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When I came to, the hours, perhaps days, had no meaning. Still, something within me had shifted. I was no longer the child who had first arrived; the weight of experience had settled into my bones. I raised my hands, noticing the tattoo still etched into my palm.
'Did the Golden One do this?'
I thought.
"Just in time."
He answered, his voice reading my mind as easily as words on a page.
"How long was I out?"
I asked.
"It does not matter. Disrespect me again, and you will fall into an eternal slumber. Do I make myself clear?"
His small fingers jabbed pointedly at me. I nodded sharply, the warning sinking into me like iron.
"Absolutely."
"Good. Go to the world, and you'll find out."
He instructed, his fading from view.
'Can't say anything bad about him now that he can read my thoughts.'
I thought, shaking my head with a faint smirk. With a single powerful flap, I propelled myself off the planet, reaching the edge in less than four hours.
I landed on the ocean-like surface, the water stretching endlessly, when I noticed it: in the centre of the monitor plane, violet mist swirled, alive and restless.
'This is bad. Should I… no. He already knows what's happened.'
If the Golden One is really omnipresent and omniscient throughout Azyrion, he has his reasons for sending me here.
"How long are you going to keep me waiting?"
A familiar voice called from within the mist.
'That voice… it's not the Golden One. It's a voice I'll never forget.'
"Show yourself."
"Oh, I will."
It replied. The mist exploded outward, rolling across the entire plane, and in an instant, I was ripped from the calm surface and thrust into chaos.
Before I could gather my bearings, a dragon wrapped in blue lightning struck, claws tearing through the air with impossible speed. I barely managed to dodge, the current of its power brushing past me.
'So fast.'
I thought, my eyes narrowing as I braced for the next strike.
Despite my lack of Mega Arts, I had to fight. It came up behind me, but it was only a feint; the actual blow came from above, slamming me to the ground as lightning bolts rained down on me.
I took the hit because I was helpless.
'Come on, come on. There has to be something in me. Something I can use to fight back.'
Another distinct roar came from the other side, a new dragon. Unlike the first one, fire was burning between its horns, and it was covered in deep red scales.
It attacked with crimson flames while still on the ground.
My entire being told me that I had to avoid this, but all of a sudden, I felt a power surge, and my body started to act on its own like I was been possessed.
"Distorted Space."
The space ripped and cracked, letting in the crimson flames.
"Space Shift."
I surged forward and collided with the red dragon, my fist connecting with a force I barely comprehended.
It let out a piercing cry as its right horn shattered under the impact, tumbling to the ground. The air around us crackled with the reverberation of its pain, and I barely had time to register the victory before the next threat struck.
The lightning dragon, jaws wide and teeth glinting like sharpened steel, closed in. Sparks leapt from its mouth as it conjured bolts of raw electricity, intent on devouring me.
I rotated slowly, and to my surprise, distance grew between the two dragons. Something felt… different. The way the lightning dragon roared carried a new tension, a strange vibration beneath its fury.
Then I noticed it: my right hand was gripping its tongue. Completely unaware, I had caught it without thinking. Around my fists, faint auras shimmered, one the deep, endless black of void, the other the pure glow of azure light.
A memory flickered, sharp and vivid: the day I had challenged Lord Achernar after returning. A thought struck me, sudden and clear.
"I've seen this before."
I clenched my fist tighter. The tongue sizzled beneath my grip, burning away completely in an instant, leaving the dragon reeling and stunned.
"Is this… power? Was this always within me?"
I whispered to myself, ignoring the two dragons advancing toward me. My eyes closed as I plunged inward, into the abyss of my own mind.
'What if I can shape this faint aura into a weapon? How? What if it's not enough? No… I just have to believe it's enough. That's all.'
I tensed every muscle, feeling the raw energy coil through me.
My formless half, black and azure, fizzed and danced around my fists, waiting to take shape. The air hummed, charged with potential, as I prepared to turn the intangible into something deadly.
I direct them toward the azure aura that was contained in my right arm, which produces a long, hazy aura sword. As I opened my eyes, I saw it all, the threads each dragon is following. An azure thread of progression anything in existence has a path to flow on be it a story, person, time etc.
'The lightning dragon will attack behind me while the fire will come to confront me head-on.'
"Too slow."
Before approaching the red dragon, I redirected my sword to cut its wings after making a clean cut that severed its jaw. As it lost its balance, the red flames that had been accumulating in its mouth were released and began to pour aimlessly.
The blue dragon was faster, but now that I can see its path of progression, it doesn't matter. Its whole body was aglow with lightning, ready to devour me. Failing to notice the feather between its scales, I grinned.
As I poured more aura into the blade, it lost shape and transformed into a long beam of azure and darkness. I watched until the feather dropped from its scales.
"Flux Displacement."
Space Shift enables moving to a desired location in a short time, the range is limited. Flux Displacement is an enhanced version of Space Shift. Even though we may be in different worlds, if I have enough energy, I can get closer by moving to the specified location regardless of the time or by switching places with anything.
I used my newly acquired skill to get past the dragon, who gave a last-second flinch, but it was too late.
"Your reaction speed is truly top-notch notch but it's over."
I swung the energy beam downward, burning and splitting the dragon. Despite the high atmosphere, the flaming sword scorched the wingless red dragon as it evaded, leaving its mark on the earth.
I withdrew my aura and remained motionless as I recovered. My first confrontation, and I was victorious. I never thought this is how Stars fought, but everything I knew wasn't enough. I had to evolve mid battle.
Behind me, a figure emerged and whispered without making any signs of his presence. They held traces of both azure and darkness so I was able to detect one even though their azure pool was fading.
"What was the first rule I taught you? To never let your guard down was it?"
