The rooftop was a desolate stretch of concrete and broken tiles, with only the wind keeping them company. Yuri sat on the edge, legs dangling over the side, while Draziel stood a few feet behind him, arms crossed. The air between them was thick with unspoken tension, the vastness of the night sky mirroring the silence that hung between teacher and student.
Yuri's eyes were distant, locked on the city below but seeing something far beyond it. Finally, he broke the silence, his voice quiet, measured. "When I went into the Aeternus form… I wasn't just here anymore. I was... everywhere."
Draziel didn't move. His gaze remained fixed on Yuri, unreadable but attentive. He had heard this before—stories of overwhelming power, of visions beyond mortal comprehension—but this was different. Yuri was different.
"Explain," Draziel said, his voice low, commanding without being harsh. It was the tone of a man used to being obeyed, but not unkind.
Yuri closed his eyes as if searching for the right words. "Time stopped. But it didn't just stop—it broke. Like every second that ever was, and every second that ever will be, was all happening simultaneously. I could see everything... I could feel everything."
Draziel's expression remained calm, though his brow furrowed slightly. "Go on."
"I saw people, Draziel," Yuri continued, his voice growing more urgent as if reliving the moment. "Not just here, but... everywhere. Across the world. I could feel their emotions, their lives. It was like I was connected to every single person—like I could... control their futures. Change what happens to them. It was—" He faltered, struggling to contain the enormity of what he was describing. "It was too much. I had to pull back, or it would have destroyed me."
Draziel took a slow step forward, his eyes narrowing. "And did you pull back? Or did the power slip away from you?"
Yuri looked up sharply, catching the edge in his mentor's voice. "I pulled back. But only just." He turned back to the view in front of him. "It was like holding a river in my hands, knowing it could flood everything if I lost my grip."
There was a long pause. Draziel moved closer, standing beside Yuri but not sitting, his gaze now fixed on the horizon. "The Aeternus form is not a gift of sight. It is a force that bends reality to your will. You don't simply witness time, Yuri—you become its master." His voice was stern, cutting through Yuri's uncertainty. "The question isn't whether you can handle it. It's whether you have the discipline to control it."
Yuri frowned, the weight of Draziel's words heavy. "But I don't know if I'm strong enough for that. What if I make the wrong choice? What if I—"
"You will," Draziel interrupted, his tone sharp but not unkind. "You will make mistakes. Power like this doesn't come without cost. But hesitation is more dangerous than failure. You must learn to act, to make decisions and stand by them, even when the outcome is unclear."
Yuri's hands clenched into fists. "It doesn't feel like power. It feels like... a burden."
Draziel nodded once. "That's because it is." He placed a hand on Yuri's shoulder, a rare gesture of guidance. "But burdens are carried for a reason. You were given this power for a purpose. It is not yours to question, only to wield."
For a moment, neither spoke. The wind tugged at their clothes, the city below indifferent to the conversation happening above it.
Finally, Draziel's voice softened, just a fraction. "You've come far, Yuri. But mastering the Aeternus form will take more than raw strength. You must temper it with understanding. That's why I'm here—to make sure you don't lose yourself in it."
Yuri looked up at him, searching his face for answers. But Draziel's gaze was resolute, offering no easy solutions, only the path forward. "What do I do now?"
"Now?" Draziel's lips curled into the barest hint of a smile. "Now, you train. You master the form. And when the time comes, you will know how to use it. Until then, trust that you were chosen for this, and trust that I will not let you fall."
Yuri nodded, though uncertainty still clung to him like a shadow. But beneath it, something else stirred—determination. He wasn't alone in this, and that, for now, was enough.
The morning sun climbed higher as Yuri and Draziel walked through the quiet streets. Their conversation flowed naturally, though the tension of the previous day still lingered.
"What can I do to improve?" Yuri asked, his voice thoughtful as they strode through the empty alleyways.
Draziel's response was firm, his eyes sharp. "Control. You need to temper your power, Yuri. Right now, it's like a wild animal—you must tame it. Emotions cloud your judgment, and that's where your enemies will exploit you."
Yuri listened carefully, nodding slowly. His mind was still grappling with the enormity of his Aeternus form and how close he had come to losing himself.
"And you?" Yuri asked, changing the subject. "What's your power?"
Draziel smiled faintly as if he expected the question. "I can accelerate my body's stats—strength, speed, reaction time. There's a limit, but I haven't reached it yet."
Yuri raised an eyebrow. "So, you could keep pushing until you find that limit?"
Draziel nodded. "It's not about pushing blindly. It's about knowing how far you can go without breaking. That's where real strength lies."
