Suddenly...
Rio's right eye began to radiate a deep, ominous violet aura, thick like smoke, yet pulsating like a living heart.
The air around him violently trembled.
Rio (in a tense whisper):
"Now... it is time to experiment... but... this eye... what shall I name it?"
He fell silent for a moment, as a bizarre sensation crawled inside his skull—a pulse that did not belong to his own heart.
"...I found it. Hazuki."
[System Prompt: New Capability Activated: Hazuki.]
[First Level: The First Pulse – Gravity.]
Rio opened his eye in astonishment, the notifications manifesting before him as if carved into the very air.
Rio (in a faint voice):
"I've had this eye for two months... but I never knew its capabilities. The First Pulse... Gravity?"
Description:
[Hazuki – The First Pulse – Gravity]
Capability: Manipulation of gravity within a limited perimeter.
Range: 30 meters.
Consumption: Moderate.
Warning: Prolonged utilization causes neural exhaustion to the mind and may lead to death.
Rio extended his hand forward.
The violet aura suddenly expanded, condensing until it resembled a dark vortex. At its center... a black hole.
It was invisible to the small dragon due to its infinitesimally small size, but Rio could see it with absolute clarity; his perception of it felt as if it were a literal part of his own body.
A tiny black dot, silently swallowing the light.
Rio concentrated.
The black hole expanded... slowly at first... then with terrifying speed.
The ground beneath his feet fractured, leaves tore away from their branches, and even the air itself seemed to be forcibly dragged toward the center.
Rio (murmuring in genuine, honest wonder):
"...This... is incredibly magnificent. I love it."
Then, he abruptly deactivated the capability.
The black hole vanished, and everything crashed back into its original place, as if nothing had ever transpired.
Rio sat in profound silence atop a colossal branch, his body exhausted, his breathing heavy. Hazuki remained active, but something else began to stir within his depths... something that was not part of his plan.
[System Prompt: Unexpected Evolutionary Stimulus...]
[Evolution of Hazuki: Another eye shall manifest.]
[Left Eye: The Eye of Eternity.]
Rio (in a weary, shocked voice):
"Another... eye?! I didn't request this!"
Yet, the System replied with utter indifference:
[Process Completed Successfully.]
An excruciating, sharp pain pierced through his head.
He felt as though a red-hot iron skewer was slowly boring straight through his eye. His left eye closed completely, as if extinguished by an invisible force... and then, it snapped open.
But it was not violet.
It was a brilliant gold, etched with bizarre runes resembling an ancient Roman sun or an eye from a long-forgotten, ancient epoch. It radiated a warm aura, yet it was terrifying in its absolute serenity.
It was not an aura of violence...
Rio looked down at his hand.
A strange mark materialized upon the palm of his hand, resembling a fractured, blood-crimson crescent moon.
Rio (in a low voice, almost a whisper):
"...What is this thing?"
He clenched his fist.
The mark vanished...
But a new, small star appeared where nothing had been before. Then, it disappeared once more, as if a sealing formula had formed over it.
Rio (with suppressed anxiety):
"I... what is happening to me?"
In a place far, far away...
A man clad in a cloak of absolute, stark black suddenly halted in his tracks.
He opened a third eye upon his forehead.
The Mysterious Figure (in a hollow, empty voice):
"...I never expected you to survive that cataclysmic incident, Paimon! Or as they call you now.... The System."
He smiled... and then vanished into thin air, leaving behind a void heavy with dark secrets.
Inside the Labyrinth
Yui suddenly felt an icy shiver run down her spine.
Yui (turning her head anxiously):
"...Something is watching us."
Zalarosa tightened her grip on her sword, her eyes narrowing sharply.
"It's not just a feeling... it is here."
And before she could finish her sentence—
A beast forged of shadows erupted directly behind Yui. Its claws were like solidified smoke, and a single, swift strike was all it took...
It severed her arm.
Blood sprayed violently.
At the apex...
Rio smiled faintly as he closed his eye.
Rio (whispering):
"It seems my power... is increasing."
The small dragon crept closer to him, settling by his side with the calm tranquility of a child trusting its mother.
Rio (in a serene tone):
"Soon, my friend... we will begin the true journey."
Back in the Labyrinth
Zalarosa (her face turning deathly pale, screaming):
"Yui!!"
She rushed toward her in utter panic and frantic desperation.
Yui (with a weary but unwavering smile):
"I'm fine... don't be afraid. But we must put an end to this beast right now."
Zalarosa wiped away her tears, and unbridled fury ignited within her eyes.
She launched forward like a bolt of lightning, her strike aimed directly at the creature's neck—
But the beast seamlessly evaded the assault, countering with a brutal, powerful blow directly to her back.
Zalarosa crashed heavily to the ground, lying completely motionless.
Yui (in a trembling voice):
"Zalarosa?!"
There was no response.
Her wrath exploded.
Behind Yui, twenty swords composed of blazing crimson fire manifested in mid-air, each one gleaming as brightly as a sun. The temperature of each blade reached 100°C.
The stone floor began to liquefy...
The labyrinth walls dissolved...
The very air itself incinerated.
Yui (in a freezing, terrifyingly cold voice):
"Now... your turn is over."
To be continued...