A new start

"At last, I've made it to the end of this grueling tower," Kieran exclaimed softly, his breath ragged from the intense journey. His gaze was fixed on the gaping maw of the dark void before him.

The expanse stretched out, an enigmatic realm brimming with unknown entities and trials yet to be faced. Despite the uncertainty, Kieran's determination burned brightly. With a resolute step, he ventured into the profound obscurity, his heart racing with anticipation and resolve.

The portal's weight tugged at his limbs, drawing him inexorably towards its swirling depths.

"Ugh, this sensation never gets easier," Kieran muttered as he felt the pull of the portal's gravity.

Just as he was about to succumb to its grasp, an unexpected surge of force repelled him, sending him crashing back to the ground with an audible *thud*

"Ugh..."

A voice laced with disdain echoed, cutting through the tense air. "You really think you can breeze through this stage ahead of me? How utterly naive."

Kieran's attention snapped to the speaker, an unfamiliar figure standing just a short distance away.

'...Great, a powerful psionic. Just what I was hoping to avoid,' Kieran's thoughts raced as he fought to push himself upright from the ground.

With a swiftness that defied the eye, the distant figure blurred and materialized right in front of Kieran, catching him off guard.

Before Kieran could even fathom the situation, a powerful force shoved his face forcefully into the ground.

The sheer impact rattled his senses, leaving him dazed and disoriented. And then, like a thunderclap, a savage kick crashed into his stomach, the ferocity of the blow sending shockwaves through his body.

The walls nearby quivered in response, their structural integrity tested by the unleashed force, threatening to crumble under the strain.

"Looks like that did the trick. He thought he was some big shot for reaching here first, but he's just a pushover, isn't he, Krone?"

Krone who seemed to be the stranger's acquaintance chose not to reply, maintaining his silence.

As the two of them continued their one sided conversation, Kieran lay there in pain, his suffering unnoticed in the midst of their discussion.

*Gaah!*

A burst of agony erupted from Kieran's lips as blood sprayed from his mouth, mingling with his groans of pain.

This onslaught was unexpected! More than half of his attack managed to breach my defense! I must gather my senses quickly.

Kieran braced his hands against the ground and summoned his strength to lift himself up...

"Oh? So this doormat is clinging to life? How tenacious. Just wither away quietly—"

In a lightning-fast maneuver, he unleashed a powerful kick to Kieran's face with astonishing speed—

"What? Where did that bastard disappear to—"

Just then, Krone's voice echoed in a thunderous roar—

"BEHIND YOU, CLAUSE!"

"Huh-?"

Clause's attention snapped to the side, only to discover Kieran poised behind him, primed to strike—

"Surprise," Kieran's voice rippled, a grim grin etched across his bloodied face.

With a swift maneuver, Kieran manipulated the space around him, creating a disorienting effect that left Clause momentarily befuddled. This hesitation slowed down Clause's movements significantly, leaving him at a substantial disadvantage.

Capitalizing on this split-second advantage, Kieran's honed reflexes drove his advanced-level dagger with precision into Clause's unprotected back. The blade cleaved through flesh and bone, blood erupting in a macabre spray that covered Kieran, a grim testament to the savagery of the strike.

With a heavy thud, Clause collapsed to the ground, his body rendered immobile by the combined effects of Kieran's attack. Severely wounded and bleeding profusely, it was only a matter of minutes before Clause succumbed to the overwhelming blood loss and injuries.

Amidst the tense aftermath, Kieran's voice cut through the air, a quiet declaration in the midst of chaos. "You're not the only psionic user here..."

As he panted, the gravity of the situation struck Kieran. "Haah... if he'd utilized his psionic manipulation before I did, I'd be the one lying here..."

"You bastard! Which planet are you from?! Do you even comprehend the gravity of what you've done?" Krone's words seethed with anger and disbelief.

Kieran's response was curt, his voice unwavering despite the tension. "That doesn't matter..."

With a swift motion, Kieran manipulated the space around him, creating the illusion that he had teleported directly behind Krone. The suddenness of his movement caught Krone off guard, prompting him to instinctively leap away in surprise.

The shock on Krone's face was palpable as he marveled at Kieran's precise manipulation of space.

*To use space distortion with such accuracy...!* Krone's mind raced with astonishment.

"You! Who taught you su—" Krone's words were cut short as Kieran's dagger, manipulated from a distance, sliced through the air and found its mark in Krone's right arm.