Before Yuri could respond, shadows flickered in the alley ahead. A group of ragged figures emerged, weapons gleaming. Their leader, a tall man with a scarred face, sneered as he stepped forward.
"Hand over your money," he growled, gesturing to his gang of bandits.
Draziel sighed, his expression unchanged. "We don't have time for this."
One of the bandits lunged at Yuri, knife in hand. Yuri sidestepped with ease, delivering a sharp blow to the man's ribs. He moved fluidly, taking down five bandits in quick succession. Across from him, Draziel was equally efficient, dispatching five more with swift, calculated strikes.
But as the dust settled, a slow, mocking clap echoed through the alley.
"Well done," a voice said.
From the shadows, the bandit leader stepped forward. He was different—calm, confident, and radiating a palpable power. His name was Vix, and his eyes were locked onto Yuri with malicious intent.
"You must be the famous Yuri," Vix said, smiling coldly. "Let's see what you've got."
Before Yuri could react, the air around him shifted. Suddenly, he felt an immense force dragging him down, as if the ground itself had come alive and was trying to swallow him.
Vix's grin widened as Yuri struggled against the crushing weight of gravity. "Let's see if you can fight when the very earth is against you."
Yuri staggered, feeling the pressure intensify. His muscles strained, and for a brief moment, he faltered, the memory of Xever's death flashing through his mind. His heart raced, and in that instant, Vix struck.
With a flick of his wrist, Vix increased the gravity around Yuri's right arm, pinning it to the ground. At the same time, he raised the gravity around Yuri's legs, making him feel as though they were made of lead.
"Having trouble?" Vix taunted, his voice dripping with amusement.
Yuri struggled, trying to summon his strength, but the gravitational field was unrelenting. Vix wasn't done. With a wave of his hand, the air around Yuri's chest compressed, making it difficult to breathe.
"This is the power of gravitation," Vix said, his eyes gleaming with malice. "It's not just about weight. It's about control."
Before Yuri could react, Vix clenched his fist, and the gravity around Yuri's midsection intensified. Yuri let out a gasp as he felt his ribs strain under the pressure. Blood trickled from his mouth as he fell to his knees, gasping for air.
"Yuri!" Draziel shouted, his voice cutting through the pain. But he didn't move. This was Yuri's fight, and he needed to see if his student could overcome it.
Yuri's vision blurred. The weight pressing on his body, the mocking laughter of Vix—it all felt too familiar. He saw Xever's face again, the way he had died helplessly. Fear gripped him, and in that moment, Vix struck again.
With a sharp gesture, Vix increased the gravity beneath Yuri's feet, pulling him violently toward the ground. The force was enough to crack the pavement, and Yuri felt his knee slam into the concrete, sending a jolt of pain through his body. He winced as blood soaked into the dirt, his body trembling under the crushing force.
"You can't win," Vix sneered, walking closer, towering over Yuri. "Not against this. Not with the past weighing you down."
Yuri gasped for breath, his body screaming in agony. Vix raised his hand for a final blow, intending to crush Yuri into the ground for good.
But then, Draziel's voice cut through the fog of pain and fear. "Your past doesn't matter, Yuri! What matters is now. Overcome it!"
Yuri's eyes snapped open, Draziel's words piercing through the haze of memory. He could feel the weight of Xever's death, the guilt and fear that had been holding him back for so long. But Draziel was right. The past didn't matter—not now.
A low, green glow began to pulse from Yuri's body, spreading outward in waves. His breathing steadied as he rose to his feet, despite the weight still pressing down on him. The glow intensified, and Vix's smug expression faltered.
"What...?" Vix took a step back, confusion flickering across his face.
Yuri stood tall, the green glow surrounding him now bright and fierce. The gravitational field around him shattered as he unleashed the full power of the Aeternus form. Time itself seemed to slow as Yuri moved, his every step deliberate and precise.
Vix, desperate, thrust both hands forward, increasing the gravity around Yuri tenfold. The very air warped, the ground cratering beneath them as Vix tried to crush him.
But Yuri was no longer bound by such things. He vanished, reappearing behind Vix in an instant, his form a blur of green energy.
Vix turned, panic seizing his movements. He raised the gravity around him, creating a barrier, but it was too late. Yuri's fist, glowing with the eternal green light, pierced through the barrier as if it were nothing.
"You're finished," Yuri said calmly.
With a final, powerful strike, Yuri unleashed a blow that erased Vix from existence. The gravitational force vanished, leaving only silence in its wake.
Draziel, who had been watching from the sidelines, smiled faintly. "It's only a matter of time."
Yuri stood in the aftermath, breathing heavily but standing tall. The green glow faded, but the newfound understanding of his power remained.