Silence fell.
Ashes from the monster still floated in the air, light as stardust. León knelt, panting, the Sword of the Present buried in the ground. Jason approached, a faint smile on his face, admiration in his eyes.
But… something was wrong.
The ground pulsed—soft at first, almost imperceptible.
Then… again. Stronger.
Jason stopped dead in his tracks. His instincts screamed.
— "No… it's not over."
The sky darkened instantly. The scattered particles of the monster's former body ceased floating. They began pulling together, drawn by a silent magnetic force. A vortex formed at the heart of the arena.
— "He's… regenerating?!" León gasped, stepping back.
Before them, the monster took shape again. But it was no longer the same beast. Its form elongated—less grotesque, more humanoid… but far more terrifying. Its body, cloaked in dark, shimmering material, pulsed as if it held a burning universe within.
Its eyes… were no longer those of a mindless beast.
They were calm.
Cold.
And locked on one target: León.
A chill ran through Jason.
— "He sees León… as a real threat."
Without a word, with near ceremonial slowness, the monster raised its arm. Then, in a blinding flash—it struck Jason.
A deafening shockwave exploded across the arena.
Jason was hurled at inhuman speed, slamming into the sanctuary walls like a ragdoll, crashing far off, unconscious and motionless.
León screamed:
— "JASO—!!"
But he couldn't move in time.
The monster hadn't advanced.
It still stood in place. Watching. Unshaken.
This was a new terror—the terror of intelligence. There was no more rage. No more chaos. Only precise intention, and a single objective: to eliminate what it now viewed as the anomaly of the present.
From the shadows, symbols etched into the sanctuary began to softly glow. A translucent silhouette, smiling eyes gleaming, watched the scene—the Entity of Time.
It spoke—not with a voice, but a whisper deep in León's soul:
— "So… bearer of the Present… what will you do when faced with that gaze? A gaze that no longer screams, but recognizes you? You are no longer a child of chance. You are a heartbeat of Now in the eternal current. Show me…"
A faint, amused smile appeared on the Entity's face.
— "… Show me if you are worthy of the time I've given you."
León gripped the hilt of his sword. His legs trembled. The pressure was crushing. But in his eyes burned a new flame.
Not fear.
Not rage.
But a resolve born of the present moment.
The dust slowly settled, muffling the echoes of the previous clash. Jason, still unconscious, lay far from the arena, unmoving. Only silence, pierced by the pounding of Leon's heart, filled the sacred space.
- "Listen to me, bearer of the Present. Your power does not lie in brute strength… but in the awareness of the moment. The present is a fine blade, slicing between yesterday and tomorrow. It is absolute awakening."
Leon, still on guard, tightened his grip around his sword. His hands trembled. He looked at the monster… and the monster looked back.
But it didn't attack.
No.
It walked slowly… calmly, pacing the edge of the arena in a hypnotic circle. Each step was measured, deliberate. It studied Leon, like a strategist, analyzing his breath, the tension in his muscles, the doubt in his eyes. Its gaze was no longer that of a beast—but that of a patient hunter.
- "He's waiting for your mistake, Leon. He waits... for your mind to drift.", whispered the deity.
- "But you… remain in the moment. Feel the ground's vibration. The breath of the air. The rhythm of your heart. The present is your shield and your blade."
The world around him began to slow. The wind brushed his cheek, the sand grazed his skin. Every sound grew clearer: the beast's steps, the cracking of its bones, the rumble of the earth.
And then… a shiver.
The monster froze.
Its foot stopped mid-step, its eyes shifted ever so slightly.
— It's going to strike.
But this time, Leon didn't panic.
He inhaled deeply.
And for the first time… he became truly present.
- "I am here. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Now."
The sword of the present shimmered.
Time wasn't frozen… it answered his awareness.
And in that suspended second, Leon took a step forward.
Léon stood firm, his sword tightly gripped. His gaze was steady, his breathing calm. A strange confidence surged within him. For the first time, he truly felt the power of the present flowing through his veins.
The monster, still eerily calm, took a step.
Then another.
And suddenly…
It charged.
Léon reached out and activated the flow of present time. The world around him slowed down. The air trembled, and the monster's movement seemed to blur like ripples in water. Its actions became predictable, almost slow-motion.
But…
CRACK!
The monster shattered the temporal barrier with a violent roar. Its sheer force rejected every rule.
A monstrous punch tore through the air.
Léon dodged it at the last second, the blow grazing his head. The fist struck the ground behind him, destroying half the arena in a deafening explosion. Stone and dust erupted into the sky like a volcanic burst.
Léon staggered back, gasping for breath—but he had no time to recover.
Second strike.
A follow-up blow with terrifying speed.
This time, he couldn't dodge it.
The punch slammed into his side with inhuman strength.
BOOM!
His body was hurled across the arena, crashing into a stone pillar. He hit the ground hard, and blood burst from his mouth. His vision blurred.
Everything spun.
He tried to move… but his body no longer responded.
His legs trembled.
His arms felt chained to the moment.
"What's… happening to me?" he whispered.
And then…
A golden light began to emerge from his chest. First faint, then brighter, warmer. It pulsed once… twice… three times—like a second heart.
Léon felt his consciousness slipping. Something—or someone— was slowly taking control.
His eyes changed.
His breath steadied.
And in the silence that followed, the bearer of the present… was no longer alone within himself.
TO BE CONTINUED