The darkness was absolute.
I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed; everything was too dense, cold, and silent.
I felt the damp floor beneath the palms of my hands; the air smelled of ancient dust.
Slowly, I stood up, still unable to fully feel the weight of my own body.
*Where am I? What the hell happened after the competition?* My memory was a fragmented blur of pain.
*I drank the elixir and then... what? Did I pass out? Did Silver get me out of there?*
Before I could try to force my brain to remember anything, a heavy, melancholic sigh scratched the void.
"— So... you finally broke."
A violent shiver ran down my spine.
For the first time in a long time, since I arrived on the training planet, I felt fear.
A raw, primitive, and crushing fear.
Because whatever was standing behind me in the darkness... wasn't normal.
The voice sounded again; it wasn't sadistic or aggressive.
On the contrary. It seemed to carry an infinite exhaustion.
"— So much anger... so much spilled blood. You really did some damage up there, didn't you?"
I gathered every crumb of courage that still existed in my paralyzed body and turned around slowly.
What I saw froze the blood in my veins.
A mirror.
No.
A reflection.
My own face was staring back at me, but it wasn't me—an adult version with skin as black as the deepest night, cut by several brutal red stripes that looked like scars of pure energy.
The eyes carried an absolute void.
I took a trembling step back.
"What... what are you?" my voice failed, faltering against my will.
"What the fuck is this place?!"
The creature didn't advance.
It just looked at me with an expression that caught me completely off guard.
It wasn't fury.
It was pity.
"— Look closely at my face," he murmured, his voice echoing softly in the darkness.
"What do you think I am?"
My body shuddered. The features, the shape of the jaw... it was exactly like me, but an adult.
"— I am what's left of you," my dark reflection sighed, lowering his head slightly.
"I am the black aura you unleashed on that plain, the one you kept hidden for so long... the sick pleasure you felt when you crushed that girl's chest... the coldness when you pierced that boy's heart in front of his father."
The memory of the massacre in the arena hit me like a punch to the stomach.
My breathing accelerated; the guilt and the horror of what I had done, of what I had felt, began to suffocate me.
"— All of that... woke me up," he continued, his voice dripping sadness through the darkness itself.
"I didn't have a form before, but you gave me shape, Suki. I am your corrupted version. The monster you are about to become."
He took a single step toward me.
I tensed my muscles, ready to try and fight, but he immediately raised both open hands, showing he wasn't armed and had no intention of attacking.
The shadows around his body didn't seem threatening now.
They seemed heavy. Like chains.
"Stay away from me..." I warned, but my voice no longer carried as much firmness.
*It makes sense.*
*My dark aura up there... really did seem alive, seemed to have a will of its own.*
"— You don't need to be afraid of me," he said, his tone soft and almost welcoming.
"I'm not here to hurt you. On the contrary."
He closed the distance little by little. I didn't back away. His posture overflowed with a vulnerability that disarmed my defensive instincts.
"— I am here because I know exactly how this dark path ends," he stopped inches from me.
His empty eyes stared at me with a profound warning.
"I saw what the gods do. I felt their fear. And I don't want you to end up like me. A demon trapped in the dark, consumed by his own blood."
My shoulders dropped a fraction of a millimeter; my guard, even unconsciously, lowered.
He was my dark side, created by my own sins, trying to warn me from the precipice.
The cold, black hand covered in red stripes rose slowly and touched my forehead with a strange gentleness.
"— Be careful with the power you've just embraced," he whispered, and for the first time, I saw a worried crimson light shine deep in those empty pupils.
"Don't give in to the anger again, Suki. Don't let me take control."
The darkness around us began to tremble.
The void began to unravel.
"— Now... wake up. And don't make the same mistakes."
The light swallowed everything.
I opened my eyes screaming, tearing the oxygen from the room as if I were drowning.
I was drenched in cold sweat, panting as if I had run for thousands of miles straight.
I looked around desperately, gripping the thick yet fine-woven blanket on the bed tightly.
