"You can live, provided you live; that is, you can live forever, provided you live a good life."- 229H:3:2.
- Saint Augustine of Hippo.
Our heroes e.g. Ungar, Talus, Hermes, Mark, Nelly, Kazan, Lupus, Kanji, etc. walked over the horizon the following morning and they saw it. It was a beautiful realm, a forest that was lush and expanded endlessly. Beautiful lagoons were seen below. There were large dinosaurs everywhere, in the lagoons one can see massive marine reptiles as they walked across a large beautiful bridge. They saw the water in the lagoon below large creatures including large catfish and large goldfish the size of whales swam below. In the part in land out of the water large elephant pig-like looking creatures walked around picking fruit with their trunks. It began with the forest—an endless, undulating ocean of green, impossibly lush. Towering trees rose hundreds of feet high, their canopies braided with vines thick as ropes, dangling with glowing pods that pulsed faintly like they were breathing. The air was crystalline, pure to the point of being intoxicating. Each breath felt like it scrubbed the lungs clean. The scent of flowers, fresh earth, and wild fruit mixed with the sharp ozone tang of running water.
The bridge they walked on was wide and made of pale, living stone that gently hummed underfoot, etched with ancient geometric patterns that shifted slightly when one wasn't looking directly at them. It spanned a lagoon so clear and still it looked like glass until a school of golden fish—each the size of a house—gilded beneath it, their massive fins shimmering like silk in the sunlight. Mixed in with them were ancient leviathans—catfish with enormous jaws and gnarled whiskers trailing like streamers behind them. Each ripple they made sent flashes of reflected light up to the underside of the bridge. To their left, beyond the lagoon, low hills gave way to enormous grazing beasts. Elephantine in size and bulk, but with squat pig-like snouts and intelligent eyes, they plucked fruit from high branches using their muscular trunks. Their skin was a mosaic of subtle patterns, and they moved in gentle herds, communicating in low, almost melodic rumbling.
Deeper in the forest, just barely visible through the trees, were the flickering forms of beings not entirely of this world. Tall, thin creatures shimmered with translucent skin that caught the light like glass, their forms slightly unfixed, like reflections in a stream. They watched from a distance, not hiding, but not entirely present either—as if reality itself bent a little where they stood. And far off, nestled between two distant peaks that rose like obsidian spears into the clouds, were the cities—vast, majestic structures of impossible scale and beauty. They looked grown more than built: spiraling towers of iridescent crystal and smooth, sweeping bridges that arced between buildings like strands of silk. Some floated slightly above the ground, tethered by columns of light. Others clung to cliffs or hovered entirely, their bases suspended in midair by forces unseen. Beams of energy moved between them in slow pulses, and flying creatures—some metallic, some organic—circled lazily through the sky.
It was a world that hadn't just survived—it had evolved into something magical, something sacred. Every leaf, every ripple, every breath of wind hummed with ancient power. The heroes stood at the threshold of a living dream, eyes wide, silent in awe.
Back on Helios our heroes slowly but surely ridded the planet of most of the cubes. Nova found himself in an interesting conversation with Doctor Mahler. Nova was thinking deeply about the situation with the Arcturians and the Kalingas. The Kalingas Nova had pondered that they were possibly descendants of the Watchers. The Arcturians were a race of beings that had once ruled the universe 50,000 years ago and had exploited and oppressed the other races. Though it wasn't that simple. The Arcturians had once used the Kalingas as slaves but now the Kalingas held supreme power over the universe not directly but in secret. Nova was growing skeptical, he believed the Kalinga were possibly a variant of descendants of the demons of the void. The Arcturians were often attacked by people in other races, they held a lot of political and economic power but not as much as one would imagine, the Kalingas on the other hand controlled everything but often cried that they were being oppressed and championed that others whose ancestors were oppressed by the Arcturians should rise up against them. This had occurred long ago. Doctor Mahler and Nova spoke about this deep into the night. Nova had begun to grow quite fond of her.
