chapter 10: Forgive and fight through

Luca's voice echoed in Valeri's ears as they prepared for the Void training. "The Void is the perfect place for growth," Luca began, his tone measured yet stern. "Its high Ki and Aura levels refine your body, mind, and soul faster than any training ground in existence. The Void ring you've used offers a mere fraction of its power—5x growth, compared to the Void's unparalleled 5000x growth in the same period."

Valeri's brow furrowed. "Then why doesn't everyone train there?"

Luca smirked, shaking his head. "Because no one comes out unscathed. The Void corrupts. The energy saturating it seeps into your mind, your very essence, mutating you from within. Even an hour can drive a warrior mad, transforming them into something monstrous. That's the trade-off. Are you willing to take the risk?"

As Luca spoke, Raji stood at a distance near the edge of the clearing, arms folded, his gaze distant. "You won't catch me setting foot in there," he muttered.

Jahard, his protégé glanced at him, confused. "But aren't you one of the strongest here? Wouldn't the Void amplify your power even more?"

"It's not that simple," Raji said with a weary smile. "I'm a mage, not a warrior. The Void doesn't take kindly to dense Mana reserves like mine. Concealing my Mana enough to enter safely is dangerous in itself, and even if I managed, the Void would turn my strength into a weakness."

"The Void refines Ki channels to the point of perfection, but for mages, that refinement can smooth the channels too much. It's like polishing a pipe until it leaks. Even a whisper of Mana could spiral out of control. That's why mages use Mana as their refinement method. Warriors' refinement focuses on adapting to small amounts of Mana, closing the gap between them and mages. But for me, the risks outweigh the rewards."

The tension in the air thickened as Fenris appearance meant things were beginning to speed up in the outside world. His commanding presence was undeniable, and even Raji shifted uncomfortably as he watched their battle. his hand instinctively brushing against the hilt of his staff. Initially Raji had come to Demand an item from Lucien that would help him grow. He more so came to 'steal' that item rather than take it but after watching Him battle Fenris, he knew he didn't have it yet. This made him weary and Annoyed. Getting here was well off his route and he couldnt afford to waste any more time.

Lucien frowned, his mind racing. The arrival of Fenris and Raji was a harbinger of turmoil, a reminder that the world was beginning to move. His fight with Fenris earlier replayed in his mind—a clash that left him unsettled. But more than that, it was Valeri's inability to defend himself that gnawed at Lucien. "We're out of time," Lucien said abruptly, turning to Valeri. "Your training has to accelerate. If you can't fend for yourself, you'll be dead before long."

Valeri stumbled, clutching his head. The strain of channeling Ki and Aura in the Void's vicinity was taking its toll.

"The corruption," Luca noted, stepping forward. "You lasted longer than I expected, but you need to exit now. Any longer, and you'll lose yourself."

Valeri's vision blurred, his body trembling as the Void's energy clawed at his psyche. He felt it—a dark whisper at the edge of his mind, beckoning him to surrender.

Lucien opened a portal, pulling Valeri out of the forest and into the grey expanse of his time-space field. Here, time moved differently, though Valeri couldn't perceive it. The dull, featureless space numbed his senses, a deliberate design to keep the mind from comprehending the passage of time.

"You'll recover here," Lucien said. "But remember this feeling. The Void doesn't let go easily." rest up, the next part of your training starts soon.

Lucien led Valeri deeper into the forest, the air growing colder with each step. "This is where your lesson begins," Lucien said, his voice tinged with finality. "You're going to fight a Strider."

Valeri's heart sank. "A Strider? Aren't those "Yes," Lucien cut in. "Lethal. They possess a camouflage that lasts a second, but it's enough to disorient most warriors. Their growls can paralyze, but you can counter them by circulating Ki into your mind. And their impermeable skill? Use it against them."

After another minute of delegation, Valeri walked towards the center of the forest ahead. His mind racing as he prepped himself for the battle. Suddenly, The beast lunged from the shadows, its sharp limbs slicing through the air. Valeri barely dodged, relying on instinct and the training drills drilled into him by Lucien. As the fight progressed, he began to adapt.

When the Strider used its impermeable skill to pass through obstacles, Valeri saw an opening. He baited the creature into a dense thicket, letting its sharp arms sever the trees around them. The falling branches provided cover, giving him the room he needed to reposition.

Lucien watched from the sidelines, impressed. Valeri had developed a knack for using his surroundings to his advantage. The Strider's intelligence was its downfall—it viewed Valeri as a weaker threat and hesitated to engage Lucien. This allowed Valeri to experiment and learn without the beast fleeing.

