Damon, Nyra, Draven, and Varnex returned to the royal court after their short visit with Velmira.
The atmosphere had shifted completely—from tense worry to a crushing, immediate urgency. The Tutors and Queen Thessa stood at the head of a massive strategy table in the war room, their faces set with the grim, instant reality of Velmira's declaration.
Queen Thessa spoke first, her voice cutting through the air. "We don't have weeks, Damon. We barely have days. Based on your recent power surge, you're now ready to master Light Eterna—not just for defense, but for precision attacks. You can move like light itself. That is where we begin the reckoning."
Damon's breath caught in his throat. "I can… move like light?"
"Yes," the Queen confirmed, a flicker of tired pride in her eyes. "Your body is ready for Light manipulation. For your other elements, Varnex will handle advanced Fire techniques, and Draven will reinforce your Wind basics. Time is our greatest enemy."
Outside the room, the Queen's Generals and top commanders were already gathered—a silent, disciplined wall of elite fighters.
Bravira suddenly snarled, the sound raw and dangerous. "I need a moment."
Before anyone could respond, a violent sonic boom cracked through the air—followed almost instantly by her return. It was like she had vanished and snapped back in a single breath, the air around her shimmering with spent energy.
Draven groaned into his palms. "Oh no… not again."
Cythera exhaled sharply, disappointment clear.
Varnex winced, running a hand over his face. "Bravira… tell us you didn't just do what I think you did."
Thorpax lowered his voice to a tense rumble. "Did you just—?" He paused, dread creeping into his tone. "Which one?"
Bravira folded her arms, refusing eye contact with the Earth Tutor. "…Regart."
Thorpax exploded. "REGART?! That's the planet travelers use as a base! Why would you destroy that one?"
Damon's stomach dropped. "You destroyed a planet?"
Cythera sighed, already sounding defeated. "When Bravira can't hold her anger, she releases her full, destructive power on a dead world."
Thorpax threw his hands up in utter disbelief. "Do you know how hard it is for me to fix these planets, Bravira?! I have to manually remap tectonic plates!"
Queen Thessa intervened gently, shooting Bravira a pointed stare. "Thorpax, calm down. Bravira will help fix it… right?"
Bravira muttered, "…Yes."
Thorpax inhaled deeply, calming his own emotions, then grabbed Damon by the collar and pulled him close, stone eyes narrowed. "Go check for survivors. Now."
"Huh—?" was all Damon got out before Thorpax launched him through an open window with enough force to breach the atmosphere.
Wind tore at his face. Instinctively, Damon summoned his daggers, stabbing them into the crumbling remnants of Regart to slow his impossible landing.
The landscape was completely shattered—fractured like broken glass spread across a massive, lifeless shell.
"Bravira did this… just because she was angry," Damon thought, swallowing hard as he stared at the destruction. "Best not to piss her off during training."
He blurred across the shattered terrain, Ki scanning every crevice for life. Nothing.
When he reappeared in the war room, he was breathless but unharmed.
"No one was there."
By then, the Generals and Commanders were fully assembled. Queen Thessa nodded for Commander Laros to begin.
Laros addressed the room, projecting his voice. "Since Velmira has decided she'll fight Draven herself, that part of the defense is settled."
Draven looked up, pale, the emotional toll clear on his face. He let out a breath "I… cannot fight Velmira."
Thorpax frowned. "Why? You're strong en—"
Draven cut him off, his voice weighted with tragic commitment. "Strength isn't the issue. My allegiance is to Woewyn, and I will do anything to prevent its fall. But I am also deeply in love with Velmira so I cannot kill her."
"You don't need to kill her," Queen Thessa said softly. "Just subdue."
Draven shook his head. "I need Damon with me."
Damon blinked. "I can barely do anything compared to you."
Draven held his gaze, sharp and desperate. "You're the mind. I'm the blade. Together, the chances shift in our favor."
Laros nodded, accepting the modification. "This improves the plan. My commanders and I, along with Nyra, will defend the ground perimeter."
Rika stepped forward in her gleaming suit, firm and ready. "I want to fight. It's the least I can do for Woewyn."
Damon smiled. "I saw her yesterday. She'll be a huge help leading the defense."