Meanwhile, Hermes in a dream state had another speech bubble appear in front of her clicking it. She was placed before Daniel, Ungar, Zaiyal, Tatu, Sarai, Narcis and many others stood before a giant dragon which was the evil Ebisu in the form of a great dragon. Hermes dealt with the dragon in a single blow which increased her level: Task 1 of 2 completed. Defeat: Nyathrotep. The image went white and again Tatu was shown sacrificing his life destroying his body and using his aura and Qadar to self detonate himself to save the ones he loved and buy everyone time. After it was over Tatu's body crumbled into dust he had passed. Lord Tep laughed: "Look at you know Tatu you've been reduced to dust." Lord Tep turned around and saw Hermes who had just arrived. "You dare challenge me! The world of immortals is upon us and the world of mortals is over. All of you humans are as good as dead!!" Hermes and Lord Tep lept into battle.
Hermes' aura surged, golden white with fractal flares of violet, blazing like a nova. Every movement left behind streaks of light that tore the sky. Her eyes, once elven, now shimmered with the memory of constellations. Around her, the remnants of dream code still flickered—Task 1 Complete. Final Boss Engaged. Lord Tep laughed, his voice echoing across dimensions. His body was no longer flesh but a writhing obsidian black mass, stitched with crimson lightning. Wings like a collapsed galaxy unfurled behind him, dragging shadows into orbit. He roared, and space bent. Their fists met—BOOM! The impact cratered a moon, splitting it down the middle as debris spiraled out, glowing red. Hermes spun backward, corrected mid-flight, and blinked behind Tep. Her heel came down in a solar arc. Tep went crashing through a comet.
He emerged laughing, the ice melting in his wake, arms stretched wide. "You think power will save you, little elf? You think light is enough?" Hermes narrowed her eyes. "No. That's why I brought everything else." She had inherited more than strength. She had inherited purpose. Hermes punched forward, not just with fists, but with memories—every fallen comrade, every human cry for survival, every light still flickering in the dark. The blow split open reality for a moment, revealing a tapestry of possible futures—some bright, most burning. Lord Tep reeled back, chest cracked, essence leaking like oil from a dying star. He screamed and the scream turned to matter, summoning a spear made of collapsed timelines. He hurled it—aiming for the heart. Hermes caught it with one hand. Her glove disintegrated. Flesh tore. But she held on. "Immortality," she said, "isn't living forever. It's being remembered." She shattered the spear, atoms singing, and with both hands, called forth the Sword of Qadar, Tatu's last gift—burning with the power of sacrifice and legacy. Then silence. One last strike. Hermes' blade pierces Tep's core—a point of absolute gravity. His form cracks. His scream is devoured by the void. Tep implodes in a spiral of black-red mist, eyes wide. "This... isn't over..." His essence fragments, scattered into the stars like cursed embers.
[Hermes floats, scarred, panting, glowing. Task 2 Complete.]
On her screen, new text appears:
O MISSION CLEAR
✔ Return to Umi
Hermes woke up in a cold sweat which made Nelly nervous. But before she could answer Nelly everything went white again.
Hermes had received another text box: Task 1 of 6: Defeat Talus. Hermes appeared in a field she was before a group of demons who stood behind Talus and behind her were Ungar, Sarai, Daniel, Zaiyal, and Narcis. Hermes was ready to take on Talus. One of the demons declared: "Do you know who this is? This is Talus, champion of the Mozaku (Demon Clan)." Talus lept into battle and Hermes did as well. The ground cracked under Talus' landing— his thin-slender body and muscular frame charge towards her. His spiky white hair and green eyes glistened in the moonlight. "Come on elf, show me all of your power, I desire a challenge!"Hermes didn't flinch. The air stilled. Then—Talus charged, leaving molten footprints in the grass. Hermes ducked under his first strike—his fist passed inches from her head, the shockwave toppling trees in the distance. She countered with a flicker-step, reappearing above him with both heels dropping like meteors. Talus blocked. The earth cratered beneath them. He snarled. "You don't look like a warrior to me." Hermes' eyes blazed. "That's the point."
She snapped her fingers—Snap. Boom. Glyphs lit under her boots and she exploded forward, a straight punch into Talus' core. He slid back a full kilometer, plowing through dirt, demons leaping aside to avoid being crushed. "Hit harder!" Talus roared. Chains around his arms whipped loose like vipers and launched forward—Hermes weaved through them, tracing the air with glowing sigils, her speed fracturing sound. She darted in close, slammed a spinning knee into his jaw, then backflipped away. Talus laughed through blood. "You think speed wins wars? I was forged in Hell's furnace!" He slammed both fists into the ground—CRACK! A wave of rocks surged like a tsunami. Hermes crossed her arms—Shield Mode: Aegis Bloom—a dome of light burst out, shattering the chains on contact. She leapt through the opening, channeling power to her right palm. "Tempest Starbreaker—Second Form!" she shouted. Her punch connected. The air detonated. Talus' chest dented. He coughed up crimson blood. But he grabbed her arm. "You're fast," he hissed, "but not faster than a member of the Demon Tribe." Talus flung her into the sky, then launched after her.. He struck—BOOM! A blinding explosion lit up the stratosphere. The demons below howled in triumph.
