The realm around them twisted and shimmered, broken by the sheer magnitude of clashing wills. Celestial runes scattered through the air like fragments of forgotten creation. Cracks bled across the voided sky of the pocket dimension, where time hiccupped and existence groaned under the weight of unleashed power.
Muhan Lockhart stood tall—his breath uneven, his aura wild.
His hair flickered once more—brilliant red, then coal-black—then crimson again, like a dying sun reborn. The Aether Awakening coursing through him was now transcending even the concept of form, bending probability and subverting the laws of layered space.
"What was that surge?" Muhan thought, barely holding back the trembling in his limbs. "It felt like… an echo from beyond the Hyperverse itself…"
Opposite him, Gunhee watched with an amused glint in his eyes, the kind only the strong bore when seeing a worthy flame spark to life.
"What's with the red hair?" he asked, his voice sharp, playful. But there was a gleam in his eyes—curiosity from a warrior who'd conquered dimensions.
Muhan grinned, charming even under pressure. His voice was casual, but his gaze was sharp. "Don't know," he replied. "Guess I'm still unlocking what I am."
Gunhee's smirk faded, his aura intensifying. The skies split silently above them, reacting to his will.
"No more talking. Let's end this."
Before Muhan could blink, Gunhee had already crossed the distance. The Divine Warfather moved with the force of collapsed timelines, his body surfing the causal rift he himself created. He reappeared behind Muhan—perfectly positioned within Planck-space, where no mortal senses could perceive.
CRACK!
Gunhee's left leg rose in a sharp arc, backed by momentum that folded localized logic into paradox. It was a kick meant to nullify resistance itself—a blow structured to sever the soul from its timeline.
"Damn, he's fast!" Muhan's thoughts screamed, but his body couldn't move in time. He braced instinctively, Aether flaring. The air screamed as tension built past conceptual limits.
"Block it… channel it through Aether compression…"
Muhan's arms met Gunhee's leg—and for a brief moment, reality buckled between them. The very pocket dimension cracked open like glass, and a wave of energy erupted outward, shredding fragments of time and space.
> "He just broke reality inside a reality-bending realm… Is that even possible?"
Muhan coughed blood, skidding backward. The world twisted in on itself—and reformed.
Yet, he wasn't done.
"I'm not giving up."
His voice trembled but rang out like a war drum.
With another surge of resolve, Muhan unleashed his inner torrent.
Aether Awakening: 2nd Layer— Beyond Eternity concepts.
His form ignited, glowing with spectral blue that shattered all laws. His feet cracked the timeline beneath him with each step, and his voice carried a subharmonic frequency—so intense it destabilized nearby concepts. His very breath folded nearby probability vectors. He was now functioning in High capacity, his movements anchoring themselves across multiple divergent realities at once.
And then—
Boom.
He deactivated Aether.
And walked forward.
"I want you to see me—not as an ascendant being—but as a man who'll protect your daughter."
He took the next hit raw.
Gunhee's kick collided with Muhan's unarmed defense. It should have shattered bones.
Instead, Muhan took the blow with unfiltered resolve, his body tanking a High-level strike that can shatter an entire Hyperverse even beyond using nothing but raw strength and intent-fortified defense.
The pocket dimension ruptured—completely.
They were back in the real world.
Smoke.
Cratered earth.
Silence.
Muhan lay unconscious in the center of a shattered stone ring, still smoldering, chest rising slowly. His eyes were closed, but his lips curved into a faint smile.
Gunhee exhaled. "Hmph."
"Not a scratch, huh?" Mi-cha whispered, teary-eyed, rushing toward Muhan.
"Look again, dear," Iseul murmured, pointing to Gunhee's cheek.
A faint cut.
Barely visible.
But it was there.
Gunhee wiped the blood with his thumb, stared at it in surprise. "Tch…"
He chuckled, then smiled broadly.
"Well, damn. Not bad, kid."
---
Nano Star Cruiser – En Route to Aethoria
Soft starlight streamed through the tinted windows of the advanced cruiser. Muhan stirred, slowly opening his eyes.
His head was cradled in Mi-cha's lap. Her fingers glided through his hair, her touch tender, trembling with emotion.
"You're awake…" she whispered.
"Mi-cha…" he muttered, his voice cracked from strain. "What happened?"
She smiled through watery eyes. "You collapsed. You've been out for an hour."
Muhan groaned slightly, shifting his head. A strand of her hair brushed against his skin—soft, fragrant like cosmic roses.
"Wow… your hair's…" he blushed inwardly. "How did I not notice it smells so nice…?"
She sniffled. "You scared me, idiot."
"I lost," Muhan admitted with a weak grin. "Your dad's on another level."
"Don't say it like that!" she snapped, puffing her cheeks. "You say it like losing means you didn't try at all. Like I don't matter!"
Muhan blinked. "What? That's not what I meant at all…"
He reached up and gently took her hand.
"I care about you, Mi-cha. More than anything. I… want a future with you."
Her face exploded red. She stared at him, eyes wide and shimmering.
"You idiot," she whispered. "You didn't lose…"
"What?" he asked.
She tilted his head slightly, pointing.
Muhan saw it.
Gunhee.
With a faint scratch across his cheek.
"I did that?" Muhan asked.
Mi-cha nodded, glowing with pride.
Inside, Muhan's heart twisted. "That… that was everything I had. Full Aether. A transformation beyond normal limits. And all I managed was a scratch…?"
He clenched his fist. "I need to get stronger."
---
Gunhee approached with a grin, arms crossed.
"Welcome home, kids."
The ship surged into hyperspeed, spiraling through the Outerversal Drift into the Hyperversal Veins of the Omniverse, leaving fractal streaks of stardust behind.
---
Aethoria – Avalon Docking Station, Multiversal Borderline
They landed on a glowing planet just beyond the bounds of the Multiverse. Twin suns painted the sky in surreal shades of amber and sapphire.
An attendant bowed. "Welcome back, Mr. Gunhee. Mr. Han."
Han Lockhart raised an eyebrow. "Where's the car?"
Gunhee gestured. "Coming."
A sleek black Nano-Class Cruiser appeared instantly, gliding to a halt with an elegant hum. The doors opened on command.
Inside, the luxury was surreal—glasslike seats that adjusted to energy signatures, ambient lighting shifting to match mood auras.
Han and Gunhee took front seats.
Iseul and Chae-min chatted comfortably in the middle.
Muhan and Mi-cha slid into the last row, their legs brushing.
Gunhee injected an AI core.
"Greetings, Mr. Han. Mr. Gunhee," came the voice. "Destination?"
"Avalon Estate," Gunhee answered.
"Understood. Buckle up."
The car flew forward, piercing space with the grace of a falling star.