Nyx stood.
His body shook, not from fear, but from strain.
The pressure in this world was unforgiving. It pressed against his skin, his bones, even his thoughts. It was not something he could ignore. It was not something he could escape.
It was something he had to endure.
His breathing was uneven, chest rising and falling too fast, too shallow. Each breath felt heavier than the last, like the air itself resisted entering his lungs.
But he remained standing.
And that alone meant something.
Then it came again.
The pressure dropped without warning.
Not gradually.
Not slowly.
It slammed down.
Nyx's eyes widened as his body reacted too late.
His knees buckled instantly, legs folding beneath him like they no longer belonged to him.
He hit the ground hard.
The impact echoed across the surface beneath him. Pain shot through his arms as they tried to break his fall, but they weren't enough.
His chest slammed against the ground, forcing the air out of his lungs.
For a brief moment…
He couldn't breathe.
"…!"
His mouth opened, but no air came in.
His body froze, locked between pain and shock.
"Stand."
The voice came again.
Calm.
Cold.
Unchanging.
Nyx stayed where he was.
Not because he wanted to.
Because his body refused to move.
Every muscle in him screamed.
His arms trembled just from trying to press against the ground.
"…Just a second…"
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
There was no response.
Only silence.
And the pressure.
Nyx clenched his teeth.
He understood.
There would be no waiting here.
No mercy.
His fingers dug into the ground.
Slowly…
Painfully…
He pushed.
His arms shook violently, barely holding his weight. His body resisted every movement, as if the world itself was forcing him down.
But he didn't stop.
He rose to his knees first.
Paused.
Adjusted his balance.
Then pushed again.
Until he stood.
His legs trembled.
His body leaned slightly forward, struggling to stay upright.
But he stood.
For a moment…
Everything felt still.
Then—
The pressure increased again.
Nyx's body reacted instantly this time.
He tried to adjust.
Tried to brace himself.
But it wasn't enough.
His legs gave out again.
He fell.
Harder than before.
His arm twisted beneath him at an awkward angle.
A sharp crack echoed.
Nyx froze.
Pain exploded through his arm.
This time…
It was different.
Deeper.
Sharper.
His breath hitched.
His vision blurred.
He slowly turned his head.
His arm… wasn't right.
It bent slightly where it shouldn't.
Broken.
For a moment…
He didn't move.
The pain pulsed through him with every heartbeat.
Each pulse stronger than the last.
"…It's broken…"
The words came out quietly.
"Stand."
Nyx's eyes flickered.
"…You didn't hear me?"
No response.
"Stand."
The same command.
Unchanged.
Nyx's jaw tightened.
His body refused to move.
Every instinct told him to stay down.
To protect the injury.
To stop.
But something else…
Refused to listen.
That same feeling from before.
The one that pushed him to stand no matter how many times he fell.
"…No…"
He shifted his body.
Pain surged instantly.
His breath caught.
His muscles locked.
But he forced himself to move.
He rolled slightly, using his good arm to support himself.
His legs struggled beneath him.
Everything felt wrong.
Unbalanced.
Unstable.
But he adapted.
Slowly…
He pushed himself up again.
His broken arm hung uselessly at his side.
But he stood.
Shaking.
Sweating.
Barely holding himself together.
But standing.
The pressure didn't ease.
It got heavier.
Nyx's legs trembled harder.
His vision blurred at the edges.
But he didn't fall.
Not this time.
Seconds passed.
Then more.
Each second stretched longer than the last.
The pain in his arm didn't fade.
It stayed.
Constant.
But something strange began to happen.
The pain… shifted.
It wasn't less.
It wasn't gone.
But it changed.
It became warmer.
Nyx frowned slightly.
He looked down at his arm.
At first, nothing.
Then—
Faint lines appeared.
Dark.
Thin.
Like cracks forming beneath his skin.
They flickered for a brief moment.
Then disappeared.
Nyx blinked.
"…What was that…"
No answer came.
But the Aetherborn noticed.
For the first time since he arrived…
They reacted.
Not openly.
But subtly.
A shift in posture.
A slight movement.
Interest.
Nyx didn't understand.
But he felt something inside him.
Something responding.
Something waking up.
He clenched his teeth.
"Again."
The word came out on its own.
The pressure responded immediately.
It increased again.
Heavier than before.
Nyx's body nearly gave out instantly.
But this time…
He adjusted faster.
He bent slightly.
Lowered his stance.
His legs shook violently.
But he stayed standing.
His breathing slowed.
Forced.
Controlled.
He was learning.
Not strength.
Not yet.
But endurance.
And here…
That was everything.
Time passed.
Uncountable.
Endless.
Nyx fell again.
And again.
And again.
Each fall hurt more than the last.
Each rise took more effort.
But something changed.
He stopped panicking when he fell.
Stopped rushing to stand.
He adapted.
He learned how to fall properly.
How to reduce damage.
He learned how to breathe under pressure.
Short breaths.
Steady rhythm.
He learned how to move with the weight instead of against it.
And slowly…
Very slowly…
He improved.
But the Aetherborn didn't stop.
Every time he adapted…
They increased the pressure.
Every single time.
There was no reward.
No praise.
Only more.
At some point…
Nyx collapsed again.
This time…
He didn't move.
His body stayed still.
Breathing shallow.
His muscles refused to respond.
"…Get up."
The voice came again.
Nyx didn't move.
"…I can't…"
The words came out weak.
Silence.
Then—
"If you stop here… you remain nothing."
Nyx's eyes twitched.
Nothing.
The word echoed.
Memories surfaced.
Cold palace floors.
Voices filled with judgment.
A child without a spirit.
A mistake.
A disgrace.
Abandoned.
Left behind.
Nyx's fingers slowly tightened.
"…I'm not…"
His voice came out low.
"…nothing."
He forced his body to move.
Pain surged again.
His muscles screamed.
But he pushed.
Slowly…
Painfully…
He rose.
Again.
Standing.
Broken.
Exhausted.
Barely holding on.
But standing.
The pressure pressed down harder.
But Nyx didn't fall.
Not this time.
Not again.
Deep within his chest…
Something pulsed.
Faint.
Unstable.
But real.
Not a spirit.
Something else.
Something beyond this world.
The Aetherborn watched.
Silently.
"…It begins."
Nyx didn't hear it.
But he felt it.
The beginning of something.
And even though his body was breaking…
He didn't stop.