Smoke drifted. Then— "Still here," Hermes whispered, floating above him, bruised but glowing, one eye bloodied. Her hand crackled with energy—a halo of code circling her forearm. "Protocol: Hero Memory – Alpha Arc Triggered." Behind her, holograms of the fallen: Zaiyal's bow, Sarai's laughter, Daniel's final salute, Narcis' words—each one a light now burning within her. She dove. "This is for them." Her strike shattered Talus' left horn, then right, then crumpled his armor with a dozen blinding blows. Her final punch launched him into the mountain behind them—KRA-KOOM—an avalanche followed. Silence. Then rubble shifted. Talus emerged, limping, eyes wide, bloodied—but smiling. "You're better than I heard." Hermes raised her fists. "Then listen closely." She dove forward and in a single blow knocked Talus to the ground who stumbled and collapsed face-first. Mission 1 complete: Defeat Talus. Mission 2: Defeat the Fallen Angel Lucifer. Hermes was in the sky with several figures Kesh the warlord, Narcis, Talus, Ungar, Noah, Tashkent and the Archangel Michael, Hermes stood before them ready to take on Lucifer. Lucifer laughed: "It's over for you. A being made of clay has no business being the equal of a being made of light." Hermes smirked: "I am the light."
The sky was in chaos—ribbons of inverted aurora flickered across stormclouds churning with red lightning. The battlefield floated above a shattered celestial plane, constellations dimmed by the pressure of Lucifer's presence. He hovered like a black sun, six burning wings flared open, each one trailing ash and flame. His eyes—once divine—now burned like collapsed stars. A crown of razors circled his head. Behind him: a wall of fallen angels chanting in broken harmony. Below, the world watched. Hermes hovered at the center of it all—scarred, armor cracked, but glowing. The code of heroes spiraled around her like orbiting satellites. Behind her stood legends—Kesh, Noah, Ungar, even Talus, restored and silent, watching.
Lucifer spread his arms. "I was the Morning Star. You were made from mud and fear. Kneel." Hermes smiled. Not mockingly—sadly. "Then why are you the one afraid?" Lucifer roared. Heaven cracked.
He moved first. A wing-blade sliced forward—Hermes vanished. Reappeared above. Her foot came down—Lucifer caught it. Twisted. Slammed her through a floating mountain. Rubble spiraled. She rocketed back, elbow-first, and broke his nose in a flash of gold. He snarled—sigils bloomed around his hands, and spears of light rained down. Hermes spun, dodging like wind in a storm—every near-hit lit the sky in atomic flashes. Then— "Protocol: Limit Break – Halo Override." Golden wings erupted from her back, each feather a burning name of the dead. Lucifer's eyes widened. She rushed him. BAM! BAM! BAM! Three hits in one second—each blow launched shockwaves across the battlefield. Lucifer countered—"Divine Art: Wrath of Thrones!"
A wheel of holy fire screamed around him and blasted outward. Hermes tanked the blast, shielding with a coded shield—Aegis Bloom: Final Bloom. Cracked, but held. Lucifer's voice trembled now. "You were never meant to matter." Hermes landed before him, bleeding, blazing. "Then why am I all you have left to fight?" She charged. He met her. Their fists collided—REALITY CRACKED. Time slowed. For a heartbeat, they stood at the center of creation. Her will. His pride. Equal and opposite. "Protocol: Omega Drive." Hermes drew the Sword of Qadar, Tatu's last gift, now burning with every soul she carried. The blade was unstable—each swing tore through time. She slashed—
Lucifer blocked with his wings—one, two, three—then they shattered. Lucifer screamed. She leapt. "Final Technique: Lightbringer's Requiem!" She drove the sword into Lucifer's heart—right through his divine core. He froze. His mouth opened. "Impossible—" BOOM. Light surged out of him, tearing through shadow, burning away corruption, melting his essence into vapor. His scream echoed for miles. Lucifer's crown fell, spinning slowly, before dissolving into stardust. Lucifer then perished himself turning into stardust himself. Hermes landed, kneeling, panting. The others descended around her. MISSION 2 COMPLETE: DEFEAT THE FALLEN ANGEL. Her screen blinked. Mission 3: Defeat Talus. She was at the Martial Arts Tournament, Daniel, Ungar, Zaiyal, Sarai, Narcis, Tatu among others were seen in the audience. Hermes stood there before Talus who had just killed many in the audience. Talus had achieved his Shiva form with a demonic eye appearing on him. Hermes thought to herself: "I remember this day, this was the day Daniel fought Talus at the tournament." The battle would soon begin.
