The atmosphere in the base was calm—almost too calm for a group of warriors who had seen war, death, and secrets unravel. All four—Varun, Ignis, Sofia, and Zayn—were sitting together, something that rarely happened.
Sofia broke the silence.
"I never told you all… but I've had this strange piece ever since we defeated Clayven."
She pulled out a glowing fragment from her pocket, glowing faintly with a bluish-red hue. Everyone leaned forward as she placed it on the table.
Varun blinked in surprise. "That… looks like mine."
He took a similar piece from his jacket. "Got it when I defeated Cazren."
Ignis stood up, eyes wide. "Wait, you both have one too?"
Zayn grinned. "Same here. Mine came from Nyoro. Ignis, you got yours after Kaurex, right?"
All four placed their pieces together. A sudden hum filled the air. The pieces magnetized, locking into a perfect square. A flash of red and blue light exploded across the room, and in a blink, a purple portal opened before them.
Ignis stepped back. "What the hell is this?"
Zayn narrowed his eyes. "Could it be related to Aevor?"
Sofia's voice was cautious. "Whatever it is… it feels dangerous."
Varun, standing at the edge of the portal, clenched his fists. "We'll only find out if we go in."
Without another word, they stepped through. The portal closed behind them.
They landed on dark soil under a dim sky. The clouds swirled with violet lightning. The air was thick with pressure. Ahead stood a giant, ancient castle, its spires piercing the sky.
They entered.
Inside the grand throne room, a massive armored man sat on a throne of obsidian. His armor pulsed with neon-blue and purple energy. A glowing core on his chest slowly shifted color.
Varun stepped forward. "Who are you?"
The man stood, towering above all. "I am Amprex, the ruler of this dimension."
His voice echoed, but strangely, they all understood it.
Ignis narrowed his eyes. "So… we're in his world."
Zayn muttered, "This has to be connected to Aevor."
Amprex smirked. "You came here to kill me?"
Varun responded, "We only want information. About Aevor."
Amprex chuckled. "Aevor… interesting. Defeat me, and I'll tell you everything."
Without hesitation, Varun dashed forward, fist aimed straight at Amprex.
But Amprex caught the punch and threw him across the hall like a ragdoll.
"You're in such a hurry," he laughed. "Let's have some fun."
He stood up and raised his arm. "You three will fight my strongest warriors. Defeat them. As for Varun… I'll be your opponent."
A tall four-armed woman stepped forward, swords gleaming. Beside her stood a man with eyes pitch-black and empty.
Sofia tensed. "You said three fighters. Where's the last?"
Amprex grinned. "Oh, he's always late."
He gestured. "This is Tessarissa… and this is Vaelstrom."
Tessarissa leapt toward Sofia, swords clashing.
"You're mine!"
"I'll end you," Sofia growled.
A massive gate crashed down behind them, isolating their battle.
"I'll take the dark-eyed freak," said Ignis.
He and Vaelstrom clashed fists—another gate shut behind them.
Zayn faced Amprex. "Till your third fighter comes, let's warm up."
Varun lunged at Amprex with a kick—but missed.
Zayn blasted a shockwave—no effect.
Amprex teleported behind Zayn and nearly crushed him with a punch, but Varun interrupted again. They combined an attack—Zayn launched Varun through shockwave propulsion, and Varun punched Amprex with full power.
Amprex blocked and countered—sending Varun crashing into Zayn.
They were stunned. For the first time, someone had overpowered Varun physically.
Amprex raised both arms. "Let's turn things up."
He clapped—a thunderclap that shook the room—but Zayn canceled it with his strongest shockwave.
"You two are good," Amprex said. "Now… watch this."
Varun landed a punch on Amprex's face—it hit!
Zayn gasped. "Why didn't he block—?"
But Amprex rose, grinning. A violent shockwave erupted from him.
"This is my power—absorption," he said. "The more you hit me, the more I evolve."
In another chamber, Sofia and Tessarissa's blades clashed non-stop.
"You have one sword. I have four," Tessarissa taunted. "You can't win."
