Kael stood in a vast, barren field. Nothing but sand stretched endlessly in all directions, the air dry and deathly still.
Where… am I? he thought.
He turned—and his breath caught.
An army.
Thousands of soldiers in thick black armor stood before him. Their suits were etched with deep red sigils, each one pulsing faintly like dying embers. War-forged weapons—polearms, jagged blades, and veinfire-strung bows—glinted in the sun. He didn't know how he knew, but each of them was stronger than anyone he had ever met.
They weren't ignoring him.
They were staring.
No… not at him.
The soldiers parted—black armor shifting as a path opened. From the center, a lone figure emerged, walking with the ease of a man on a morning stroll.
He was slender, dressed in plain black armor without a single adornment. Yet Kael felt it—that quiet, coiled threat. A restrained predator. Pale skin. Midnight-black hair. A face sharp in its symmetry—almost beautiful.
But terrifying in presence.
The man stopped at the front, gaze sharp. "Tell me," he said, voice low and cold. "Why can't you just sit on your little throne and stay out of mortal affairs?"
Kael blinked. Is he talking to me?
He pointed to his chest.
No response.
He can't see me… I'm just watching.
A chill crept up Kael's spine.
He turned—and froze.
A boy, no older than seventeen, stood alone in the sand. He wore a silver vest and jacket, loose pants tucked into soft shoes. Hair like moonlight whipped in the wind. His hands rested calmly behind his back. A lazy smile played across his lips, as if none of this concerned him.
"You of all people should know why," the teen said, tilting his head. "You're strong, aren't you?"
The black-armored man didn't respond.
The boy bent down, drawing something in the sand with a finger.
The man's jaw clenched. "I know nothing. Why?"
The boy chuckled softly. Then his tone darkened.
"Because I can."
The air shifted.
Tension thickened—like a storm pressing down. Kael felt it on his skin, in his lungs. The man looked ready to strike.
The boy's smile faded. His eyes turned sharp—cold as blades. The sand around him stirred and whipped outward in wild spirals.
Then—he laughed.
"I'll let you walk away," he said, voice casual but coiled with warning. "But if you keep going…"
The man raised a hand.
"…you'll regret it."
Light blazed.
A storm of glowing arrows tore through the sky—dozens, no, hundreds. Arcs of divine fire screamed downward, each one a scythe of death.
Kael tried to move—but he couldn't. He could only watch.
BOOM—
A colossal explosion swallowed the boy. Sand shot skyward. Veinfire howled through the air.
Then a second volley.
A third.
The very ground trembled.
Silence fell.
Kael's heart pounded.
Then—a cough.
Wind blew. Dust cleared.
The boy stood, untouched. Not a single wrinkle marred his clothes. Around him, a vast crater loomed—but he remained perfectly still at its center.
"Nice try," he called, voice light. Then, quieter—yet somehow echoing in Kael's ears—
"My turn."
Kael's breath caught.
The boy shifted his stance—and Kael's eyes widened.
That stance… it's the same…
The same as the one he'd seen before.
The soldiers moved fast, dropping weapons and driving thick shields into the earth. Veinfire surged, flowing like a river into the desert floor.
The sand groaned—then rose.
A titanic wall of fused earth erupted from the ground. Reinforced stone. Jagged red runes. An unnatural hum filled the air.
It was more than a wall—it was a fortress.
A barrier.
Black veinfire coiled around it like a living serpent.
Kael staggered. His knees nearly buckled under the pressure.
This… it feels like a mountain with a will. A will that refuses to break.
The black veinfire pulsed with rhythm. There was something familiar in its twisted rhythm, but Kael couldn't place it.
His eyes snapped back to the boy—just as his fists began to glow.
Silver light poured from them. Strange runes shimmered across his arms—runes Kael recognized. The same from the scroll…
"Eclipse Transcendence Fist," the boy whispered.
Then—he moved.
No flash. No blur.
Just—gone.
He reappeared before the wall.
One punch.
No sound.
No impact.
Just silence.
Then—the center of the barrier disappeared. Entirely. Gone.
The soldiers behind it were erased, as if reality had blinked and forgotten them. A crater yawned where they once stood.
BOOM—
The shockwave came late—like thunder after lightning. Kael dropped, clutching his head. The very ground screamed.
The boy stood, calm.
He looked down at his glowing fist.
"Finally perfected," he murmured.
Kael gasped—and woke up.
---
The stone ceiling above greeted him in silence.
But inside… he still felt it. The echo of that impossible power.
Kael jolted upright in bed, panting. A faint glow shimmered across his fingers.
He stared.
His hands pulsed with soft light. Vein-like characters glowed faintly, vanishing with each heartbeat.
They were the same runes the boy had shown.
Then—pain.
He clutched his skull. A deep, splitting throb. The light faded as the pounding peaked.
And then—knowledge flooded in.
Kael dropped to his knees, gasping.
A grin broke across his face.
Eclipse Transcendence.
A unique skill.
Unblockable.
Final.
He laughed—quiet, breathless. "Transcendent, indeed."
His heart slowed. But the memory burned behind his eyes.
That boy. That battlefield. That… power.
Kael flexed his fingers. No glow now. No warmth. Just silence.
But the technique… it was part of him now.
He leaned back against the stone wall, breathing slowly. The skill pulsed like a brand on his soul.
And yet…
It's not mine.
That thought gnawed at him.
He felt like he was borrowing it.
His hands trembled slightly. The power felt immense—too immense. A gift? A curse?
Maybe both.
But he needed it.
For her.
For Lira.
He clenched his fists.
Even if it isn't mine… I'll use it.
Even if it changes me.
Even if it breaks me.