thunder Spear Barrage, a rain of piercing bolts.
He countered with Sol Whirl Kata, spinning in place and turning each bolt into light shards.
The ground exploded. A crater formed.
They met in the center.
Fist.
To fist.
The result: a shockwave so powerful it knocked water into the sky. It rained upward.
Final Exchange: Broken, But Unbending
They stood across from each other, bloodied, gasping, barely standing.
Aria's Lightning Veil faded.
Kai's Sage Mode flickered.
They roared.
Charged.
Met in the center for one final blow—
Her: Thunderous Devotion: Skybreaker Palm
Him: Solar Lotus: Tenfold Pulse Fist
A blinding flash.
Silence.
Then—collapse.
Both fell.
The sky above began to part. The planetary alignment slowly dissolved. And with it—the Natural Embrace ended.
Time: 12:00 AM.
Kai's light dimmed. His Sage Mode shattered like glass. His body couldn't carry the weight of what he had become.
The referee slowly approached.
Two pulse checks.
Kai stirred—but barely. Aria, bloody and shaking, pushed herself up to one knee.
He raised his hand.
"…Winner… Aria Flamehart."
The colosseum erupted.
And in the stands—
The Masters stood.
General Rage: "That's what war should look like."
William: "Damn near brought tears to my eyes."
Master Elric, voice soft—"He fought past his limit. And he'll surpass them again."
Kai and Aria were carried off, hand in hand, both barely conscious—
But smiling.
Time: 12:30 AM – Voyager Association Medical Wing
The lights in the recovery room were soft, dimmed to a gentle glow that shimmered off the reinforced glass walls. Monitors pulsed quietly. A faint scent of herbal salves lingered in the air—Muti-infused mixtures designed to aid in aura stabilization and physical recovery.
Kai lay still on a padded cot, his chest slowly rising and falling. Bandages wrapped his midsection, a faint golden glow flickering under his skin, residual energy from his incomplete Sage Mode still burning faintly beneath the surface.
Aria lay in the next bed over, her left arm in a sling, her legs propped up, her body laced with bruise patches and shock burns. Despite the pain, she had a small, satisfied grin on her face.
The door hissed open.
Rin stepped in first, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Lila barreled in after, a basket of fruits balanced in her arms, followed by a cautiously curious crowd of spectators and Seekers who peeked around the doorway.
"Well, well, look who lived," Lila said, grinning ear to ear. "You two looked like walking explosions out there."
Aria laughed—then winced. "Can't… laugh. Everything hurts."
"You won, though," Rin added, stepping to her bedside. "You should be proud."
She gave a half shrug. "Don't know if it was really a win. I think we both left something out there."
Lila leaned over Kai's bed, poking his cheek. "Is Sleeping Beauty still out? I brought fruit. And jokes."
Kai didn't move.
But inside, his mind raced.
He was awake.
He could hear everything. Every joke. Every praise. Every mention of Aria's victory.
But he didn't open his eyes.
Not yet.
Because the truth was—he was frustrated.
Not just at the loss. But at himself.
He wanted to fight Rin.
Not out of rivalry.
Out of respect. Out of fire. Out of something deeper than words could hold.
But now… now he was here, bandaged, half-broken, and recovering instead of rising.
He clenched his fists beneath the blanket.
Aria glanced toward him, noticing the slight twitch of his brow. She said nothing—but a soft understanding passed through her eyes.
"I think he's awake," she whispered.
Lila gasped. "You faker!" She poked Kai's cheek again.
Kai finally opened one eye, slowly turning toward the ceiling. "Was trying to avoid hearing your voice, Lila."
Everyone burst out laughing.
Even Rin cracked a grin. "Glad to see you're alive, monk boy."
Kai exhaled. "Barely."
The room softened into warmth.
The battle was over.
But the fire still burned.
And Kai knew—he wasn't done.
Not even close.
Master Elric stood silently on the viewing deck, hands behind his back. The reflection of the coliseum shimmered in the glass before him. Behind him, the other Masters stood in a semicircle.
William Lancaster leaned on the wall, chewing on a sweetroot stick. "He didn't win," he said, voice casual. "But you saw it. Everyone saw it."
General Rage grunted. "Kid took himself past his body's limits. If that's not what a Seeker does, then I don't know what is."