The stadium was chaotic—burning bleachers, corpses scattered like broken dolls, and the sky boiling with red smoke. Screams echoed. The Martial Arts Tournament had become a massacre. And at its center stood Talus, no longer man, no longer demon—but something older. Shiva Form: Demon God Talus. Six arms stretched out, each one wielding a cursed weapon—scythe, axe, flail, sword, hammer, spear. A third eye, blood-red and vertical, pulsed in the center of his forehead, reading fate itself. Black fire wreathed his body. Each step cracked the arena tiles like glass under tectonic stress. Across from him, Hermes, blood still on her from the Lucifer fight, stood tall. Her wings twitched. Her aura flared. From the audience, Daniel clenched his fist. Sarai whispered, "Please win." Tatu's hologram flickered, lips moving without sound. Even the crowd—dead or alive—felt it: This was a battle that would reshape the world. Talus pointed one of his weapons at her. "I've transcended death. You can't stop what's already become legend." Hermes inhaled. Wings flared wide. "Then I'll write a better one." FIGHT START BOOM— Talus was already in front of her—swinging six weapons in perfect sync. Hermes parried—barely. Sparks flew. One blade cut her cheek. Another dented her shoulderplate. She dropped low, spun, and launched a blinding flash-kick. He didn't dodge. He tanked it. His head snapped sideways—but the third eye blinked. He caught her leg. "Know why I'm feared?"
He slammed her through ten floors beneath the arena, dust blasting skyward like a bomb hit. He followed, scythes ready.
Hermes coughed blood, flipped upright mid-fall, and channeled her energy into a glyph beneath her feet—Flash-gate: Dual Cast. She teleported, once to dodge, once to flank—reappearing behind Talus with both palms glowing. "Twin Cascade: Heavenburn Pulse!" Two massive beams fired point-blank into his back, rocketing him skyward. The crowd shielded their eyes as the heavens split. Talus laughed from within the explosion.
"GOOD! MAKE ME FEEL IT!" He fell—like a meteor—and crashed beside her. He grabbed her face. "GIVE ME A REAL CHALLENGE PROPHET!"
"Protocol: Soul Lock – Phoenix Rewind!" Hermes activated it—time reversed around her briefly, snapping her out of his grip just in time to avoid the follow-up strike. Talus blinked. Then smiled. "Clever. But this eye sees all timelines." He powered up—his third eye wide open—"DEMON ART: MULTIVERSAL COLLAPSE!" A storm of mirrored Taluses burst from rifts in the air—each one a version that won in another universe. All six rushed Hermes. "Too slow," she muttered. Her aura condensed into one white-hot beam. "Limit Break Override: Heaven Engine Form!" Her body exploded in speed, her hair white, her voice layered with echoes of the dead. Every strike she made hit all timelines at once. She zipped through the multiverse Taluses, destroying them faster than they spawned. Her fists blurred. Her scream broke sound itself. Only one Talus remained. "You're out of tricks," she said. Talus roared—his body growing ten stories high, molten veins glowing. "I AM THE STORM!" Hermes flew high. Sword of Qadar in hand. The sky went quiet. She whispered, "Final Protocol: Dawnbreaker Ascension." The blade extended, drawing energy from every soul she had carried—from Daniel's first lesson, from Sarai's courage, from Tatu's sacrifice. She fell from the heavens like a comet. Talus looked up— "UNBELIEVABLE—" SLASH. The blade tore through his core.
Light and shadow exploded in opposite directions. Time paused. His demonic eye closed—forever. Talus was alive but he was reduced to his normal form in a single blow he was knocked into the earth, the battle was over.