My entire body felt made of ice; I was nearly freezing to death.
That was when I realized I was wearing only my underwear and clean bandages wrapped around my arms, my ribs, my whole body.
"Who are you trying to kill screaming like that first thing in the morning?"
The voice came from the right side.
Laura was sitting in a carved wooden chair beside the bed; her posture was rigid, but the genuine concern deep in her red eyes betrayed the sarcasm in her tone.
She looked exhausted. And slightly frightened.
"Damn..." I muttered, still dizzy.
I rubbed my dry hands over my face to chase away the image of that being and took a deep breath, trying to calm my heartbeat.
I looked at her.
"I don't need to ask where I am... considering you're sitting right there," I said, leaning my head back against the soft headboard.
"Yeah. You're in the master's house," Laura replied, direct, crossing her thin arms.
"Since you finally decided to wake up, put something on."
She paused, her gaze falling on my bandages.
"You were unconscious for three whole days, Suki."
I stood up unsteadily, my legs wobbly.
I grabbed a folded set of clean clothes she had left on the small table beside the bed.
The room was much more luxurious and beautiful than I had imagined.
Actually, since I arrived, I never had the chance to properly explore Silver's house.
Shortly after getting dressed and regaining my footing, Laura guided me through the hallways to the large main training courtyard at the back of the house.
Silver was training on the lawn with Arthur.
It was basic close-quarters combat.
But insanely heavy.
Kânia was sitting in the shade of the porch a little further away, observing the two with elegance, holding a cup of tea.
She carried that same serene look capable of paralyzing any living being.
In the center, Silver, with his silver hair swaying loose and his beige skin gleaming with sweat, moved as if the very air obeyed the gravitational shifts of his hands.
Arthur answered, attacking with precision and technique mixed with the pure brute force of his race; his gray skin still surprised me.
Every clash of fists between master and student sounded like a muffled explosion.
It was perfect choreography, almost a divine dance.
Kânia smiled with her eyes when she noticed my presence in the courtyard.
"Well, well..." she murmured sweetly.
"Look who finally decided to wake up."
Arthur made the fatal mistake of taking his eyes off Silver to look at me for a single second.
I stared back, feeling a chill from his gaze in those few seconds, but...
It was enough.
Silver twisted his body and buried his heel straight into Arthur's face.
The thud sent the boy rolling across the dirt floor.
"You'd be decapitated if this were a real fight," Silver said, perfectly calm, without even altering his breathing.
He looked at Arthur lying in the dust.
"But you're improving... a little."
Then, Silver turned his face and walked toward me.
He was shirtless.
His body, covered in ancient scars, was an athletic monument to pure combat.
His red eyes remained cold and impenetrable.
*Red?* I thought.
*I must be going crazy,* I thought again.
But, deep down, there was something else.
There was pride.
Silver stopped in front of me and rested his heavy hand on my shoulder.
"You did very well."
His voice dropped a few tones, becoming much more dangerous.
"But understand this, kid: that was only the first step. The real game starts now."
Before I could ask what he meant by that...
Silver analyzed the clean clothes Laura had given me and cracked a crooked, amused smile.
"The Queen wants to see you."
I blinked, surprised. I didn't expect to have to face the highest figures so soon.
But, considering the massive hole I tore into the structure of an arena supervised by them... I guess it made perfect sense.
Silver put on a long-sleeved black shirt and walked to the dining room, motioning for me to follow him.
The large dark wooden table was already set, and it wasn't just any meal.
There were steaming iron platters of roasted meats that smelled of spices I had never encountered in my life, warm rustic bread, and bowls of vibrant exotic fruits.
I sat down slowly, still feeling my ribs protest, and watched the scene as the others took their places.
Me, Laura, Arthur, Kânia, and Silver.
The sound of cutlery clinking against plates and the smell of hot food created a strange, almost familiar atmosphere, completely detached from the bloodbath I had been immersed in three days ago.
Kânia was the first to break the silence.
