Six months had passed since Anir first stepped into that blood-soaked chamber, and the boy who had once hesitated at the threshold of his father's secrets had become something else entirely. His black armor, once foreign to him, now felt like a second skin, as though it had been forged just for him. The twin black swords he wielded with deadly precision had become an extension of his will, and his every movement carried the weight of newfound power.
Ebdo had watched the transformation with a mixture of awe and concern. His pupil was no longer the eager novice, but a master in his own right. Anir's skill with dual swords was flawless, his reflexes sharp, his confidence unshakable. Yet despite all his progress, Ebdo couldn't shake the feeling that something darker was growing within him. The boy who had once laughed and asked questions now rarely spoke, his thoughts consumed by the cryptic messages from his father's journal and the dark entity known only as Malakar.
The training room, cold and silent, echoed with the clash of steel as Anir moved with fluid grace, parrying Ebdo's strikes effortlessly. The older man paused, his gaze narrowing as he studied the boy—no, the young man—before him. The change in Anir wasn't just physical. There was a shadow in his eyes now, a distance that hadn't been there before.
Anir nodded, though his thoughts were already far away. The pull of the blood-stained chamber, the cryptic symbols, and the chilling message about power and madness still echoed in his mind. The line between power and madness is razor-thin. Once crossed, there's no return. Those words, from his father's diary, haunted him, taking on new weight every day.
He glanced at his swords, the sleek black blades that now felt like they belonged in his hands. A strange sense of connection had grown between them, as though they were not just tools of battle but keys to something deeper, something hidden.
"Alright," Ebdo said, taking a step back and adopting his combat stance. "Let's see how well you handle them. Come at me."
Anir nodded and fell into his own stance, the weight of the swords grounding him. Yet beneath the cool exterior, a storm raged within him. What am I becoming? he wondered. His pursuit of the truth had led him here—to this dark, dangerous path. And the closer he got to the heart of his father's secrets, the more he felt the shadows closing in around him.
But there was no turning back now.
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Anir rushed at Ebdo, wielding his twin black swords and using wind magic to propel himself with blinding speed. Ebdo barely managed to block him, their swords colliding with a force that sent Ebdo staggering back nearly twenty steps. He steadied himself, eyes wide with astonishment as he thought, All of this in just six months. He's only 22, yet he could already be considered one of the strongest.
Anir pressed the advantage, forming dozens of fireballs in quick succession and launching them at super speed. Ebdo reacted on instinct alone, barely dodging some and blocking others, his movements strained. As the fight wore on, Ebdo was covered in minor injuries, while Anir remained untouched. With a determined gleam in his eyes, Anir thought, It's time to end this.
In a sudden, fluid motion, Anir melted into a shadow and vanished, slipping seamlessly into the room's own shadows. Ebdo tensed, eyes darting around, when suddenly a surge of shadowy spikes shot up from the ground, closing in from all directions. Simultaneously, dark chains emerged from Ebdo's own shadow, binding him in place until he couldn't even lift his arms.
"Alright, you got me!" Ebdo shouted, his voice laced with both frustration and pride. The spikes and chains dissipated, and Anir stepped out of the shadows, a faint smirk on his face.
Ebdo shook his head, chuckling. "That ability to control shadows and form objects… it's just unfair. I feel bad for your opponents. Your shadow element has improved greatly. Although you still haven't awakened the space element, you're already this strong."
Anir grinned, his voice tinged with excitement. "So, what now?"
Ebdo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "What now? Honestly, I don't think there's anything else I need to teach you."
Anir's eyes lit up. "So, does that mean it's time to set up the gate and go to the other world?"
Ebdo nodded. "Yeah, I suppose it is."
They moved to an empty room in the training hall, where they prepared to open the portal. Anir reviewed the instructions from his father's diary in his mind: To set up the gate, all the common elements along with a rare element and a divine element need to be launched simultaneously. When they fuse, a dimensional rift will open.
But as Anir gathered his power, he realized a problem. "Wait," he said, pausing. "We need a rare element! What are we going to do now?"
Ebdo chuckled, raising a hand crackling with faint electricity. "Don't worry. I never told you, but I also have a rare element—lightning."
Anir's eyes widened. "Wait… if you can use lightning, why didn't you use it in my training? Can't you control it?"
Ebdo's face grew serious. "I can, but lightning has a cost. It wasn't mentioned in your diary, but it's not just hard to control—it can harm the user's body. If I lose control, I could be paralyzed for months. To master it without risk would take years, maybe decades."
Anir nodded slowly, understanding the weight of Ebdo's sacrifice. "Wouldn't it still be dangerous to use now?"
Ebdo smiled, eyes filled with a quiet resolve. "It doesn't matter. I owe your father a debt I can't repay. No injury could compare."
With that, Anir focused his energy, forming a large shadowy orb in one hand and conjuring smaller orbs of water, fire, and wind around it. Beside him, Ebdo formed an orb of earth and another of lightning, his hand trembling slightly as sparks leaped from the sphere.
Anir shouted, "Now!" They launched the elemental spheres toward each other, and with a brilliant collision, the forces exploded, merging in midair. The energy radiated through the room, pulsating with an intense, otherworldly aura, and finally, a shimmering, translucent doorway began to form—a gateway between worlds.
Anir and Ebdo exchanged a determined nod, steeling themselves. Together, they stepped through the portal.
As they crossed over, the world around them twisted and blurred, colors merging in a kaleidoscopic whirl. Sounds became distorted echoes, the sensation of falling into an endless void enveloping them. Just as Anir thought he might lose all sense of direction, the sensation halted, and they landed on solid ground with a thud.
They stood in a vast, eerie forest unlike anything they had seen before. The trees were ancient and gnarled, their dark trunks twisting upward to branches dusted with silver leaves. The air felt dense, almost saturated with an unspoken magic, sending a chill down Anir's spine.
Ebdo took a slow breath, his gaze scanning the unfamiliar landscape. "Welcome to the other world," he murmured, his voice laced with tension and anticipation. He looked over at Anir, who stood silent, his eyes filled with a mixture of wonder and resolve.
Years of training, the mysteries left in his father's diary, and the sacrifices he'd made—it had all led to this. Anir knew this world held both the answers he sought and the revenge he craved. This was just the beginning.
(End of volume 1:The Turning Point)