MISSION 3 COMPLETE: DEFEAT TALUS. MISSON 4 DEFEAT PRINCE LUPUS. Hermes was in a field with a large alien ship in front of her Lupus had just killed his henchman Bairam. He turned back and smiled. Daniel, Zaiyal, Qayyim, Ungar, Narcis, Talus, Tatu, Sarai and several others stood behind Hermes. Prince Lupus turned toward the Prophet: "I will reclaim my pride prophet. I am Prince Lupus! I will become God!!" The battle had begun but it was incredibly one-sided, Lupus was taking blow after blow. Lupus screamed: "This can't be happening! I can't be losing!" Lupus was knocked to the earth when he was out cold Hermes had won the battle.
MISSON 4 COMPLETE: DEFEATED LUPUS. MISSON 5: DEFEAT MOLOCH. The world was engulfed by fire it was only Hermes on one side and a giant terrifying goat demon Moloch on the other. The earth was scorched black. Oceans boiled. Cities crumbled into glowing ash. The sky itself was bleeding—dark red clouds pulsing like veins. Humanity's last hour wasn't marked by a clock, but by the footfalls of titans. On one end: Hermes, the Prophet, the Phoenix, wings torn but burning bright, the sword of Qadar still humming from her duel with Lupus. On the other: MOLOCH, Devourer of Youth, the Beast-King of Oblivion. Fifteen feet tall, armored in infernal steel and crowned with ram's horns wreathed in blue hellfire. His eyes glowed white, mouth a furnace, breath curling into black smoke that killed the grass beneath him.
The battlefield was silent. Even the wind feared this moment. Moloch stepped forward. Each movement made the world quake. "You are the last light," he said, voice like iron grinding in a furnace. "And I am the night that eats suns." Hermes, breathing hard, raised her blade. "I've killed gods who scream louder." BOOM— Moloch roared and charged. His hooves cratered the ground, his axe larger than most cars, cleaving through the sky. Hermes dodged—barely. Sparks exploded as the axe scraped her wing. She retaliated: Flash-gate: Velocity Rift. She blitzed him—strikes to the knees, ribs, throat—but his flesh was too dense.
He backhanded her—she flew through a mountain. "You are mortal," he thundered, "and I am the great demon king! I will one day conquer the Void!" Hermes crawled from the rubble, coughing blood, but smiling. "We'll see." She slammed her palm to the earth—"Soul Glyph: Pillar of Heaven." A beam of pure divine code erupted, skewering Moloch through the stomach. He stumbled—but laughed. Pulled the beam from his gut and ate it. "YES. MORE." He began absorbing light, devouring it. The sun dimmed. Shadows lengthened. Hermes knew what came next. "Override Protocol: Synthesis Break – Form: Hypernova Hermes." Her body cracked, glowed. The wings became radiant swords. Her skin shimmered like starlight, voice fracturing reality with each word. "Final flame. Final flight." She vanished from sight. Moloch swung wildly—couldn't hit her. She was everywhere. She struck 1,000 times a second. His armor cracked. But he smiled. "Doom Rite: Black Cradle." The sky opened. Chains of screaming children's souls fell from the heavens, binding Hermes. "I was forged in sacrifice," he said. "Can you bear that weight?" She was drowning in agony. Every scream dug into her mind. But then—voices. Sarai. Tatu. Zaiyal. Uncle Talus. They whispered, "You're not alone." Hermes ignited. The chains melted. She rose. "Final Protocol: DIVINE APOCALYPSE FORM." The sky tore open. She pulled power from the bones of time itself. Her sword became a spear of white oblivion. Her wings became clockwork halos. Her eyes glowed with the memory of every soul she'd ever saved. "You feed on children. I carry them. Let me return the favor." She hurled the spear. Moloch caught it. Laughed. Then he realized—he couldn't move. The spear didn't pierce flesh. It froze fate. Hermes appeared behind him. "Time ends with you." SLASH. One clean cut. Neck to hip. Moloch stood for one second. Then collapsed—split in half. His blood burned into vapor. His scream echoed into extinction. The fires around the world dimmed.
