"I trained under three masters."
His gaze lifted to meet theirs, his presence suddenly heavier.
"My first master taught me how to control my own existence, to shape my body, my dimension, and my energy. My second master taught me combat, how to fight in ways no normal being ever could. My third master…" He paused.
"…taught me how to defy the laws of everything."
A shiver ran through the crowd.
He gave them a small, sad smile.
"But even after learning from them, I wasn't invincible."
His eyes sharpened.
"I lost two hundred battles."
The survivors stared.
"But I won one thousand."
The room pulsed as he spoke the words.
"And I've been to ten thousand universes."
Murmurs spread through the survivors. The scale of what he was saying felt unreal.
"You've been to that many universes?" a Xerzes whispered.
He nodded. "Each one taught me something new. Some were lifeless. Some were thriving. Some were locked away inside protective barriers… and yet, for some reason, I could pass through them."
"What was inside?" a Folqi asked.
He let out a slow breath.
"That's where everything changed."
The survivors leaned in.
"It's where I found the path that led me to becoming what I am now."
He slowly stood upright, his body adjusting to its full height.
"And it's where I learned the truth about the things that destroyed my universe."