With elegant movements, she served a generous piece of meat onto my plate and pushed a goblet with a thick, red liquid near my hand.
"Eat it all," she ordered, her tone soft but carrying unquestionable authority.
"You lost enough blood to kill three adult beasts. This juice will help rebuild your cells and assist your divine regeneration."
"Thank you," I muttered, grabbing a piece of bread.
The texture and warmth made me realize just how starving I was.
The taste was absurdly good.
Laura, who was sitting across from me, swallowed a piece of meat and pointed her fork at my face.
"You're a suicidal idiot, you know that?" she fired off, though her expression lacked the same anger as before.
"What the fuck was your plan standing down there waiting for that brute's axe to fall on your head?"
I stopped chewing, feeling everyone's gaze at the table fall on me.
Surprisingly, I didn't feel cornered; the environment felt safe.
"I wasn't waiting to die," I answered, taking a sip of the juice Kânia had given me.
It was sweet and burned my throat slightly.
"I needed her to trust her own inertia. If I tried to dodge too early, she would redirect the blow. I had to let her think she had already won."
Arthur, who until then had just been cutting his food in silence, stopped his knife and raised his dark eyes to me.
"It was a risky move. Dirty," he commented, his voice deep and neutral.
"But incredibly efficient. Using that monster's weight against her saved your life."
He gave a slight nod.
A gesture of silent respect from someone who only respected strength.
"When you're healed, we're going to test that reaction time of yours in the courtyard."
I gave a weak laugh, feeling my ribs ache again.
"Give me at least a week to not cough up blood before you try to rip my head off, Arthur."
Silver let out a low laugh, leaning back in his chair with a glass of wine in his hand.
"They are right about one thing, kid," Silver said, his green eyes gleaming enigmatically.
*Now they're green!!!* I thought.
"You put on a show up there. That last punch... that aura you pulled from the bottom of your soul. The gods in the stands nearly soiled their own golden pants."
The mention of my black aura made my stomach drop for a millisecond, remembering the words of my "reflection" in the nightmare.
*Don't let me take control.* But I swallowed hard and forced my mind to return to the light of that dining room.
"They wanted a spectacle," I replied, cutting another piece of meat, feeling comfortable enough to share my opinion.
"When I realized that, I just gave them what they asked for. If they throw me in there again, I'll do worse."
Totally ignoring what my corrupted reflection had told me, which made me feel guilty.
"That's the right attitude!" Laura flashed a fierce smile and slammed her hand on the table, making the glasses tremble.
"Next time, rip their heads off!"
"Less yelling at the table, Laura, please," Kânia reprimanded with an elegant sigh, serving herself more tea, though a small smile also played on her lips.
Silver laughed at the scolding, Arthur discreetly rolled his eyes, and Laura muttered an apology crossing her arms, but still smiling at me.
I leaned back in my chair.
The sound of their voices blending, the warmth of the room, the clinking of dishes... all of it began to wash over me.
I sat there, in silence, just observing.
Silver and Arthur discussing combat tactics with their mouths full, Laura stealing a piece of bread from Arthur's plate.
Kânia smiling while trying to maintain order in that mess.
It was a family.
Built in the middle of chaos, but still... a family.
My gaze wandered over the table full of abundant food, and for a moment, the image of the master's luxurious room dissolved.
I saw a smaller, much simpler table.
The smell wasn't of exotic meats, but of the hot dinner my mother used to make after helping my father.
I heard my father's loud laugh talking with our old friends from the village, while we shared what we had.
Memories of a life that had been erased, of people I would never see again.
My friends literally invading my house, calling me to catch fireflies at night.
A small, melancholic smile formed on my face. I closed my eyes for a brief second, letting the warmth of that memory heat my chest.
*I hope you are in a better place than I am,* I thought.
After the hearty meal, Silver stood up, walked to the door, and called me with a nod of his head.
"Come on. Climb up," he said jokingly, lowering his shoulders a bit.
I narrowed my eyes instantly, suspicious.
"You don't mean... on your back, right?"