Lalia "The Water Demon" Butters rested her chin in her palm, smiling brightly. "Aria too. That form? That was no accident. That was training. She's lightning wrapped in ambition."
Master Elric didn't speak for a moment. Then, softly:
"Kai has something few ever do. The weight of loss carved into his soul… and the discipline to forge it into strength. He's not just powerful. He's becoming purposeful."
William chuckled. "You getting soft, old man?"
Elric finally cracked a smirk. "Softer than you think."
They all turned back toward the window as the stars above shifted, the final remnants of the Natural Embrace fading like embers.
"This generation…" Elric whispered. "They might be the ones who change everything."
A silence fell for a beat.
Then Rage spoke, voice heavy with thought. "We can't ignore it any longer. The signs in the southern skies, the shifting terrain, the forgotten ruins resurfacing… It's time."
William nodded slowly. "You mean the new continent?"
Elric turned, his eyes sharper now. "It's not Terragigantus. This is something else—something long buried. A continent far beyond known civilization, long untouched and shrouded in myth. But it lies closest to the edge of Terragigantus, almost like a final stepping stone before the Dark Continent itself. The veil around it is thinning.. The Unknown is stirring again. If we don't move first, others will."
Lalia's tone was unusually serious. "We need expeditions—cartographers, fighters, historians. Seekers ready to discover what's been buried beyond the veil of Muti understanding."
"Treasure, ancient Muti, knowledge that predates the Seeker Order," Rage said, grinning now. "But it'll eat the unworthy alive."
Elric nodded. "Only Silver Seekers and above can know. We begin the first stage soon—scouting, mapping, contact. The world will expand again. And our students… they'll be at the center of it."
Time: 12:40 AM – Voyager Association Training Halls
The finals loomed.
The stadium outside roared with early cheers and warmups, but within the vaulted corridors of the Voyager Association's inner sanctum, the atmosphere was far more solemn. Tension simmered like heat trapped beneath stone.
The team readied in silence. Rin wrapped his fists with fresh bindings. Lila practiced light stretches while mouthing dramatic one-liners in the mirror. Aria checked her gloves, her breathing steady. Her body still ached, but she was ready.
Kai sat in the corner alone, his back against the cold wall, arms crossed, eyes shut.
Aria finally approached him, careful, cautious.
"You good?" she asked softly.
He opened one eye, then looked away. "Fine."
"You're lying," she replied without missing a beat.
Kai said nothing.
Aria lowered herself to a crouch in front of him. "Kai, you were—no, are—incredible. No one's done what you did in that fight. You went Sage Mode. You almost turned the sky inside out."
"I still lost," Kai muttered. "Doesn't matter what I almost did."
His words hit like stone. Aria's eyes softened, but she didn't argue.
"You wanted to fight Rin."
He nodded once, barely. "I needed to. I had something to prove. Maybe not to anyone else… but to myself."
"You don't owe anyone proof," she said. "Especially not me. But…"
She hesitated.
"…I miss my friend."
Kai finally looked at her. She smiled—a small, fragile one. Not the confident grin of their battlefield clash, but something gentler.
He looked away again. "I just need time."
"I can give you that," she said, standing. "But don't get so wrapped in your shadow that you forget how bright your light is."
With that, she walked away, joining the others at the far end of the chamber.
Kai sat still, jaw clenched, frustration bubbling quietly.
A moment later, Lila flopped beside him dramatically.
"Don't let her be the only one with deep lines," she said. "I think you're cool too. I mean, kind of. You're no me, but still."
Kai gave a faint smile.
The storm hadn't passed.
But maybe… maybe it was okay to sit in the rain a little longer.
The crowd roared as the next pair of names were called.
A wave of tension swept through the stands. Word had already spread of the finalists. Only the strongest remained. And as Seekers poured in to watch from the bleachers and balconies, one match in particular drew every eye:
Rin Black vs. Kieran Duskbane.
Backstage, Rin rolled his shoulders. His eyes flashed red for a brief moment—his Viatra pulsing at its second stage.
He looked back at Kai one last time. Kai met his gaze.
No words.
Just a nod.
Rin nodded back, and stepped onto the battlefield.
From the commentator's platform, William Lancaster leaned in. "Now this… this one's going to shake the ground."
Master Elric crossed his arms, silent but burning with focus.
The bell tolled. The colosseum hushed.