"So be it," Laros confirmed. "Nyra and Rika will lead this part of the ground war." he pointed on a map. "Bravira will fight the Fire Brother. Thorpax, you'll take the Earth Brother."
Thorpax cracked a rare, stone-hard grin. "A battle of Earth users? Perfect."
"And Cythera and Varnex will take the Wind Brother," Laros finished, the assignments locked in.
No objections were raised.
As preparations began, Bravira called Damon back, her expression serious enough to chill him deeper than Cythera's Eterna.
She led him and the Tutors into a tall training chamber, the walls lined with shimmering, Tutor-proof barriers.
Cythera and Varnex immediately began sparring—a beautiful, high-speed dance of water and fire. Draven and Thorpax clashed on the other side.
Bravira faced Damon directly. "As the Queen said, you can manipulate Light Eterna. You've only done it in bursts. I can't teach much, but I can test your limits. We start with Invisibility."
She asked, "What do you think about being invisible?"
"It's cool," Damon said, "but useless if my opponent senses my Ki."
"Then I'll teach you to hide your Ki. The technique's name is still in debate, so we call it Void Sync."
Before Damon could respond, an earth spear shot toward his head. He caught it between two fingers without turning, grinding the stone to dust.
Thorpax shrugged. "Sorry."
Bravira continued, her focus absolute. "To hide your Ki, you must erase your body and rhythm from awareness. Remember syncing to Resonant Stride's fast rhythm?"
Damon nodded.
"Now, you must erase your body from our senses. Spread your Eterna to every single cell and the thin air around you. If someone tries to read you, it'll be like trying to find a single raindrop in a massive storm."
Damon inhaled, centering himself. His Ki sharpened, then softened. His heartbeat slowed. His core warmed.
A faint blue aura flared—then instantly dimmed as he spread pure Eterna through every cell, touching the air.
One by one, the Tutors paused their sparring to watch.
Then—he vanished to their senses.
"Can you sense me?" Damon whispered, his voice disembodied.
Cythera shook her head. "No. But we still feel your rhythm. Your heartbeat gives you away every time."
Bravira's voice sharpened, demanding absolute perfection. "That's the hardest part. You must sync your heart to Eternum's pulse."
"How?"
"You must sense Eternum's slow, massive pulse… stop your own heartbeat… and restart it to match perfectly."
Damon's jaw tightened. "If I miss it—"
"You die," Bravira said simply. "Extremely likely, actually. But—"
"Teach me."
Bravira stepped close, her eyes searching deep into his. "Why are you fighting so hard? You're willing to risk your life for a kingdom you barely know, against an enemy you also barely know."
Damon breathed out, his motivation clear and unwavering. "I fight for the people I care about. So my mother isn't sad. My sister isn't afraid. So the people I love—" He gestured to the Tutors. "—have a chance to love too. A leader who won't bleed for his own people is a coward."
Bravira cupped his face gently, a flash of approval in her eyes. "Your heart is your sharpest weapon. Don't dull it."
Four days of brutal training followed—Light Invisibility, advanced Fire, and the true basics of Wind Eterna mastery.
The war was beginning.
At the ruins of Eternum, thousands of Velmira's soldiers stood silent in the rain. Velmira stood atop a ruined spire, the massive, three terrifying figures of the Brothers emerging behind her like carved, ancient gods of destruction.
She raised her hand, silencing the distant thunder.
Her voice rolled like prophecy and thunder, amplified across the worlds. "Look upon the silence of Woewyn! I once wore its colors. I bled for its pride. And in return, it gave me stagnation and lies. I am the divination of its decay, the wrath of our forbidden kingdom! I see the rot at the core of their perfect light. They preach order, but I tell you..."
Her words built—fury, love, and destruction woven together with seductive charm.
"Break the world, and watch life rush to fill its void! Only then can a true future blood. We destroy Woewyn not from spite, but from love for what it could be! The price of their disgrace will be paid with fire. Charge with me! Let the cleansing begin!"
Thunder boomed, shaking the ground. She lifted her hand—her fingers pressed like a deadly blade.
A distant, uninhabited moon silently split in half and began to drift apart.
Her soldiers fell to their knees—not in fear, but devotion.
She lowered her hand, her green eyes burning. "Forward."
The massive, silent army rose into the stormy sky.