The void rippled, an endless expanse of pale light under Zami's feet. The creature loomed ahead, its undefined form shifting unnaturally, crowned with radiant spikes of pure light. Zami tightened his grip on his katana, his silver eyes narrowing as he stepped forward.
"Flow state," he whispered to himself, his breathing steady and precise.
Everything around him slowed. The faint undulations of the void, the creature's subtle shifts, the pulse of energy in the air—he saw it all. The world condensed into a singular focus: the creature's movements.
The creature's attack came in an instant, a formless appendage stabbing forward with unnatural speed. To anyone else, it would have been invisible, but in Zami's flow state, it moved like a crawling shadow. He sidestepped with precision, his katana swinging upward to parry. Sparks of energy scattered from the clash, but Zami was already moving, capitalizing on the opening.
He dashed forward, delivering a series of slashes aimed at the creature's core. Each strike flowed seamlessly into the next, his attacks a symphony of calculated destruction. His focus was absolute—nothing else existed but him and his opponent.
But then, the unexpected happened.
As Zami lunged for a finishing strike, the creature shifted, its form dissolving into a whirl of radiant light. A sharp, piercing pain erupted in his chest. Zami froze, his silver eyes widening as he looked down. A tendril of pure light had pierced through him, its edges burning with raw energy.
His flow state shattered, the slowed world around him snapping back into full speed. Blood spilled from the wound, dark and dense, staining the void beneath him.
Karesh's voice rang in his mind, sharp and panicked. "Zami! Get up! You can't fall here!"
Zami's vision blurred, his knees buckling beneath him. The katana slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground. The creature loomed closer, its crown of light radiating a malevolent energy.
Then, everything went dark.
Zami gasped, his eyes snapping open as if surfacing from deep water. His body was whole again, his katana back in his grip, and the creature stood before him, unscathed.
He glanced around, realizing with a grim understanding what had happened. The trial had restarted, the moment of his death erased by the curse—no, the gift—of his revival.
Karesh's voice returned, calm and steady. "You've been given another chance. Learn from your mistakes, Zami. This is no ordinary enemy."
Zami's breathing steadied as he stood tall once more. His body remembered the pain of death, but his mind was sharper. He adjusted his grip on the katana, his eyes locking onto the creature.
"This isn't over," he muttered, his voice laced with determination.
The creature shifted, preparing to strike again, but this time, Zami was ready. His flow state returned, not as an act of desperation but as a tool. He analyzed every detail—the creature's movements, the subtle changes in the void around it, the flicker of its light.
He could feel the weight of the trial pressing down on him, testing his every limit. But Zami wasn't one to break.
"Let's see how many times you can push me," he said, stepping forward to face the creature once more.