Keon closed his eyes for a brief moment, steadying himself. A strange sensation spread outward from him, like invisible tendrils stretching beyond his body, weaving into the space around him.
It started as a faint awareness—subtle, like the brush of wind against his skin. Then it sharpened.
The ground beneath his feet was no longer just a surface but a network of pulsing energy. The hum of machinery hidden within the walls whispered in the background. Every shift in movement, every presence, registered in his mind with startling clarity.
Azira stood like a storm contained in human form, wild and crackling with restless energy, her presence erratic yet sharp. Darlic, by contrast, was an anchor—steady, controlled, his movements precise. Even the training bot had a unique rhythm, its artificial core pulsing like a measured heartbeat.
Keon slowly opened his eyes. He didn't just sense them. He knew exactly where they were, how they moved, the space they occupied.
And this… this was only the beginning.
The bot's core flared violently, its blaster humming as energy rapidly built up. A deep, rising whine filled the air, resonating through the metallic floor. The glow at the barrel's tip condensed, shifting from a volatile flicker to a deadly point of compressed power.
Then, with a sharp mechanical snap, the bot fired.
But the moment the energy left the blaster—before it even traveled a full meter—it vanished. No explosion, no dispersing particles, just complete erasure as if the attack had never existed.
The bot's sensors flickered, its systems struggling to process what had happened. But before it could react, the stolen energy erupted back inside the blaster.
A violent crack split the air. Sparks and arcs of unstable power burst from the seams of its arm. The weapon trembled under the sudden surge—then detonated in a fiery blast.
The bot staggered backward, its now-destroyed arm trailing thick smoke. Its core pulsed erratically, struggling to stabilize.
Keon tilted his head, watching the aftermath.
"That looked expensive."
Azira let out a laugh, completely unfazed by the destruction. She waved a hand dismissively.
"Oh, don't worry about it. They always break this stuff."
She glanced at the smoking remains of the bot's arm, then at Darlic, who sighed and was already pulling up repair protocols on the control panel.
Keon raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me this happens often?"
Azira grinned. "You'd be surprised how many of these things we go through. Just means we get to test their limits—and yours."
Darlic's fingers moved across the holographic interface, the blue grid pulsing in response. "I'm increasing the difficulty to normal," he stated, his tone neutral.
The damaged bot recalibrated instantly. Its broken arm retracted, replaced by a reinforced module that hummed with fresh energy. The glow of its core deepened, and the room vibrated slightly as the systems adjusted.
Keon shifted his stance, feeling the subtle shift in pressure as the bot prepared for a more advanced assault. Darlic glanced at him. "Try to keep this one intact for at least a few minutes."
The training bot lunged at Keon, its reinforced legs propelling it forward with a burst of speed. The ground cracked beneath its weight as it shot toward him like a relentless predator.
Keon reacted in an instant. With a shift in space, he ejected the bot behind him, flipping its momentum against it. The machine barely touched the floor before it adjusted—no hesitation, no pause. Its head snapped toward him, glowing optics locking onto its target.
As the training bot twisted mid-air, its metallic body shifted seamlessly. Plates of armor slid apart, revealing hidden mechanisms beneath. With a swift transformation, its shoulders reconfigured—metal shifting and folding like a living machine—until two sleek blasters emerged from within.
Without a second's delay, the cannons pulsed with energy and unleashed twin beams, cutting through the air straight toward Keon.
Keon instinctively reached out, as if expecting something—no, knowing something.
The twin beams, meant to strike him down, never even got close. The moment they entered his space, they twisted, shrank, and condensed into two glowing blue orbs, now hovering around his open palm.
His eyes widened. Not in shock, but in understanding.
It wasn't just an ability. It wasn't just a barrier. It was his domain.
As far as his reach extended, everything inside—whether energy, objects, or even the rules themselves—belonged to him. He wasn't just reacting to attacks anymore. He was dictating how they behaved.
Keon's Rift Barrier wasn't just a shield. It wasn't just an intangible wall that blocked attacks. It was an invisible space—a silent, dark dimension that swallowed anything upon contact.
Now, he had discovered something new.
As long as he remained within his Rift Barrier's range, he wasn't just ejecting things into that void. He was reshaping it. Controlling it.
Everything that entered his space wasn't just displaced—it was his to command. Energy, objects, even motion itself. It was no longer just a passive defense. It was a domain.
The limits? He had no idea. He'd never tested them. But one thing was certain—inside his Rift Barrier, Keon made the rules.
Azira whistled, arms crossed as she watched the glowing blue orbs hovering around Keon's hand.
"Wow, kid," she muttered, raising an eyebrow. "You never told me you could do that."
Keon glanced at her, expression unreadable. "I didn't," he admitted. "Because I just figured it out."
Before Keon could explain further, a sharp mechanical whir cut through the air.
The robot lunged forward, its metallic body shifting seamlessly as its arm extended toward Keon's head, fingers tightening like a steel trap.
Keon glanced at the robot from the corner of his eye, a small, knowing smile creeping onto his face. Without a hint of urgency, he raised the two glowing blue orbs closer to his face, their light reflecting in his eyes.
The robot's metal fingers clamped down—not on Keon's face, but on the two glowing orbs hovering just in front of him.
For a split second, nothing happened. Then—BOOM! A surge of energy erupted from the orbs, detonating within the robot's grasp. But instead of being caught in the blast, Keon effortlessly redirected the force, sending it surging away from him in a controlled burst. The shockwave rippled outward, tearing through the air beside him while he remained completely untouched, his grin unwavering.
The explosion tore through the robot's arms, shredding the metallic limbs in an instant. Jagged remains of its forearms sparked violently, the internal mechanisms exposed and flickering with unstable energy.
The machine staggered back, momentarily disoriented, its once-lethal hands now nothing more than sparking stumps. Keon watched with a smirk, his glowing orbs gone but his confidence only growing.
Darlic let out a sigh and raised his hand. "That's enough."
The robot, now missing both arms, froze in place. Its glowing eyes flickered before dimming entirely as its systems powered down. With a heavy thud, it dropped to one knee, its damaged frame barely holding together. The battlefield fell silent.
Keon lowered his hand, still feeling the lingering sensation of control over his domain. Azira crossed her arms, watching with an amused smirk.