MISSION 5 COMPLETE: DEFEAT MOLOCH! 5 out of 5 MISSIONS complete. Level 100,000,000,000,000 trillion reached! In an instant Hermes awoke and a beam of light extended to the heavens it woke up everyone. Ungar, Talus, Ebisu and Lupus ran towards her tent. Lupus whose pride had been shattered beyond repair began to cry. "No, how is it possible? How does she keep getting so damn strong!!" Hermes turned towards them, her eyes of golden light, her hair a glowing crimson red like the sun. She had ascended and reached a new plateau. Lupus couldn't stop shaking, "How could this be?! This has to be some kind of bad dream! This is impossible! I'm the strongest in the universe!" Hermes walked towards them all and she mastered the ability almost immediately. She now had spiky red hair in this new form. Talus was excited for her, "That's incredible Hermes, you've gotten much stronger I'd love to fight you one-on-one." Ungar was shaking as well: "I know who she is so it's not a surprise she got to this level. But to do it so quickly. It's unbelievable. Beyond anything anyone could imagine." Hermes pointed up, and paused for a great time. Everyone began to concerned. "Hermes, what's wrong?" said Mark. Hermes simply stated: "The Tower." Ungar responded: "How do you know about that?" Hermes said in great detail: "I saw it in a dream, I must go alone, I know that the Dragon is at the top of the tower. I have to do this alone, you know this more than anyone, Ungar." Ungar shook his head, "We'll wait for you Holy Prophet. You need not say another word." Hermes nodded in return.
The following day, Hermes set out into the forest. Martreya Narcis gave her an enchantment necklace. Hermes set out into the forest and noticed that there were no people in sight. Eventually she reached a small creek and saw an old man. "Hello child, which way are you heading off to?" Hermes pointed in a singular direction, "the Tower." The old man took a deep puff of his pipe and began to laugh. "You seek the dragon. But your mind is so clouded. Do you really hope you'll achieve anything once you reach the top?" Hermes was struck by this; she had thought she had cleared her mind before. She had reached a new plateau after all, hadn't she achieved this from obtaining a stronger constitution? Nifty replied to the old man: "Yeah right, you're full of crap old man." But Hermes instinctively replied: "What do you mean?" Hermes somehow knew what he said was true but she didn't know how. The old man replied: "I mean the arrogance you've allowed to take hold in your heart since achieving your new form will hinder you in your trials. I could defeat you in that form only through exploiting that flaw." Hermes was shocked, "he can't be serious, I have the power of a god, I can destroy twelve planets, no a solar system in a single strike with the flick of my finger, this old fool can't be serious." The old man replied: "I am." Which shocked Hermes. "But if you don't believe me, take me on."
Hermes stepped forward slowly. She was curious and confused; she leapt forward, but her attacks were blocked with extreme precision. The forest shook. Hermes' strike should've reduced the land to vapor. Instead, the old man stood where he was, pipe in one hand, sandal half-off, blocking her divine fist with just two fingers. He flicked the ashes off the bowl of the pipe. "You swing with power," he said calmly, "but not with clarity. Try again. Take all the time you need. Then strike." Hermes jumped back, eyes wide. The air crackled around her—time itself struggling to keep up with the pressure of her aura. Trees hundreds of yards away snapped in half from the backlash of her movement. But still, the old man hadn't even budged. He exhaled smoke. "Come again. But don't use anger this time." She vanished. In the blink of an eye, she was behind him. Her crimson hair surged with flames, her golden eyes pulsing with compressed divinity. She struck with a thousand fists at once, each punch folded in on itself—force packed into force. The forest didn't just shake—it screamed.
But again, the old man moved like falling water—fluid, relaxed, unforced. He bent one elbow, twisted his torso just slightly, and the entire flurry was neutralized mid-air. A parry here, a sidestep there. One movement and Hermes found herself thrown into the creek. She rose, soaked and silent. "…Who are you?" she asked. The old man placed his pipe gently in his belt and straightened fully for the first time. His robes glowed faintly now. Symbols moved across them—ancient runes no mortal language had words for. "My name is irrelevant," he said. "But know this—I guard the path to the Tower. Not because I fear what lies at the top. But because I fear what climbs it for the wrong reasons." Hermes gritted her teeth. "I've earned this power. I've sacrificed. I've—" He cut her off with a glance. "You think that makes you worthy?" She charged again. But something changed. As she leapt forward, time fractured. Not slowed—fractured. Her limbs froze mid-motion, then rewound, then repeated, stuck in a loop of her own aggression. He hadn't touched her. "You're not ready," he said softly. "You're too loud in your spirit. Your ego is untamed." She growled, but not from anger—from disbelief. "I have reached a new plateau in power," she said, her voice trembling. "I've completed many tasks. I've faced gods. I've killed Moloch!" "And yet you've never faced yourself," the old man said, stepping forward. As he approached, the world around them began to fade—the trees, the sky, the very ground beneath their feet. Everything turned to mist.