The blade's ruthless efficiency left the arm maimed and mangled before Krone even had a chance to react.

Enraged, Krone bent his knee and touched Clause's lifeless body. Kieran's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What?" Kieran mumbled, a mix of shock and confusion sweeping over him.

Without a second to lose, Kieran sprinted toward the short distance separating them. He launched a barrage of dagger attacks, each manipulated through his psionic powers, aiming to overwhelm Krone. But his efforts were in vain.

In a surreal turn of events, Krone's arm began to regenerate, sprouting forth with startling speed as if nothing had happened.

Kieran's disbelief deepened as he witnessed the seemingly miraculous revival of Krone's maimed limb.

'Alchemy! Blood alchemy, no less!' Kieran's thoughts raced as realization struck him.

"You!" Kieran's voice crackled with a mix of incredulity and outrage. "Have you no shame? How dare you defile the body of your own kind?"

Kieran's words reverberated through the tense air, a declaration of his disgust for Krone's macabre actions.

"Shut up," Krone's retort was curt, his voice laced with an eerie calmness that sent shivers down Kieran's spine.

With an unsettling transformation, Krone's strength surged to new heights. He harnessed the blood of his fallen comrade, morphing it into a weapon of grim power—a bloodied spear that radiated with a haunting malevolence.

Krone's assault hurtled towards Kieran with relentless force, leaving him with little choice but to evade with all his might. However, Kieran found himself trapped in a defensive stance, struggling to find an opening for a counterattack.

In the midst of the intense clash, doubt began to gnaw at Kieran's resolve. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that this could be the end, an unceremonious conclusion to his quest for vengeance.

As the battle raged, Kieran's thoughts were suddenly inundated with memories of his master, a guiding figure whose final wish had etched itself into Kieran's very being: "Slay those cursed Ikars, no matter the cost."

The mantra echoed in his mind, fuelling his determination even in the face of despair.

Despite Kieran's fierce struggles, he found himself overpowered by Krone's relentless assault. The blood spear plunged into his stomach, causing a searing agony to course through his body. With a gut-wrenching groan, he collapsed to the unforgiving ground, his strength waning as his life's essence ebbed away.

In the throes of this desperate situation, Kieran's mind wandered to fragments of his past. Memories flowed like a river, each one a vivid scene from his life, a reminder of all he had lived for and fought to protect. A lone tear escaped his clenched eyelids, tracing a path down his dirt-streaked cheek, mingling with the blood that stained his skin.

His breaths came in ragged gasps, his vision blurring as the weight of his impending fate settled upon him. The pool of his own blood grew beneath him, a cruel symbol of his struggle and pain.

Amidst the anguish and sadness that enveloped him, Kieran clung to the remnants of his consciousness.

As Kieran teetered on the brink of darkness, his consciousness slipping away like sand through his fingers, an unexpected event shattered the consuming gloom. A brilliant radiance burst forth from the pendant that hung around his neck, casting an intense glow that seemed to pierce even the deepest shadows. The blinding light enveloped him and Krone in its ethereal embrace, momentarily halting their grim struggle.

A sudden gasp tore through the stillness, echoing like a desperate plea for answers.

"Where am I?" The words trembled in the air, a bewildered inquiry that held a hint of fear and disbelief.

A groan followed, the sound of discomfort and realization that the world around was different from what had been known.

*Groans* escaped the lips again, revealing the agony that the body felt.

And then, as consciousness solidified further, Kieran's gaze shifted downward, eyes tracing the unexpected sight before him.

His body, once a canvas of pain and injuries, now lay beneath a tapestry of bandages, a patchwork of care that seemed alien yet strangely comforting.

A voice within him spoke in a whirlwind of thoughts, his mind grappling with the revelation that defied all logic.

'What? I'm... I'm out of the Enigma tower? How is this even possible?' The questions surged, each one a testament to the disbelief that coursed through him.

The mystery deepened, leaving him suspended between the known and the unknown, a single realization dawning like the first light of daybreak.

Confusion clouded his thoughts,

"I should've died there... How am I even... out of the Enigma tower?"

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as a warm embrace enveloped him, accompanied by the sound of someone crying. A voice, caring and concerned, cut through the haze, "Oh Azur, don't say that!"

"Huh? Who... who are you?" Kieran stammered, his focus shifting from his disorientation to the mysterious woman before him