It inquired. I didn't need to answer. Questions like this always end with a fatal blow.
'Damn..'
I moved, but too slowly. The first blow slammed into me, sending me skidding back across the ground. Pain flared through my ribs, but I forced myself upright, gasping for breath. And then I saw him.
A boy stood before me, calm and still, yet his presence carried a weight that pressed against my chest. His face… it spoke louder than words ever could, radiating authority, power, and something I couldn't forget.
"L… Lord Achernar?"
I stammered, disbelief and awe mixing in my throat.
"Achernar passed away a long time ago. I am Diavolos."
He said, his tone quiet but unyielding.
My eyes widened, fear and recognition flooding me at once. 'I… knew it.'
"I… I am not sure what happened, but please, return my Master's body to me."
I said, my voice sharper than intended, my anger flaring. The aura around me surged in response, wild and hot.
He spread his hands slowly, and a wave of energy pulsed outward.
"This is your sensei."
Pure azure light, unmistakable and familiar, erupted from him, washing over the battlefield. It felt like a memory given form, an echo of everything I had learned from Achernar. My heart raced, torn between recognition and denial. I knew it was him, yet part of me refused to accept it.
"Why are you here? Why… oh, I see. Is this another test?"
I asked, a grin tugging at my lips despite the tension coiling in my chest. The aura around me throbbed with anticipation, ready for whatever came next.
"Test?"
He laughed and opened a portal too big to be a portal. On the other side was the most horrifying sight I would ever see. Dragon-kin are attacking the world, not just any world, but the world he ruled, Azyrion.
"This...enough with the weird images."
I said, closing my eyes.
"You'll have no choice but to believe me after this. Bring him out."
A dragon flew out after his command, dropping a boy. I opened my eyes, shocked. Arik, a companion of mine who awoke during the previous trial, was fatally injured.
"This is not real."
I said, rejecting reality.
"A..Alnath?"
Arik asked.
"Shut up. You're not real. These are illusions!"
I yelled.
"Open your eyes, Alnath; the God has become evil and is preying on his followers."
I did not respond, but what he said next made me certain that this was all a ruse by Lord Achernar.
"The egg in the sea, remember?"
He told me the only secret the two of us know.
Achernar placed his hand over Arik's head, and I could only watch, frozen for a moment.
"Enough."
He said.
I felt it before I saw it, chaotic energy seeping from Achernar's palm and pouring into Arik's body. There was no struggle, no cry; Arik was gone in an instant, vaporised by the sheer force of it.
Stars are usually devoid of emotion, detached and unfeeling, but in that moment, something foreign took hold. Hatred. Pure and unyielding hatred. My eyes dimmed, losing their usual light as the feeling consumed me entirely. It was a sin, perhaps the gravest one I had ever embraced, yet I didn't care.
With a roar I hadn't expected from myself, I conjured a beam, Azure Radiance, and unleashed it. The energy tore through the air, unstoppable, arcing all the way to the portal.
Everything in its path disintegrated, rock, mist, even the faint outlines of distant structures, obliterated by the intensity of the blast.
"Azure of some runt isn't comparable to that of the Founder."
Achernar's voice cut through the chaos. Before I could react, an explosion of pure azure energy erupted from him, striking me squarely. The force slammed me backwards, rattling my body, yet I held my ground, my legs planted firmly.
Even as the blast subsided, I could feel it, the energy within me working, repairing and regenerating. My wounds closed slowly, my strength returning, fed by the azure that flowed like a river inside me. I remained standing, unbroken, until the storm passed.
"How about this?"
I materialised behind him, my fist blazing with the black aura, using Flux Displacement. I struck with all the force I could muster, but his arm twisted in an unnatural way, halting my punch without moving from its place.
"Neither does this."
He pointed behind me, and a black orb flickered into existence at his fingertips.
Before I could react, it detonated with brutal precision. The force slammed into me, tearing at my clothes and forcing me to confront it head-on, the air around me ripping apart under the shockwave.
'I'm no match for him.'
That's the harsh truth. Achernar or Diavolos, I'm not match for the vessel of the next Nova.
A raw, violent surge of emotion rose from within me. Defeat is certain, but I'd rather go do fighting.
"I don't know why, but I just want to kill you right now!"
I roared, charging my aura with the desperate intent to heal myself, to push past his overwhelming power.
Then it twisted, turned against me. My own aura pierced my body, searing through flesh and energy alike. Pain exploded through me, and I froze, shock rooting me to the spot.
"You are cursed.
Achernar said, a faint, almost amused smirk on his face. "Activate."
At his words, the tattoo on my palm flared violently, and a scream tore from my throat. Pain coiled through me like molten steel. I could feel my azure source being drained, siphoned away as my light flickered and dimmed.
Every fibre of my being protested, but there was nothing I could do, only the burning, the loss, and the knowledge that I was caught in his design.
'Is he trying to make me like him?'
I let out a loud cry as my wings, eyes, and hair began to turn black. I don't want this. I just discovered my Divinity, and he is taking it away from me. How cruel.
"There's no difference between you and a Dark Star now."
He said, his voice sharp with excitement.
"I hate you."
I murmured, too weak to cry out. I tried to call forth my energy, to fight back, but nothing responded. It was gone.
"I know."
He said calmly, almost lazily.
"I will spare your life… for now. But do not count on my pity the next time."
A grin played across his features as he vanished, teleporting away.
The realm around me trembled, crumbling into chaos, and before I could comprehend it, I was pulled back to my previous location.
I hit the ground hard, every breath shallow, my body trembling from exhaustion and pain. Darkness crept into my vision, and the world slipped away as I lost consciousness, eyes closing against the weight of it all.
To be continued...