The moment Aiden and his team arrived at the clearing, a chilling silence fell over the battlefield. The three figures stood like reapers in the moonlit night, their presence alone suffocating. Every instinct in Aiden's body screamed at him to run, to escape, to get as far away as possible.
But there was no escape.
The man in black armor—the leader—rested his massive greatsword against his shoulder, his crimson eyes scanning the young mages with amusement. "Academy brats, huh? Guess this will be fun."
The masked rogue tilted his head, flipping one of his curved daggers between his fingers. "Fun? Nah. More like a warm-up. We should just break a few bones and leave them crawling back home."
The robed woman sighed, brushing a strand of dark hair from her face. "Children shouldn't be playing war." She raised a single finger, and instantly, a suffocating force pressed down on the entire group. It was as if gravity itself had doubled, no—tripled.
Aiden gasped, falling to one knee as his lungs struggled for air. Around him, Leon, Xaleth, Lyra, and Elysia all staggered under the weight of the invisible force.
Elara, gritting her teeth, forced herself to stand, her shadows flaring up. "We need to—"
A blur.
Before Elara could finish her sentence, the rogue appeared behind her in an instant, his dagger slicing across her back. She let out a sharp cry and collapsed forward, her shadows flickering weakly.
"Elara!" Aiden shouted, trying to move—but his limbs felt like they were caught in an invisible vice.
Leon's eyes widened in fury. "Bastards—!" He disappeared in a flash of speed, aiming straight for the rogue's throat.
But the armored leader was faster. With terrifying ease, he swung his greatsword in Leon's direction. Leon barely managed to shift his momentum, but the force of the swing sent a shockwave that blasted him into a tree, leaving cracks along the trunk.
Leon coughed up blood, his body twitching.
Xaleth moved next. Without a word, he opened a rift in space, appearing behind the woman in red. His blade shimmered with spatial energy as he slashed at her heart.
Yet, impossibly, she turned in an instant, catching his wrist mid-swing.
"Too slow," she whispered.
Then she crushed his arm.
A sickening crack echoed through the clearing, and Xaleth let out a strangled groan as he was tossed aside like a broken doll.
Lyra and Elysia tried to retaliate, launching a combined attack. Lyra summoned a tornado-like wind, sending razor-sharp currents towards their enemies, while Elysia distorted space, amplifying the force behind the attack.
The rogue simply vanished, reappearing behind Elysia.
"Cute trick," he muttered, slamming his dagger into her stomach. She let out a choked gasp, her spell collapsing.
Lyra turned to help, but the robed woman flicked her wrist, and the very air around Lyra solidified, pinning her mid-air.
"You're lucky we're just playing," the woman said. "Otherwise, you'd be dead."
Aiden watched in horror.
One by one, his friends were falling.
Leon, coughing blood.
Xaleth, his arm broken.
Elysia, clutching her wound.
Lyra, struggling against the unseen force.
Elara, trying to push herself up, despite her body trembling.
They were losing.
And then the leader turned his gaze toward Elara.
"Hmm… You seem special," he mused, stepping towards her. He raised his greatsword lazily. "Let's see how much you can endure before you break."
"No," Aiden whispered. His body refused to move, his mind screaming at him to do something—anything.
The rogue chuckled. "Oh? Wanna watch her suffer first?"
Aiden's fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms.
The leader raised his sword—
And brought it down.
A sickening slice filled the air.
Elara let out a strangled cry as blood sprayed onto the grass. The sword had cut deep into her side, leaving a gash that would kill her if not treated. She collapsed forward, coughing up blood.
Aiden's world shattered.
His heartbeat slowed.
A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out the laughter of his enemies.
Elara's trembling body.
Leon's bloodied face.
Xaleth's broken arm.
Lyra and Elysia, defeated.
Weak. Helpless. Powerless.
No… No… NO!
The night was thick with tension. The air felt heavier, charged with an unseen force as Aiden knelt on the cold ground, his fingers trembling as they clutched Elara's motionless body. Blood seeped into the dirt, her breath ragged and weak.
The cruel laughter of the three mercenaries echoed in his ears.
"Damn, she was holding up pretty well, wasn't she?" one of them sneered, wiping a trickle of blood from his knuckles. "Guess even a shadow user has her limits."
Aiden's vision blurred. Not from tears—but from rage.
Leon and Xaleth stood on either side of him, battered and bruised. Leon's speed had been countered with brutal precision, his royal lineage meaning nothing in the face of sheer strength. Xaleth's spatial magic had held them back for a moment, but even he was exhausted.
Against opponents ranked under #150,000 in the world, they were nothing.
"Pathetic," the leader scoffed, stepping closer. "We came here expecting a challenge. Instead, we get a bunch of kids playing hero."
Aiden clenched his teeth. His mind screamed—MOVE. GET UP. FIGHT.
But his body wouldn't listen.
Not until the mercenary raised his foot—and stomped down on Elara's back.
A strangled scream tore from her throat.
Something snapped.
Awakening – The first stage, where an individual receives their power. Those born Awakened had an innate mastery of their gift, while those who trained hard enough could unlock it in a moment of great struggle or danger.
Ascendence – The second stage, where one gained a second power, unrelated to the first, and a deeper control over their abilities.
Transascendence – The final stage, where mastery over one's power reached its peak, allowing one to stand among the greatest warriors and legends of history.
A roar erupted from Aiden's chest—primal, raw, unrestrained.
The earth shook. The air around him warped, charged with unseen force. His veins felt like they were on fire, a searing agony unlike anything he had ever experienced.
Then—silence.
The wind stopped. The flames flickered and dimmed. The night itself seemed to hold its breath.
The mercenaries hesitated
"What the hell…?"
Aiden's body lifted off the ground. His pupils, once dull, ignited—golden streaks rippling through his irises. His skin glowed faintly, flickers of blue lightning dancing across his arms.
The ground cracked beneath him.
Leon's breath hitched. "This energy…"
Xaleth's gaze sharpened. "It's different."
The mercenary scuffed " huh, so you tryna be a hero now?"
A gust of wind erupted from Aiden's body, knocking them off balance. Then, flames surged up his arms, wrapping around his fists like living entities. The earth trembled beneath him, shards of stone rising into the air.
Water from a distant river rushed toward him, swirling around his legs.
The world itself recognized his Awakening.
The leader clenched his fists. "Tch, don't let him scare you! He just awakened! He can't control that pow—"
Aiden moved.
Faster than anyone could react.
His fist collided with the leader's gut. A shockwave exploded outward. The mercenary's body launched backward, slamming through a tree with enough force to shatter the trunk.
The other two barely had time to react before Aiden raised his hand.
The wind howled, forming a cyclone around his fingers. Fire and lightning intertwined, a fusion of elements that shouldn't be possible.
For the first time, the mercenaries felt fear.
Leon, clutching his ribs, stared in disbelief. "That's… impossible."
Xaleth, his normally stoic expression wavering, muttered under his breath, "This isn't just an Awakening… He's different."
Elara, despite her pain, forced her eyes open, a weak smile forming. "Heh… about time, idiot."
Aiden's golden eyes burned as he locked onto the remaining mercenaries.
He raised his hand—and the elements answered.
"Your turn."