Elyon's Verdict

The dining hall buzzes with life, a constant hum of clattering utensils, scraping chairs, and muffled conversations filling the air.

Ravyn and Lumen sit at one of the corner tables, away from the thickest crowd. Their trays are standard fare: stew, a tough slice of bread, and lukewarm water.

Lumen prods the unappealing stew with his fork, his expression blank.

"You know staring at it won't make it taste any better," Ravyn remarks without lifting his gaze.

"I'm hoping it'll evaporate if I wait long enough," Lumen mutters, resting his chin on one hand.

He sighs and flicks the bread toward the edge of his tray, giving Ravyn a sideways glance.

"Food shouldn't taste like punishment."

"Well, maybe it actually should," Ravyn says indifferently.

The silence stretches between them for a moment, broken only by the backdrop of the dining hall's noise. Then Ravyn sets aside his utensils, leans back slightly, and studies Lumen with his deep red eyes.

"So," he begins, "your Stigma. What's the real deal?"

Lumen shrugs, his posture as lazy as his tone.

"The light? You've seen it. Not much else to say."

Ravyn raises an eyebrow.

"Light that looks like it could summon the gods, only to end up as a glorified flashlight? There's more to it, isn't there?"

Lumen picks up the bread again, only to toss it back onto the tray with a sigh.

"My Stigma does more than shine like a torch. But I made a pact that forbids me from explaining. But I can say this much: its proper use is costly. Satisfied?"

Ravyn leans back, his sharp gaze lingering for a moment before he replies quietly, "Not really."

Without warning, Ravyn bolts upright, his chair clattering to the floor. A sudden, palpable tension hushes the noise of the dining hall.

Lumen lifts his head, his glowing golden eyes narrowing as Ravyn raises his hand and activates his Stigma.

A deep crimson aura erupts, shot through with inky black streaks, coiling around Ravyn like a living thing. From the aura, a massive, invisible blade begins to form, its presence almost tangible as the very air ripples with its energy.

The atmosphere grows heavy and oppressive, as though the air itself is being carved apart.

"Ravyn, what—?" Lumen starts, but the words are stuck in his throat.

A small circle of dim light forms around the Lumen. But he is too slow.

The blade of essence lashes forward faster than Lumen can react. A single, sharp slash – and Lumen's head rolls from his shoulders.

Blood sprays across the table, the floor, and even the ceiling as his body collapses. The dull brown stew on the table is drowned in vivid red.

The dining hall freezes. Some recruits scream while others stare in shock, their faces pale.

Samir, the officer overseeing the recruits, bursts into the hall like a storm.

"Recruit Ravyn; stand down immediately!" he commands, his voice echoing across the stunned room.

In an instant, the weight around Ravyn increases tenfold. The floor beneath him groans under the sudden pressure.

This is the power of Samir's Stigma: Graviton.

Ravyn takes a step forward despite the crushing force, his crimson essence blades resisting the gravitational pull and slicing through the air toward Samir.

But just before they reach their target, sparks erupt in the air, stopping the blades mid-flight. In the next second, Ravyn is yanked off the ground and slammed into the ceiling with bone-jarring force.

He twists mid-air, using the momentum to propel himself back down. This time, his blades aim directly for Samir's throat.

Samir reacts swiftly, summoning a shimmering green katana in his hand. The blade gleams with an otherworldly radiance, its craftsmanship betraying its status as a priceless artifact.

The essence blades and the katana clash, their collision sending shockwaves through the room. A dense smoke cloud envelops both combatants.

Samir steps back, emerging from the smoke unscathed. A faint golden shimmer pierces the smoke, followed by a brilliant flash that illuminates the entire hall. That's Kael's Stigma, Ashbrand.

As the smoke clears, a black sphere appears in the center of the room, pulsating ominously. It begins to dissolve, its remnants flowing like liquid onto the ground.

Ravyn steps forward, "Annoying," he thinks, his essence blades now glowing a deeper, more intense red. In a flash, the blades teleport directly in front of Samir, leaving him barely any time to react.

Two of the blades find their mark, slicing through Samir's left arm and chest. Blood sprays as the other two are intercepted by the green katana.

Samir grits his teeth, activating his Arkana: Singularity.

The gravitational field intensifies exponentially, bending the very space around them. Tables and chairs shatter under the pressure. Civilians and soldiers without essence abilities are pinned to the ground, unable to move.

Many recruits collapse to their knees, powerless against the overwhelming force.

The air vibrates with raw energy, a deafening hum threatening to tear the room apart.

Amid the chaos, Finn, a younger recruit, creates a shimmering blue barrier around himself and a few others from Ravyn's former squad. His face is pale, but his determination doesn't waver.

Inside the barrier, Seren stands with her arms crossed, her icy blue eyes glowing faintly. The barrier's blue shimmer shifts to a soft golden white, as though infused with sunlight's essence.

The golden light spreads gently, not harsh but warm, like a veil of shimmering dust suspended in the air.

Finn feels renewed strength flowing through him, expanding the barrier to protect more recruits.

"Elyon, I call upon your judgment!" Seren commands, her voice ringing with authority as she raises both arms and points them toward Ravyn.

Her head throbs, an uncomfortable noise of voices echoing chaotically through her mind:

"W-Weee d-demaand d-death by... the Holy Light of Aureth!"

A massive, radiant circle forms in the air, its intricate golden symbols glowing with ancient power. The inscriptions pulsate, alive with energy, filling the space with a presence that feels both majestic and inescapable.

Ravyn, poised for his next attack, suddenly freezes. The combined weight of Samir's gravity and Seren's paralyzing Stigma leaves him nearly motionless.

His essence blades flicker and fade as his body falters under immense strain. Every muscle burns, and his joints feel like they're under the weight of the entire world.

The oppressive energy fades into an eerie stillness. For a moment, Ravyn finds himself surrounded by a breathtaking scene: a vast, endless sky filled with golden and crimson stars.

The silence is suffocating. He can't move. He can't breathe. It's as though time itself has stopped.

Suddenly, Kael's Arkana ignites the space around him.

An earth-shaking explosion tears through the room, blinding light consuming everything. The pressure shatters barriers, flings debris in all directions, and fills the air with fire and ash.

The dining hall is plunged into chaos as the blast reverberates, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake.