The day after Shoun's birthday, everyone gathered at his house in the afternoon. Without delay, they entered the base and watched from the sidelines as Kaze positioned himself at the very center of the training field.
—You've got this, Kaze!—Sein cheered one last time alongside the others, while Kaze activated the red dome that would envelop the entire area.
Dust began to gather, gradually forming a black humanoid figure. It stood tall, over two meters, with a muscular build and four massive arms, each ending in a blade-like appendage. Its face bore only a single frenetic, alien eye that darted around wildly.
When the formation was complete, Kaze and the vestige locked eyes. The masked one gripped his trusted sword, *Cutting Wind*, tightly. Neither made a rash move; even the slightest mistake now could mean death.
The monster struck first, lunging at blinding speed. Kaze barely managed to react as all four blades came down on him, blocked momentarily before he swiftly donned his cloak and retreated.
The vestige seemed confused by Kaze's disappearance but quickly sensed him again, the dome's confined space left no room for prolonged concealment. Not that Kaze intended to hide.
They clashed once more, each exchange driving the masked fighter closer to peril. After all, his strength lay in lethal, overwhelming technique, impossible to execute against a foe both stronger and faster.
—(This is tough. It's like fighting Shoun, he surpasses me in every physical aspect...though this time the solution is simpler. This one can be weakened, unlike Shoun who only grows stronger with surrounding energy)—Resolved, the masked fighter jerked backward abruptly, startling the vestige and leaving it open for a counterattack. Kaze aimed for its lower left arm, but in his haste, only managed a shallow scratch.
The battle raged on. Kaze held his ground by sporadically tapping into his cloak's speed boost, but this trick was growing stale, the vestige would adapt soon. Yet this played right into the masked one's plans.
He repeated the maneuver: a dramatic retreat that threw the vestige off-balance. Expecting another weak slash at its lower left arm, the creature allowed the strike, planning to punish Kaze severely. But it was met instead with a torrent of wind that sent Cutting Wind flying, Kaze seized the blade mid-air and cleanly severed the creature's arm.
—Grrraaa!—The vestige shrieked in pain but fought to regain control. The physical clash resumed, though now, with one limb lost and Cutting Wind empowered, the fight was more even.
The creature's blades cracked under the wind's assault. Kaze didn't relent even as his spiritual energy dwindled rapidly, with the upper hand now his, surrender wasn't an option.
Growing desperate, the vestige misstepped, creating a narrow opening. Kaze wouldn't waste it. He darted behind the already-reacting creature. Resistance was futile, the masked one severed both its Achilles tendons, sending it crashing to the ground.
Kaze placed *Cutting Wind* atop the vestige's head and drove it down, finally concluding his trial. The codex promptly announced his achievements:
[You have slain "One-Eyed Brawler" a brute]
[You have completed the Ascension Trial! Congratulations, Dominator!]
A white light engulfed Kaze's entire body as the red dome dissipated, allowing his friends to approach.
—That was a good fight! Congrats, Kaze!
—You did it, Kaze!— As usual, Sein tried to tackle the newly ascended fighter, but this time, he couldn't budge the masked man even a centimeter. Kaze turned to the others, startling them in the process.
—Thank you all so much! All my effort wasn't in vain!—Silence met his words, deeply confusing Kaze—What's wrong, guys?
—Kaze…
—Your mask…
—Your voice…— The scientist uttered this last part almost simultaneously with Shoun and the boy with the beret. Robin pulled a mirror from their bag and held it up to Kaze's mask, shocking him profoundly, and this shock was visibly reflected on his mask.
Now, the two colored points on his mask could move, closing and opening like eyes. The black dot above his new eye thinned and arched, forming an eyebrow, while a new white dot appeared on the black side, serving as its counterpart.
Beyond these changes, the few sentences spoken by the masked man revealed another transformation, his voice now carried varied tones, conveying emotions with far greater clarity. This proved difficult for his companions to process at first, accustomed as they were to Kaze's former monotone, though they'd soon adapt.
—Wow...—Kaze studied himself in the mirror, accepting his new reality while testing different "expressions". His "eyes" and "eyebrows" shifted to mirror the emotions he wished to convey. He even discovered his "eyes" could shrink or enlarge, or "close" entirely, leaving only white and black arcs—This is...fantastic! Seems Deuz's theory was right, just a few more ascensions, and bam! I'll remember who I was. Isn't that great, guys?
His friends didn't respond immediately, still stunned, but Sein broke the silence first.
—It is great! I'll admit it was hard to understand you sometimes, but that won't happen now!
—I agree with Sein. Hopefully this upgrade in expression comes with better manners too—Added the young man who, as the one spending the most time with Kaze, suffered the most from this particular shortcoming.
—I'll do my best.
—Good. I'm truly happy for this change, Kaze. But beyond that, how does it feel to be a Dominator?—Asked the boy with the beret, prompting Kaze to ponder before offering a simple reply.
—I feel more...powerful— The masked man still held Cutting Wind. He extended it, demonstrating a new application of his abilities, small tornadoes formed along the blade, spinning at high speeds before merging and launching as a miniature whirlwind. It gathered all the sand in the arena until Kaze willed it to vanish—There's a new dimension to my skills. I'll need time to figure out exactly what I can do now.
—That's fine—Everyone accepted this answer. With their own tasks to attend to, they didn't linger at the base, leaving Shoun and Kaze alone at the former's house once more.
—Hey, I'm genuinely happy for you. Let's hope you don't need to reach rank 5 to fully recover your identity.
—I hope so...but I have a feeling it won't be that easy— The masked one hesitated before asking—Tell me...you'd never abandon me, right?
—I'd never abandon you. We made a promise about that, remember? This conversation is becoming redundant.
—Yes...but you've seen what happens with each ascension. What if one day I become the world's destroyer from the prophecy?— Thanks to his enhanced expressiveness, Shoun could now see and feel Kaze's fear. He didn't want to be a monster, he just wanted to keep adventuring with his friends.
—It won't happen. And I've told you before—if you ever become like that, I'll be the first to help you come to your senses. So let's renew our promise once more—Shoun extended his thumb. After a moment's hesitation, Kaze intertwined his own—I promise that as long as I'm Shoun Foster, Kaze will never be alone.
—...I promise I'll never become this world's destroyer.
***
Elsewhere, at that same moment, Jack could be seen doing light warm-ups, preparing for his next battle.
—Jack, I know you're ready for this trial! Give it your all!— The mage cheered as the red demon began walking forward.
—...Good luck, brother— Hearing Jace's words, Jack turned to look at them one last time before finally activating the trial. A red dome descended over the battlefield, splashing color across the otherwise colorless mirror world.