Rin's shadow stretched long across the arena.
Kieran stepped forward, cloaked in deep-gray armor, jagged edges humming with Abyssal energy.
"Let's see," Kieran muttered. "If the last Black still bleeds."
Rin narrowed his eyes. "You're welcome to find out."
The referee dropped their hand.
The ground erupted.
And the next storm began.
Time: 12:50 AM – Voyager Association Colosseum
The colosseum trembled.
Not from sound—but silence.
Thousands leaned forward in stillness, breath caught in their chests. Even the winds halted, as though the world itself leaned in to watch.
Rin Kairo vs. Kieran Duskbane.
From the edge of the arena, Rin stepped forward—cloak brushing over the sand, Viatra eyes glowing in their second stage: deep crimson with pulsating concentric rings and a flicker of abyssal aura that seemed to peer through time itself. His gaze didn't just watch—it calculated, predicted, judged.
On the opposite end stood Kieran Duskbane, armored in abyss-forged plating, his glaive humming with anti-aura runes. A Voidbrand Seeker with a Decay Muti legacy, and one of the deadliest rising combatants in the entire Association.
William leaned forward on the commentary platform. "This isn't just a duel. This is a prophecy unraveling."
Master Elric watched in silence. "Let the Viatra burn."
The referee dropped their hand.
Kieran lunged with preternatural speed, glaive carving a vicious arc.
But Rin didn't move.
Not visibly.
In a flash, his body tilted just enough to avoid the strike. Viatra energy flickered in his eyes, processing movement several steps ahead.
Viatra Eye: Foresight Reflection.
A subtle pulse from his aura distorted time perception within a narrow field. To Rin, Kieran moved in frames.
He countered—
Martial Muti: Twin Fang Elbow.
Strikes landed squarely in Kieran's ribs, sending the armored Seeker skidding back. Kieran twisted and activated his first gambit:
Decay Muti: Wither Bloom Pulse.
Corrosive energy spread like smoke from the glaive, tainting the air itself.
Rin raised his hand—
Psychic Muti: Dome of Insight.
A spherical projection enveloped him, redirecting the corrosive aura upward. The crowd gasped.
His eyes pulsed again—
Viatra Phase 2: Crimson Analysis.
The rings within his eyes expanded, revealing micro-patterns in Kieran's aura flow. He saw the tension in the knees, the twitch in the left hand, the falter in stance.
And he struck.
Kieran roared, throwing his glaive into the air. It shattered into a swarm of decay beasts—creatures forged from nightmare and entropy.
Forbidden Merge: Decay Chimera Swarm.
The sky darkened.
Rin's eyes narrowed.
He whispered: "Third pulse… activate.
A third layer of light bloomed in his Viatra.
Viatra Evolution: Eclipse Gaze.
The beasts slowed.
He began to see behind their forms—visualizing their energy patterns, weaknesses, and their creator's neural link.
Gravitum Muti: Weighted Vector Step.
He vanished again—this time midair—reappearing above Kieran.
Martial Muti: Falling Spear – Omen Descent!
He dropped like a meteor, aura cloaking his leg in gravitational force and shadow. Kieran raised his shield—
But Rin struck through it, breaking the flow of the decay connection with perfect timing.
The explosion shattered the stadium floor.
Kieran rose once more, bloodied and furious.
"I'll erase you from history!" he screamed.
Rin stood silent.
And then, for the first time—
He fully opened his eyes.
Viatra Stage Three: Void Star Manifestation.
His irises disappeared.
In their place: a spinning glyph of black and red energy, alive with pulses of time-warped aura and spatial distortion.
Kieran charged.
Rin lifted his hand.
Abyssal-Gravitum Muti: Black Sky Requiem.
A singularity formed between them—
Time bent.
Space cracked.
Kieran's final attack unraveled in the blink of an eye.
And Rin struck
Omen Breaker: Crimson Vanishing Point.
A palm to the chest—imbued with the entire might of Martial, Psychic, Gravitum, and Abyssal focus—launched Kieran across the arena.
He didn't get up.
Silence.
Then the bell rang.
"Winner—Rin Kairo!"
The stadium erupted.
From the balcony, William let out a low whistle. "That eye… It's not just sight. It's judgment incarnate."
Master Elric closed his eyes. "He's surpassed his clan. He's creating something new."