Pralaya sprinted through the woods, each step sending a jolt of pain through his bruised body. The intense training had left him sore and aching. Gritting his teeth, he muttered under his breath, "Where the hell is the base?"
Frustration surged within him as he pushed through the dense underbrush. Finally, after what felt like hours, the silhouette of the base emerged from the trees. Relief washed over him.
As he stumbled out of the forest, he spotted Bailey—her blue hair catching the setting sunlight as she carried a bag of garbage toward the disposal unit. Pralaya stepped through the bushes without warning.
"Sorry! Sorry! It's just me—Pralaya," he blurted, hands raised.
Bailey nearly dropped the bag in surprise. "Pralaya!," Her eyes widened as she saw the dark bruises covering his arms and torso. "What happened to you?!"
"I was training," he said casually, brushing it off.
Bailey frowned, eyeing him curiously. Training? Alone in the woods?
As they walked together toward the base, Pralaya glanced at her. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," she replied.
"Do you know where the bath is?"
Bailey nodded. "East side of the base. You'll see the steam rising. You can't miss it."
---
Following her directions, Pralaya soon reached the bathhouse. He undressed, wincing as his bruises stretched, and grabbed a towel. His reflection in the mirror showed just how much the training had pushed him.
"Did he really have to infuse karmic energy into the damn stones?" he muttered, stepping into the warm water.
The sensation hit him instantly—comforting, soothing. He let out a sigh of pleasure. "This… this feels amazing."
It was the first warm bath of his life. In the slums of Gaia, such luxury didn't exist. Baths were cold and rare, reserved for the fortunate few. He leaned back and let his body soak in the warmth, eyes half-closed.
Why did Arun tell me to keep this a secret? he wondered.
Raising his hand slightly above the water, he released a tiny stream of karmic energy. The dark-purple aura danced across his palm.
Just then, the door opened, and two boys entered, laughing and chatting—until they noticed him.
"Hey, look," one of them said, nudging the other. "Isn't that the kid who came with Commander Astrid?"
The other boy, tall with white hair and piercing blue eyes, squinted in Pralaya's direction. "Yeah, that's him."
"Hey, kid!" they called out.
Pralaya turned his head lazily, already sensing trouble.
"Who are you?" the white-haired boy asked.
Pralaya stood up from the water, unfazed. "Why would I tell you that?"
The shorter boy growled and pointed. "Do you even know who stands before you, brat? This is Zaha! One of the few Chosen to go into the forsaken realm."
Pralaya folded his arms. "So what?"
The room fell silent.
"What's so special about being chosen to enter that death trap?" he continued. "If I'm not wrong, the only 'special' thing about the Forsaken Realm is finding a way out of it."
"You don't know anything!" the other boy snapped. "You're just some clueless brat!"
Pralaya turned his back to them. "Then I guess there's nothing more to say."
Zaha called after him. "You haven't answered my question. Who are you?"
Without stopping, Pralaya replied, "Just a boy from the slums."
The second boy took a step forward, but Zaha raised a hand, stopping him. He watched Pralaya's retreating figure closely.
"Did you sense any energy from him?" Zaha asked.
The other boy shook his head. "Now that you mention it… no, I didn't."
Zaha narrowed his eyes. "Something's off about that kid …"
---
Back in his room, Pralaya lay on the bed, still annoyed. Those two had completely ruined the peaceful mood.
He sat up and folded his legs into a lotus position. Closing his eyes, he began to meditate. A thick wave of karmic energy spilled from his body, coating the room in a veil of dark-purple mist. The shadows deepened until the room faded entirely into darkness.
When he opened his eyes again, he wasn't in his room anymore.
He stood within the Void-Sea—his inner soul space.
Silent. Infinite. Endless.
He walked through the void until his eyes settled on his core. But something was different now. Where once it resembled the black hole above, now it had grown—larger than before, nearly the size of a football. Most notably, two glowing white rings spun slowly around it.
Did it evolve after the training with Arun? he wondered.
Without warning, the core began to move.
"Hey—why is it flying away?!" Pralaya shouted, chasing after it.
The core stopped in front of something he had never seen before.
A Throne.
It was dark and ancient, etched with strange symbols he couldn't read. At its top was a long cross with a circle resting above it.
"This wasn't here before…" he whispered.
He approached the throne cautiously. Taking a deep breath, he sat down.
Nothing happened.
No revelation. No surge of power. Just… silence.
He sighed, slumping a bit. "Tch. I thought something cool would happen…"
Still, something about the throne unsettled him. He would investigate it later. For now, he exited the Void-Sea, his consciousness returning to the real world.
A slight smile touched his lips. At least I can enter and leave at will now.
He lay down and drifted off to sleep.
---
Hours passed.
Silence cloaked the room—until a figure slipped through the open window.
Arun.
As he crept toward Pralaya's bed, the air shifted.
Without warning, spikes of solidified karmic darkness erupted toward him. Arun dodged with ease, flipping back and landing silently. A grin spread across his face.
"Impressive," he said. "Only one day of training and you've already improved this much?"
Pralaya opened one eye and smiled. "I knew you'd pull something like this. So, I released a thin thread of karmic energy—just enough that you wouldn't notice. The moment you touched it, it sent a sting through my body. That was my trigger."
Arun chuckled, clearly impressed. "Clever. Very clever."
He turned back toward the window. "I was planning on dragging you out for more training, but… it seems you're starting to get it. I'll let you sleep—for tonight."
With that, Arun vanished into the night.
Pralaya smiled as he went back to sleep.