The once-grandiose hall of ancient times lay in ruins, shattered by the colossal clash between the Serpent and Kena—who had become something beyond human. I continued to heal Gian, his body slowly turning a sickly shade of purple. Meanwhile, Liber, wrapped in black smoke, struggled to hold off the monstrous serpent, but his efforts felt increasingly futile.


    The orbs of water floated in the air like harbingers of death, their chilling mist spreading like a final omen. What could we even do now? How could we possibly survive this? My only hope was that Liber, still standing, might escape. The orbs descended, leaving trails of mist in their wake. I closed my eyes, bracing for the inevitable.


    But the impact never came.


    I heard the sound of orbs crashing against the ground, but not the ones meant for us. Opening my eyes, I saw him—Asher, standing in front of Kena. A twisted smile stretched across his face, his eyes glowing with a soft silver hue. The orbs, frozen in midair, hung suspended as if time itself had ceased to move.


    Then, without warning, Asher vanished from my sight, reappearing beside Kena with an effortless twist of his body. His kick landed like a thunderclap, sending Kena hurtling through the air. The orbs burst into shimmering light, dissolving back into nothingness.


    "H...HOW?" My voice shook, unable to process the sudden turn of events.


    ****


    From the moment we entered the ruin, I had been trying to unravel the meaning of my enlightenment—to decipher what action would allow me to ascend. But no answer came. Just like my source element or skill, enlightenment arrived as knowledge embedded in me, yet its meaning remained elusive.


    Until now.


    In this dire moment, the realization struck me. The ritual required for my ascension was clear: I had to stop a vast number of things simultaneously, no matter how briefly.


    If I succeeded, I would ascend.


    If I failed, we would die as fate had already decreed.


    A smile formed on my lips at the absurdity of it all. I focused every ounce of my mind on the descending orbs, perceiving them as a single entity rather than multiple. I willed the space between them to cease existing.


    And then it happened.


    The orbs stopped.


    Not all of them, but the ones that mattered—the ones meant to kill us—froze mid-motion. My vision blurred, my consciousness wavered, and then—


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    White.


    A serene, endless white world stretched before me. I stood alone.


    Why? Why was I here? My friends were still fighting. Kena could attack again at any moment. Desperation gripped me as I tried to move, but my body refused to obey. I screamed, but no sound escaped my lips, as if my very existence had been denied.


    There was nothing I could do.


    Forcing myself to calm down, I focused inward. Had I ascended? Had I fulfilled the conditions? Then, before I could find my answer, a crack split the white sky above me. My vision distorted, my mind reeled.


    And then, clarity.


    I was once again back in reality.


    I had already been using my ability without realizing it.


    My thoughts accelerated, racing faster than ever before. The knowledge settled within me, undeniable and absolute.


    Source Element: Eternity.


    ? Rank 1: Static – Awareness of time. Objects can be halted in motion. Living beings can be stopped temporarily, though at great strain.


    ? Rank 2: Kairosflow – Acceleration and deceleration of anything with respect to time.


    Laughter bubbled up from within me. My thoughts flowed freely, while the world around me slowed to a crawl. I had used Kairosflow on my own perception, allowing my mind all the time it needed.


    Kena’s tentacle-like limbs reached for me in sluggish motion. Smiling, I moved in this slowed world, my speed adjusted through Kairosflow.


    Boom!


    My kick struck Kena, sending him crashing to the earth.


    A reflection in one of the fallen orbs caught my eye. I tilted my head in confusion. I was grinning—grinning like a madman. My eyes gleamed with that eerie silver hue. Was this what Sam and Sofia meant when they warned Liber about me?


    But there was a bigger problem.


    It'' hurts!!


    Pain. My legs burned with agony.


    Even though I had ascended, my physical strength was still lacking. Moving at high speed came at a cost.


    Yet, despite it all, the sensation of moving freely in this slowed world was exhilarating. It was as if I had been granted the power of a god.


    Suppressing my growing excitement, I removed Kairosflow’s effect from my eyes and appeared beside Gian and Anny. Their faces were frozen in astonishment and fear.


    "It’s alright," I assured them, though my grin refused to fade.


    Kneeling, I placed a hand on Gian’s shoulder and slowed the poison’s spread within him. "This should keep us alive for now."


    Even though I had managed to slow the poison in both of us, it remained a looming threat. Only Anny could remove it completely.


    Across the battlefield, Kena’s monstrous form writhed, his tendrils lashing in fury as he struggled to rise. Before he could attack again, I moved.


    My eyes gleamed silver once more as I activated Kairosflow. The world slowed into a deadly waltz. Kena’s tentacles reached for me, but I was already there, my fists crashing into his face like falling stars. His eyes widened in shock and pain, but I had no time for mercy. My friends’ survival depended on this fight.


    A sudden explosion rocked the hall. An orb of water detonated beside us, sending both of us flying in opposite directions.


    Cough. A mouthful of blood spilled from my lips. My ears rang, my nose bled. Forcing myself to stand, I focused on slowing my internal injuries. My body begged for rest.


    "Asher!"


    Liber’s voice cut through the chaos. From across the room, he battled the serpent, his black smoke thinning.


    "Can you win?"


    I didn’t know. My body was battered, the poison still clung to me, and exhaustion weighed down my limbs. But something inside me refused to acknowledge defeat.


    I gave him a slow nod. "Yes."


    Liber’s lips curled into a small smile. "Then I’ll leave the rest to you."


    Before I could question his words, something emerged from nothingness. A fiery serpent rose, its obsidian scales cracked with molten light. The black smoke that once cloaked Liber had fused with its form, fueling its birth.


    The purple serpent roared in defiance, spewing a stream of corrosive acid. The blast struck the obsidian serpent’s head, melting it instantly.


    But it wasn’t enough.


    Liber groaned, his face twisted in pain, but his resolve never wavered. The molten serpent’s head regenerated, its jaws now sharper than before. It lunged, wrapping around the purple serpent in a titanic struggle.


    The hall trembled. The air grew thick with heat and smoke. The obsidian serpent tightened its grip, fire licking at the purple beast’s scales. The two creatures writhed, a final struggle for dominance.


    A silent understanding passed between Liber and me. His lips moved, forming a single phrase:


    ‘Good luck.’


    And then—


    Boom!


    The serpents erupted into a maelstrom of fire and destruction. A roar of agony split the air. As the smoke cleared, the charred corpse of the purple serpent lay motionless, its body scorched, its blood pooling like a river.


    Liber had won.