The sky above was dark, like thick charcoal clouds had swallowed the heavens. A cold wind swept through the skeletal trees of the forest, rustling their leafless branches like whispers from another world. Mosab, the mysterious, elderly man with a beard like aged snow and eyes that held galaxies, stood beside Daeshim. The ground beneath them was soft with damp leaves, and the air smelled of rain and magic. This was no ordinary morning.
Mosab whispered an incantation under his breath, his voice like thunder muffled behind mountains. Symbols in the air began to glow—a spiral of crimson and silver light forming in front of them. A portal cracked into existence, humming with power and spinning slowly like a black hole. Without looking back, the two stepped inside.
**Earlier that day...**
In the heart of the Seraphin library, ancient tomes surrounded Daeshim, Elira, King Aras, and Mosab. The silence broke when Mosab declared, "From here on, I will be the one to train Daeshim."
Everyone was stunned.
Daeshim stood up. "Let's go then. If time is short, we start now."
Elira quickly stepped forward. "I'm coming too."
Mosab shook his head. "No. This is secret training. Just the two of us."
She tried to protest, but they were already gone.
**Back in the portal realm...**
As they stepped through, Daeshim's eyes widened. They were surrounded by endless blackness, yet structures began to build themselves out of pure energy. It was like watching a dream solidify into reality.
"Where... are we?" Daeshim asked.
Mosab's voice echoed. "My realm. Here, everything bends to my will."
"You control this world? Then... you're that powerful?"
"Yes. And from now on, your training will happen here. You will fight illusions of Necravors first. Then, I will send you to real commanders. Absorb their powers. Train and cleanse the world."
Daeshim nodded. "I'm ready."
With a snap, the shadows around them twisted into a maze of floating platforms, spikes, and shifting walls.
"Cross this." Mosab vanished.
Daeshim stood alone, breathing slow. The training had begun.
---
**Meanwhile, in the Seraphin world...**
A massive portal burst open right in the center of the city. From it poured Necravors—some flying, some crawling, others towering like buildings. Panic swept the streets. The Seraphin army raced to intercept the threat, forming defense lines as giants thundered forward.
Chaos erupted.
Back in the realm, Daeshim had reached the end of the maze, only to be faced with a monstrous illusion—a giant, ten times his size. The creature's roar made the air tremble.
Daeshim gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his lips. He darted, feinted, studied. Every move was reckless, uncalculated. But Daeshim found its weak spot—a cracked, glowing chest.
With one clean slash, he pierced it.
The beast roared... then fell.
He exhaled, but three more giants emerged.
"Training is hard," Daeshim smirked. "But not impossible."
In a blink, he sliced through them all, each blow more precise than the last.
"Absorb their powers," Mosab's voice echoed.
Daeshim whispered, "Vel'zar."
A rush of energy flooded him. Power surged in his limbs. "I feel stronger already."
Wave after wave came. He kept fighting, absorbing, transforming.
Until finally... a real Necravor commander appeared. Ten times stronger than anything before.
Fast. Brutal. Unpredictable.
Daeshim vanished, reappeared behind him.
One slash. One kill.
"That... was only Level One," Mosab reappeared. "Their power wasn't real. But your reflexes, speed, and senses are now honed."
---
**Back in the Seraphin world...**
Necravors laid waste to the city. Explosions, screams, war cries. Elira was in the heart of it, wounded but still fighting. Her blade sang through the air, but blood soaked her side.
A soldier raised his blade to end her.
Suddenly, Daeshim appeared in a flash of light.
His punch shattered the Necravor's body like glass.
"Are you okay?!" Daeshim asked, holding her.
"I want to fight," she groaned.
"Not now. You need healing."
He turned to the King. "Heal her. Now."
And without waiting, he turned to face the invading army.
"So... where is your commander?!" Daeshim shouted.
They didn't answer. They attacked.
"Fine. Come then!"
Daeshim became a blur. One by one, the Necravors fell. None could touch him. His blade sang, his fists cracked stone.
When they were gone, Daeshim bolted into the portal, toward their commander.
The Necravor commander sat on a throne of bones. "So, you're the runt they sent?"
Daeshim smirked. "Wrong. I came to kill you."
Before the commander could blink, swords made of pure light pierced his body from all directions.
He gasped.
"Vel'zar," Daeshim said.
And the power drained into him.
He returned to the castle.
Elira was on a healing bed, surrounded by Seraphin healers. Her wounds were closing.
"She's recovering," one of them said.
Daeshim turned to Mosab. "This is all because of the Necravor King. I want to face him."
Mosab nodded. "To reach him, you must defeat the high commanders and find their true castle. No one knows where it is."
Daeshim looked out the window, fire in his eyes.
"Then none of them will live. I will destroy every last one."
**Chapter End.**