Silver let out a loud laugh.
"I have a terrible habit of carrying my spoiled children like that."
I rolled my eyes and snorted.
"This 'child' here barely understands what dimension he's in. We can walk like normal people."
Silver shrugged, unbothered by the refusal.
"Suit yourself."
He pointed his thumb over his shoulder, toward the luminous immensity of the divine city.
"See that gigantic castle over there on the horizon?"
I squinted against the sun.
The white stone structure pierced the skies miles ahead.
It was larger and far more majestic now; I hadn't realized that the first time.
Right in the geometric center of the city, a colossal mountain rose like a pillar holding up the heavens themselves.
And at its absolute apex, crowning the peak of raw rock, rested the castle.
The immense structure was forged in a white, luminous, almost pearlescent stone that reflected the sunlight blindingly.
Its dozens of sharp, pointed towers pierced the clouds miles above us, with roofs adorned in solid gold that sparkled with every movement of the magical wind.
The place didn't look like just a palace or a fortress; it was a monument of pure sovereignty, radiating an aura of power that made the air around it feel heavier.
But what truly caught the eye was how you reached it.
There were no aerial ramps or ordinary bridges.
A single, monumental staircase of pale marble wound in a spiral around the entire mountain.
It made complete loops along the rocky ascent, like an immense stone serpent embracing the peak from the base in the city all the way to the grand gates at the top.
And, lining every curve and landing of that infinite rotating staircase, I could already see the silhouettes from down here—the immense, silent statues that watched over the ascent.
A line of numerous statues stretching all the way to the final step at the top—it was a majestic and oppressive visual reminder of who ruled everything.
"It's not that close..." Silver continued. "But it's not that far either."
The cynical smile tore across his face.
"I'll meet you at the top of the stairs. Try not to die on the way."
And he simply vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving a swirl of dust behind.
I let out an irritated sigh.
"I urgently need to get used to this bullshit..."
I started to run, heading down the path from the master's house toward the main avenue of that divine plane.
As I advanced, the scenery around me left me speechless.
Absurd shops selling floating artifacts, houses with impossible architectures defying gravity.
Wide avenues paved with stones that emitted their own light. Everything there had been built and inhabited by minor gods and high-class beings.
It was hard to believe a place like that existed and was functioning so peacefully.
As I ran, I locked eyes with several familiar faces.
Some of those beings had been in the stands screaming for me to be killed just days ago.
My muscles tensed instantly.
Walking alone out in the open here was an invitation for suicide. They plotted against me inside the arena with rules and supervision.
Why the hell would it be any different in the middle of a random alley?
*I need to stay alert. The reality of the streets here is completely different from my home village...* I thought.
Before I could sink into paranoia—and of course, after a lot of walking—I reached the base of the colossal construction.
I stood before an absurdly wide staircase that snaked up the mountain to the castle gates.
Silver was waiting for me at the top of the first section.
I began to climb.
The view from up high was formidable; the divine wind beat heavily against my face.
The perfectly sculpted statues lining the staircase caught my attention immediately.
Men. Women. And beings of a race I'd never seen; each sculpture felt unique and full of authority.
Near the end of the climb, I stalled.
One of them made me stop walking.
Silver.
A life-sized statue of him, with stone hair blowing in the wind, wielding a sword planted in the ground.
The statue's eyes had been carved from pure crystal; he looked alive.
And, strangely, his face looked much younger than the flesh-and-blood Silver I knew.
The real Silver stepped up beside me without making a sound.
"Shall we go in?" he asked casually.
I kept staring at the crystal sculpture.
"What are all these statues on the stairs?"
The master's voice changed. It became more serious and restrained, as if recalling a dark era.
"They are the Hundred."
The biting wind whizzed past us.
"They are the ones who accomplished deeds absurd and cruel enough to be remembered in this universe forever."
He looked up at the castle gate.
"They are arranged according to the position of danger and influence they hold within the hierarchy of the divine universe."
I ignored the explanation and kept staring at the crystal face of his statue.
