The flying lizard screamed as it tore through the air above him, wings snapping with sonic cracks. Its tail lashed downward, pulverizing stone where Alex had been a heartbeat earlier.
Too fast.
Tempus pulled.
The world dragged, stretched thin like taffy. Alex saw the strike before it finished forming, saw the distortion ripple along the creature's spine just before impact. He rolled, stone dust shredding his sleeves as the tail slammed down again, missing him by inches.
Chaos surged.
Not power—possibility.
Alex didn't aim.
He threw Orionis Sagitta where the lizard would correct its flight.
The bolt ripped through empty air.
Then the creature twisted.
The star-light caught its wing joint and detonated. Scales shattered. The lizard shrieked and spiraled, smashing through dead branches before skidding across the forest floor.
It didn't die.
It adapted.
The creature's body flickered, portions phasing in and out of reality. Its breath came in fractured pulses, heat bleeding into the air. The void scale wasn't high—but it was enough.
Alex landed hard, knees buckling.
Blood soaked into his boots.
He stood anyway.
— — —
Ascension surged.
Pressure tore down his spine as the wings unfolded fully, no longer spectral—anchored. The forest warped beneath him as he launched upward, clearing the treeline in a single beat.
The lizard lunged.
Alex dropped.
Tempus slowed the fall. Chaos twisted the angle. Lux held him together.
He passed beneath the creature's jaw and drove the Archaeon Warspear upward with everything he had.
The strike punched through the throat and out the skull.
The lizard convulsed once, wings spasming as void-light leaked from the wound.
Then it collapsed.
The forest went still.
— — —
Alex hit the ground seconds later, rolling, armor scraping stone. He didn't rise immediately.
His hands shook.
Not fear.
Exhaustion.
The wings dissolved. Ascension cut off hard, leaving behind a hollow ache that reached into his bones.
He pushed himself upright just as the system asserted itself.
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
Void Entity Slain: Winged Lizard
Void Scale: 2–0–0
Elimination Credit: Full
— — —
The corpse bled shadow.
Alex forced himself closer, every step measured. He knelt only when the void residue stabilized.
[ RUNES DETECTED ]
Tenebris (I) ×1
He stared at the notification longer than he should have.
Then accepted.
— — —
[ RUNES INTEGRATED ]
Affinities Activated:
• Shadow
The forest dimmed.
Not darker—deeper.
Shadows thickened around him, responding without command. His breath fogged faintly, though the air was warm.
Alex closed his eyes.
Counted.
When he opened them again, control returned.
Barely.
— — —
He bandaged himself in silence.
No celebration. No relief.
Only the quiet understanding that this had been necessary—and that it would not be the last time.
As he turned back toward the distant glow of the megacity, the thought settled in fully:
This wasn't training anymore.
This was preparation.
And the next fight wouldn't let him recover alone.