Valeri's breath came in short, ragged gasps as he circled the beast, its ethereal form twisting and flickering like a mirage. Each swipe of its claws seemed to cleave through the air itself, leaving trails of shimmering distortion. His arms, already shattered from earlier attempts to block its strikes, hung limply by his sides, and his legs trembled under his weight. Yet, even in this dire state, his mind churned with desperate solutions.

The beast's intangible state wasn't simply a defensive mechanism—it was adaptation in its purest form. Its ability to merge seamlessly with the environment made it nearly invincible. But Valeri had noticed something peculiar: when attacking, the beast became fully tangible, exposing itself to damage. Exploiting this vulnerability, however, required keeping it in a permeable state long enough to overload its Ki channels—a task that seemed impossible given his condition.

Driven by desperation, his subconscious began shaping his Ki differently. Instead of merely imbuing his body with energy, he unconsciously attempted to construct something tangible. The result was crude and inefficient, spreading his Ki thin and taxing his already strained channels. But it worked. Ethereal tendrils of energy flickered around him, forming faint constructs—proto-armor to reinforce his body and weapons for counterattacks.

His thoughts raced, spurred by the vines surrounding him. "If I can't overpower it outright, maybe I can trap it." With that thought, he attempted to form a chain between himself and the beast's core—a direct link of Ki that could exploit its weakness. Yet, his mind, distracted by pain and fatigue, faltered in its precision. Instead of a chain, a glowing vine materialized, its form irregular but alive with energy. The construct pulsed with potential, a testament to his reckless creativity and adaptability.

The beast snarled, its claws slicing through a tree as if it were paper. Valeri knew he had little time. His attempts to stall it using the environment failed; the beast's adaptability made it impervious to traps or containment. He needed to attack directly, but his body resisted every command. His Ki, stretched thin by the constructs, began to collapse inward, causing his channels to shrink. Movement became agony, and his vision blurred as his body's functions started shutting down.

The beast lunged, its claws aimed for his heart. Fear surged through him, momentarily overriding his exhaustion. His body, driven by pure survival instinct, forced itself awake. Acting on reflex, Valeri raised his broken arm, intending to block the attack. Instead, his hastily formed Ki construct surged forward, twisting into a jagged weapon that struck the beast mid-lunge. The blow knocked its aim off, and the creature howled as Valeri's Ki construct brushed against its core. For a split second, the beast's form shimmered, revealing a crack in its impenetrable façade.

Valeri stumbled, barely able to stay upright. The strike had cost him dearly—his breath grew heavier, and his vision dimmed further. Yet, he clung to the vine-like Ki construct, using it to maintain a tenuous connection to the beast's core. He could feel it now, a pulsing knot of energy deep within the creature. If he could just sever it…

Suddenly, the beast's core glowed with an intense, otherworldly light. A shockwave of dense mana erupted from its body, forcing Valeri to his knees. This wasn't normal. The beast's mana affinity—a trait unheard of in Earth Striders—was a glaring anomaly. Its triple affinity was a revelation that sent a shiver down Valeri's spine, though he didn't have the clarity to process its implications.

Unseen by Valeri, Lucien, observing from a distance, narrowed his eyes. "Tampering," he muttered. This wasn't evolution or adaptation; it was the result of an external force meddling with the natural order. But why?

Valeri, unaware of Lucien's discovery, clung to his Ki vine with the last vestiges of his strength. The beast charged another mana blast, the glow of its core intensifying. The intervals between its attacks had grown longer—a sign that it was nearing its limit—but so was Valeri. His shrinking Ki channels made each movement a herculean effort.

As the beast unleashed its next attack, Valeri acted on instinct. He forced his Ki vine deeper into the beast's core, using his last reserves to tether its energy to his own. Pain seared through his body as the construct strained against the pressure, but he held on. In a desperate gamble, he pulled with everything he had. The beast roared in agony as its core fractured, sending shockwaves through its body. Its final mana blast veered wildly, narrowly missing Valeri as the creature collapsed, its form flickering and fading.

Valeri fell to the ground, the shattered core dimming in his hand. He tried to steady his breathing, to will his body to move, but exhaustion had taken its toll. As his vision faded, a figure emerged from the shadows—a dense, humanoid silhouette that exuded an ominous aura. The figure knelt beside him, its eyes glowing with an unsettling intensity.

"You've barely scratched the surface," it said, its voice low and resonant. "And yet, you persist. Interesting."