Her attacks were relentless. Blades blurred in a deadly dance as she struck from every angle—diagonals, spinning slashes, overhead blows. Sofia blocked desperately, the clang of metal echoing like thunder.
Sweat poured down her face. Her arms ached with every block. Sparks exploded with every impact, and the walls of the chamber were scarred with their movements. Tessarissa's speed was monstrous—four blades attacking as one, creating a rhythm Sofia could barely follow.
"You're not even attacking!" Tessarissa mocked. "You're just surviving!"
Sofia gritted her teeth. "Sometimes surviving… is how you win."
She ducked under a cross-slash and rolled aside, finally finding a second to breathe. But Tessarissa didn't stop—she lunged, swords spinning like a storm.
Sofia parried one, deflected another—but the third blade grazed her shoulder. Blood trickled.
Pain flared, but Sofia stood her ground. Her grip tightened.
"I don't need four swords to beat you," she said, raising her blade again. "I just need one—and the will to stand."
With a shout, she charged forward again.
In the wind-blasted arena, Ignis faced Vaelstrom in a swirling storm of razor-sharp winds. The howling gusts sliced across the battlefield, tearing up stone and sand alike. Vaelstrom floated with eerie calm, his long coat billowing as if alive.
He lifted his hand—and a barrage of slicing wind blades tore through the air.
Ignis ducked and rolled, fire bursting from his palms as he countered. A trail of flame shot toward Vaelstrom—but the wind master flicked his wrist, extinguishing it like a candle.
"You think flame can stop the storm?" Vaelstrom sneered.
Ignis snarled. "Let's find out."
But before he could prepare another attack, Vaelstrom raised both hands. The clouds above spiraled, forming a violent vortex. A monstrous tornado touched down with a roar.
"I call the skies themselves," Vaelstrom declared.
Ignis didn't back down. He took a deep breath, eyes blazing.
"Then let's light them up."
He thrust his hands forward, merging his fire into the whirlwind—creating a roaring fire tornado. It surged forward, the heat intense enough to warp the air. For a moment, Ignis thought he had the upper hand.
But Vaelstrom only laughed. "You think you control it now?"
With a gesture, the tornado twisted mid-air—turning back on Ignis.
His eyes widened. "Oh no—"
The blazing tornado came at him like a demon. There was no space to dodge. Ignis planted his feet, channeling everything into one desperate blast.
He summoned the full fury of his core flame, fire erupting from every pore.
"RRRRAAAAAHHHH!"
A blinding pillar of flame surged up, colliding with the fire tornado. For a moment, the two forces struggled—then the tornado collapsed, scattered into embers.
Ignis fell to one knee, smoke rising from his body. His breaths were ragged. His vision blurred.
"I stopped it… but damn… I'm burning myself out…"
He tried to rise but fell forward, panting, drained. The storm still raged around him. And Vaelstrom… was just getting started.
Meanwhile, Varun and Zayn were still struggling against Amprex.
Their attacks were getting more intense—but so was he. Amprex absorbed their energy like a bottomless void, converting it into raw power. No matter how fast they moved, he moved faster. No matter how hard they struck, he struck harder.
Then—BAM!
A deafening crack shattered the air. Out of nowhere, a massive figure appeared behind Zayn like a phantom. Before Zayn could even react, the figure grabbed him by the neck and lifted him high into the air—then slammed him into the ground with a quake that split the stone floor.
"Grh—!" Zayn gasped, pain erupting through his body.
Amprex laughed, eyes glowing.
He gestured toward the towering figure. "Meet my third warrior—Gravitus."
The ground shook as Gravitus stepped forward. He was monstrous—easily over 7 feet tall and clad in thick, black armor covered in glowing gravitational runes. Each footstep left deep craters, and the air warped slightly around his body, like the laws of physics themselves bent to his presence.
Zayn struggled beneath the invisible pressure. "He's… crushing me… without even touching me…"
Varun's heart pounded as he watched. His own limbs felt heavier, his balance unstable.
He growled, fists clenched, body bruised. "Amprex… who are you really?"
Amprex's grin widened, his voice cold and thunderous.
"I am the beginning of your end."
TO BE CONTINUED…