Hermes was falling—not physically, but through layers of herself. Memories, doubts, buried grief, unprocessed fury. Visions of her past: failure, ambition, vengeance. And at the center of it all— A little girl. Alone. Crying. Lost. "…What is this?" Hermes whispered. "This," said the old man, now standing behind her in the vision, "is the fight you've avoided." Then she turned slowly. And now, he looked different. Younger. Taller. And yet still somehow ancient. His eyes were like mirrors, reflecting every fear Hermes tried to hide. "I'll give you one last chance," he said. "Strike not with power. Strike with truth. You have the essence of a true warrior. All you need to ascend is to destroy your pride. When you see your arrogance on the side of the road kill it, for it will only hold you down. You have too many attachments, your friends, your family, divorce those things from your mind, divorce yourself from your, divorce it all, it should be meaningless to you." Hermes thought to herself confused: "Let go of my attachment to family and friends, what is he talking about?" Hermes closed her eyes. And finally—she stopped fighting. She stood tall, breathing in the silence, allowing it to stretch. And when she opened her eyes, the light in them had changed. It wasn't just divine—it was clear. She bowed her head. "I see now. Thank you." The vision collapsed. The forest returned. The creek babbled quietly. The old man was once again smoking his pipe. "You may go," he said, eyes closed. "But remember… The Dragon is not the final test. The Tower itself is alive. And it knows who climbs it. That is all." Hermes turned to leave, but paused. "…What happens if I fail at the top?" The old man smiled without smiling. "You won't." And with that, Hermes walked on—lighter than she had ever been.
Back at the settlement at the edge of the desert Mark was speaking to Kazan they were flirting with each other as they were now officially dating. Lupus walked up to them, "Kazan, I need to speak to your boyfriend for a minute." Kazan was frustrated: "Find daddy but don't take too long." Lupus looked different; he wasn't the prideful motivated figure he normally was; he looked tired and beaten. When they were alone Lupus asked: "What is the secret of the Prophet's power?" Mark was stunned: "I don't know…" Lupus became angry: "Don't give me that shit you're supposed to be the Prophet's sword aren't you? Explain now!" A booming voice could be heard behind them both it was Ungar. "Run along, Mark, I'll talk to Lupus." Mark nodded and set off. "Do you really think Mark would know about how she's so strong? You know deep in your heart that he would be no aid to you." Lupus sighed: "I know. I guess… I guess… I'm just desperate. I don't know what to do." Ungar crossed his arms: "Believe me you don't have a prayer wolf. That girl is far beyond anything in this world, perhaps any world. If you knew who she was you'd give up. You'll never be any match for her," said Ungar. Lupus smiled: "You don't need to tell me. I guess it's over… I know when I've lost my father was wrong. I guess… I'm done with fighting." The air was still the wind blew by which picked up Ungar's cape for a moment. "You'll do no such thing," said Ungar. This surprised Lupus who gasped. Ungar proceeded to grab Lupus by the collar. Ungar was over 7 feet tall and Lupus was roughly 5'9" he was being picked up by a giant. "You're not giving up. No friend of mine will ever quit. You'll be the best or you'll be nothing. I don't care what you have to tell yourself, you'll be the best or you'll be nothing!" said Ungar. Lupus was stunned: "He considers me… to be… his friend." He threw Lupus down. "But you just said I'll never compare to her." said Lupus. Ungar laughed: "You missed the point." Ungar clenched his fist: "It's about the journey you fool, you'll train to be the mightiest warrior in the cosmos even if you never achieve that goal. You need to train to conquer yourself rather than to conquer others. DO YOU UNDERSTAND!" said Ungar. Lupus nodded but was perplexed. Ungar sighed: "Follow me were training in the nearby gulch."
