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The warm water cascaded over Lyrium's shoulders, soothing his worn muscles and washing away the grime of his ordeal on Jeju Island.
It's been 5 days since, he returned from Jeju Island.
Steam filled the bathroom, curling against the tiled walls as he leaned forward, bracing himself against the cool surface of the shower.
His breaths came slow and steady, the heat easing the tension from his body but doing little to calm his restless mind.
The Element Tree had pushed him to his absolute limit, but he'd succeeded.
The lightning crystal now sat in his apartment—a shard of raw power that almost cost him his life.
He ran a hand through his damp hair, closing his eyes as the memory of the crackling energy and burning pain resurfaced.
The scar that ran faintly across his forearm was proof enough of how close he had come to failure.
But there was no time to linger on what had already happened. Tomorrow, his life would change.
The Deviants Academy awaited—a place of prestige, ambition, and danger. He couldn't afford to be weak. Not now. Not ever.
Dressed in a loose shirt and pants, Lyrium stepped into the living room of his apartment, the cool night air seeping in from the slightly cracked window.
Magentano glowed faintly in the distance, the city alive even at this late hour. But Lyrium's focus wasn't on the world outside.
His attention was locked on the crystal sitting on the desk before him.
The lightning crystal.
It pulsed faintly, a shard of energy that seemed alive in his hands. He had pulled it from the Element Tree at the brink of his endurance, and even now, its raw power sent faint ripples through the room.
It's can be even considered as an Artifact, for most.
For most, such a relic would be stored away or sold for wealth beyond imagination. But Lyrium wasn't "most." He didn't have the luxury of wasting such a resource.
He placed his hand on the desk, staring at the crystal. Its faint blue glow cast shadows across his face, illuminating his sharp features.
He hadn't planned to use it initially. In the novel, Silas had stored it for future use, but Lyrium's situation was entirely different.
He only had Void.
The rarest—and arguably most dangerous—element known to humanity. Not exactly known. There wasn't s single being who knows about the void element. Yet.
Void wasn't a practical element. It was volatile, unstable, and difficult to control.
Most sages would inherit a basic element—fire, water, wind, or earth—or even an advanced one like lightning or ice.
But Void?
It was the gap between existence and nonexistence, a power that consumed more than it gave.
His Void element made him unique, but it also made him vulnerable. Without a secondary element to balance his abilities, he was walking a fine line between power and self-destruction.
And that wasn't a gamble he could afford to take, not with the challenges that lay ahead.
His fingers brushed the surface of the crystal.
Energy sparked faintly at his touch, dancing along his skin.
It wasn't hostile, but it wasn't entirely welcoming either. The lightning element was raw, untamed, and resistant to outside interference.
"Yeah, I figured you'd be stubborn," Lyrium muttered, narrowing his eyes.
He had studied enough to know the risks of trying to absorb an elemental crystal from the novel.
he process could cause severe damage—or worse. But it wasn't impossible. With the right state of body, even someone like him could force compatibility.
Lyrium sat cross-legged on the floor, placing the crystal in front of him.
The faint hum of its energy filled the room, resonating with the silence. His heart pounded in his chest, but he pushed the fear aside.
There was no room for doubt. If he wanted to survive the academy, to stand on equal footing with the other students and the Main Leads, this was his only choice.
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he centered himself.
His mana flowed through his body, slow and steady, as he prepared for what was to come. Carefully, he reached out, letting his energy brush against the crystal's surface.
The response was immediate.
A surge of lightning shot through the room, crackling against the walls and illuminating the dark space.
Lyrium gritted his teeth, his body tensing as the crystal resisted his intrusion. Its energy was wild, unyielding, but he pressed on, forcing his mana to wrap around it like a cage.
"Come on," he muttered through clenched teeth, sweat dripping down his face.
The lightning pushed back, searing his nerves and sending jolts of pain through his body. But he didn't stop. He couldn't stop.
The Void within him stirred, a faint whisper in the depths of his soul. It reached out, intertwining with the lightning in a way that was neither natural nor expected.
The two forces clashed violently, their opposing natures threatening to tear him apart from the inside.
Lyrium gasped, his hands trembling as the energy coursed through him.
His veins burned, his mana channels stretched to their limits as the crystal's power began to merge with his own.
The Void seemed to devour the lightning, swallowing it whole even as it struggled to maintain its form.
Seconds felt like hours as the process dragged on, each moment more excruciating than the last.
His vision blurred, his body convulsing as the raw energy tore through him. But slowly—painfully—the resistance began to fade.
The lightning settled, its chaotic energy tempered by the Void's consuming nature.
Lyrium collapsed onto the floor, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.
His entire body ached, his muscles trembling from the strain. But he could feel it—the faint crackle of electricity beneath his skin, the raw power that now flowed through his veins.
He opened his eyes, staring at his hands as faint sparks of blue energy danced across his fingertips.
The Void and lightning coexisted within him now, a volatile but functional partnership.
He could feel the difference already—his mana reserves were deeper, his control sharper. But there was a weight to it as well, a sense of danger that lingered in the back of his mind.
"That… was insane," Lyrium muttered, a weak smile tugging at his lips. He pushed himself into a sitting position, wincing as his sore muscles protested.
The crystal was gone, its energy now fully absorbed into his body. And he had survived the process.
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