A cautious silence reigned in Eiji's room after the sudden disappearance of Grandma Elara's voice. The air was still charged with Pulse energy, carrying a scent reminiscent of rain on ancient stones. His mother, Miyoko, watched him with eyes reflecting a mixture of pride and terror; pride for his status as the rightful heir to her family's great legacy, and terror at the fate lurking behind the doors of time.
**Miyoko (in a low, sharp voice):** "Eiji, listen to me carefully. Your father, Akira, is no ordinary man to be easily deceived. His work as a historical extractor in museums is not just a profession; it is a mask for a researcher who has spent his life tracing the 'Great Collapse.' He saw the ring's flash, and the mark in your eye. He is the only one with the knowledge to link you to Taiso. You must be careful... this family has become a minefield."
**Eiji (tightening his grip on the ring):** "I know, Mother. The way he looked at me at dinner wasn't the look of a worried father; it was the look of a hunter who had found his prey. This pressure is pushing me to stay one step ahead of time. I must return to training now; there is no room for the weak in the coming war."
With a light touch on the ring, the "Chrono Gate" opened—a glowing blue rift in the void of the room. Eiji stepped inside, feeling the coldness of the dimensions tearing through the warmth of his human reality, only to find himself back in the Training Dimension. Grandfather Taiso was waiting with his solemn dignity, and beside him, Yukari was tinkering with blue holographic screens emanating from Eiji's magical book.
**Yukari (in a stern, business-like tone):** "You're two minutes and thirteen seconds late, Eiji. In dimensional warfare, this duration is enough for an entire civilization to perish. No time for family drama now. I've analyzed your last fight with Lunaris, and I found that you rely on sand in a primitive way... just solid masses for impact."
**Eiji:** "But the sand is the power I inherited, and it's solid enough to protect me."
**Taiso (stepping forward calmly and placing a hand on Eiji's shoulder):** "Solidity is just one face of the truth, my grandson. Sand is time, and time changes with circumstances. To master 'Phase Shifting,' I want you to simplify it in your mind... Imagine your fight is just a classic game of Rock-Paper-Scissors."
Eiji looked at his grandfather in surprise. Taiso smiled and continued: "Yes, it's that simple. The **Solid State** is the 'Rock'; strong, hard, and crushes obstacles. The **Dust State** is the 'Paper'; light, spreading, it envelops and blinds the opponent. As for the **Liquid State**, it is the 'Scissors'; it flows with flexibility, cuts distances, and wraps around its prey to drown it. To win, you must know when to turn your sand from Rock to Paper, and from Paper to Scissors, according to what your opponent throws at you."
The grueling training began under Yukari's supervision, as she fired energy pulses from a distance to force Eiji into quick reactions. Taiso guided him on how to pump Pulse energy into the sand grains to change their physical nature based on the game's philosophy.
**Taiso:** "Eiji! The opponent throws 'Rock' (a heavy attack)! What will you do?"
**Eiji (with intense focus):** "I'll throw 'Paper'!"
Eiji closed his eyes, feeling the pulse accelerate from his Eternal Mark. Suddenly, the sand masses around him exploded into the **"Dust State"** (Paper). The valley became covered in a thick sand mist that enveloped Yukari's attacks and absorbed their force. Eiji moved within this dust like a ghost, undetectable, as every energy strike passed through the dust particles and vanished.
**Yukari (firing energy arrows from afar):** "Good! But what if the attacks are fast and consecutive? Dust alone won't hold!"
**Eiji:** "Then I'll use 'Scissors'!"
With a powerful burst of Pulse energy, Eiji made the sand wrap around the training dummies' feet and immediately turned it into the **"Liquid State"** (Scissors). The ground became like quicksand, flowing flexibly and cutting off the enemy's escape route—a viscous liquid that swallowed everything. It wasn't just water; it was time flowing to snip the roots of the enemy's stability.
**Taiso (proudly):** "Excellent! Remember: Solidity (Rock) is for defense and destruction, Dust (Paper) is for maneuvering and absorption, and Liquid (Scissors) is for entangling and restricting. This is the 'Triple Rhythm.' Now, integrate them with the 'Time Jump' spell from the book."
As Eiji felt the thrill of his new power, the corners of the dimension suddenly shook. The sky split with a crimson color coming from the depths of the "Void," and a creature emerged that Eiji had never seen before. It was **Blayde**. A massive warrior carrying a gargantuan energy sword dripping with a red substance that devoured existence itself.
**Atsurai (appearing suddenly, ready):** "Watch out! Blayde is the echo of pure rage. His attacks are a giant, unstoppable 'Rock'!"
Blayde charged toward Eiji with terrifying speed. Eiji tried to use the Solid State (Rock), but Blayde's strength crushed any solidity it met. Recalling his grandfather's words, Eiji immediately changed his strategy.
**Eiji:** "If you are the Rock... then I will be the Paper!"
Eiji suddenly shifted to the Dust State, and Blayde's massive sword passed through his body without a scratch. Blayde was momentarily confused, and Eiji seized the opportunity.
**Eiji:** "And now... Scissors!"
The sand beneath Blayde's feet turned into the Liquid State, and the beast sank into the ground, losing its balance. In a decisive moment, Yukari fired 'Disruptor Pulse' projectiles from a distance that paralyzed Blayde's armor movement. Eiji immediately converted the liquid sand around his opponent into the steel-like Solid State (Rock), trapping him in an unbreakable cage.
In the real world, specifically in the dark corridors of the National Museum, Akira stood before an ancient stone tablet. He wasn't reading the inscriptions; his mind was drowned in the dinner scene.
**Akira (internal thought):** "That mark... it wasn't just an illusion. The remnants of energy I smelled in his room carried the signature of 'Etherion.' Eiji doesn't just possess the ring; he possesses Taiso's soul."
Akira entered his private office and locked the door tightly. He took off his work jacket to reveal a black shirt underneath bearing mysterious symbols. He moved toward an old mirror and touched its edge with his hand, revealing a red scar that began to glow intensely.
**Akira (coldly):** "The System chose my son to be fuel for this nonsense. Taiso thinks he can mend what is broken through my blood... I will prove to him that the Void is stronger than family ties."
With a gesture of his hand, the mirror turned into a portal leading directly to the "Void Dimension." Akira stepped inside to manifest there in his true form: **The High Commander of Echoes.**
In the Void Dimension, the High Commander stood before the **Code Phantom**.
**High Commander (Akira):** "Blayde was nothing but a test. The boy has learned to shift the states of matter using Taiso's old philosophy. This means his rhythm is beginning to stabilize, and it's time to strike at the heart directly."
**Code Phantom:** "And what do you suggest, Commander of Echoes? Will you eliminate your son yourself?"
**High Commander (with a cold smile):** "Death is a mercy he doesn't deserve right now. I will send Echoes to target the 'Family Timeline.' I will make him watch his mother get lost in the rifts of time because of him. When he feels absolute loss, his rhythm will break, and then the Void will absorb his power without effort. I will go myself to ensure the wound is deep enough."