The sun scorched overhead as Ungar and Lupus approached the gulch—a scar in the earth that stretched wide like the maw of some sleeping beast. Jagged rock walls, wind-swept and cruel, loomed on both sides. At the base, a dried riverbed twisted like a serpent, dotted with crumbled bones of creatures long dead. Lupus scanned the terrain. "This place… it's a graveyard." Ungar didn't slow down. "No. It's a forge." Without warning, Ungar spun on his heel and hurled a boulder—at least the size of a small cart—straight at Lupus. "WH—?!" CRACK! Lupus barely rolled to the side as the boulder shattered into fragments where he had stood. Dust filled the air like smoke after a cannon shot. "WHAT THE HELL, WIZARD?!" Lupus shouted, coughing. Ungar's voice cut through the haze. "Lesson one: Stop thinking. Start moving." The ground under Lupus erupted as Ungar charged, throwing punch after punch. Not killing blows—but they felt like it. Lupus blocked with forearms already bruised, dodged by inches, and was still thrown back again and again. "Why are you doing this?!" Lupus yelled, slamming into a rock wall. Ungar's eyes burned. "Because you've been chasing someone else's shadow. And shadows don't bleed. Get over yourself and fight for real!!"
Lupus gritted his teeth. He stood. "So what then?! You want me to fight you until I'm good enough to be crushed by her instead?!" "No." Ungar narrowed his eyes. "I want you to become the kind of warrior who wouldn't need to compare himself at all to anyone." He pointed to the sky. "The Prophet's strength? It's not just raw power. It's identity. Purpose. Until you find yours, you'll be nothing but a second-rate stray. If you want to be the main character, act like it, don't just talk-the-talk, walk-the-walk, if you don't behave like the main player you'll always be an after-thought." Lupus staggered forward. His body ached. His pride had already been shattered hours ago and many times before. But something sparked in his chest. "Then I'll find it," he said, low at first. Then louder. "I'll find who I'm supposed to be. I will achieve my birth-right." Ungar laughed. "Then lesson two begins now." The earth trembled. A massive, chained beast emerged from a stone pit—like a fusion of lion, lizard, and nightmare. Its eyes glowed red. Ungar stepped aside. "Your opponent for today. Survive. Or die." Lupus's heart pounded as the beast roared. He smiled. "It's times like this where I start to get fired up. I should be scared but all I feel is excitement," thought Lupus to himself grinning with delight.
The beast's roar echoed through the gulch like thunder rolling down a mountain. Its breath was hot and rancid, its hide armored with scales that shimmered like crystals. Rusted chains hung from its limbs—remnants of an ancient captivity now broken. Lupus didn't move. Not yet. His heartbeat slowed. His muscles tensed. This wasn't a spar. This wasn't training. This was survival. The creature lunged. The ground cracked beneath its charge. In a flash of instinct, Lupus sidestepped and slammed his palm into its shoulder, redirecting the momentum—but it was like striking a mountain. The impact sent him spinning back, boots skidding across the gravel. Ungar watched silently from a rock ledge above, arms crossed, unmoving. "Not bad," Lupus muttered, wiping blood from his lip. "Okay. Let's test something." He crouched low, drawing in his breath. His aura ignited. A flicker of blue energy rippled around him—raw, unstable, not yet mastered, but alive. The beast charged again. This time, Lupus met it head-on. He ducked under a sweeping claw and drove his knee into its gut. The beast reeled back, snarling, then spun and slammed its tail across his ribs. Lupus coughed, something warm pooling in his mouth. But he stood. Shaking. Breathing. He smiled again. "Still not enough, huh…" From above, Ungar shouted: "GOOD! BREAK!" As soon as he said this the beast evaporated into nothing. Lupus was confused and Ungar landed before his arms crossed. "That's enough for today." Lupus was confused, "But I only just started?" Ungar laughed: "But your attitude has already improved, did you notice you enjoyed the fight itself, regardless of the outcome." Lupus gasped: battle meant nothing to him before but now he was excited just to fight a powerful foe.
Ungar replied in a stern tone: "That's all the training for now but your training is far from over. Know this, if you wish to train under me then you have to be ready for anything I throw at you. I'll break you, you'll wish you were dead, but if you rise above that perhaps you can become a greater warrior," said Ungar. Lupus nodded. "I've trained Daniel, Zaiyal and many others before you. If you let me I will mold you into a master of martial arts. Are you sure you have the resolve?" Lupus nodded: "I'm sure, I'm ready to train with you." Ungar sighed: "Very well."