There was something about that stone that disturbed me profoundly.
It was as if those lifeless, transparent eyes were truly studying me back.
I left the bad feeling behind, and we crossed through the enormous castle gates.
Every detail of that golden palace seemed built to crush the pride of anyone who entered.
The last time I was there, when I was dragged in on my first day, panic had blinded me.
I hadn't paid attention to anything.
Now, lucid, it was impossible to ignore the historical weight of that immense structure and the frantic life pulsing within it.
The interior of the castle wasn't a silent mausoleum; it was the true nerve center of the universe.
Minor gods with metallic-toned skin, giants in heavy armor, and elves draped in silks that looked woven from starlight traversed the massive corridors coated in polished gold.
There were floating crystal staircases crossing high above, connecting upper floors where beings made entirely of pure energy ascended and descended at a constant, busy pace.
The sound of thousands of footsteps and whispered voices filled the air like a low hum.
But the moment Silver stepped into a new corridor, the atmosphere changed.
The sea of deities and superior races parted immediately.
Powerful beings interrupted their conversations to press against the walls, clearing a path.
Some offered short, tense bows.
Others, in military armor, struck their closed fists against their chests in a silent, deeply respectful salute.
Silver didn't even slow his pace.
He responded to almost no one, simply walking with his usual absolute posture.
And I followed right behind him, feeling the weight of curious and hostile stares burning into my back.
As we walked, we passed by huge double doors that were partially open.
My curiosity screamed.
In one of the rooms, I glimpsed enormous holographic maps of entire solar systems spinning slowly in the air, surrounded by tacticians murmuring incomprehensible calculations.
In another, dozens of beings floated cross-legged around a pillar of blue fire that roared in silence.
I instinctively slowed my pace, wanting to peek at what else was in there, but a simple sideways glance from Silver reminded me to focus on the objective.
I kept walking.
As we went deeper into the castle, the commotion decreased, replaced by a dense and solemn silence.
Until we finally arrived in front of the throne room.
The gigantic doors were already wide open, waiting for us.
The main hall was colossal.
Columns of pure light supported a ceiling that wasn't made of stone, but was rather a living, moving projection of the entire galaxy.
But what rooted my feet to the marble floor wasn't the divine beauty of the room.
It was the presence.
The millisecond I crossed the threshold, an absurdly murderous pressure crashed down on my body like a block of lead.
And that pressure wasn't coming from the pale, beautiful figure of the Queen sitting on the throne.
It was coming from something stationed right behind her.
My entire body froze instantly.
The exact same sensation of helpless dread that had swallowed me in the nightmare took over me in real life.
The flow of energy running through my veins began to falter; I couldn't even manage to exude my aura.
It was as if something in there was physically trying to rip out my soul and tear my aura from the inside out.
Silver felt the shock in my body immediately.
He took a lazy step into the room and put his hands in his pockets, maintaining his unshakable good mood.
"Hey, hey... Katan."
Silver narrowed his green eyes, staring into the darkness behind the throne.
"Don't you think you're being a little too hard on the kid?"
My vision, watery and blurred by the pressure, finally focused on the target.
And then I saw him.
Standing in the shadows, right behind the Queen's majestic throne.
A colossal being, wearing a closed armor as black as the vacuum of space.
In its hand, the creature held a straight jade-green sword, its thick blade incredibly larger and wider than the monster's own body.
The simple existence of that guard bent the space around him.
The massive marble floor of the room seemed to pulse and weep under the weight of every slight movement of that armored entity.
I felt the bones in my knees crack from the weight.
I tried to raise my head fully to face him.
I couldn't.
My neck muscles wouldn't obey; the creature's murderous gravitational pressure didn't allow eye contact.
"I can't believe it..." I babbled, trembling with cold and sweating profusely at the same time.
My breathing failed.
"That... that thing was here... this whole time..."
*When I was brought into this room the first time...* I thought.
My eyes widened in pure dread.
*...He was already standing there in the shadows...* I concluded my thought.