The battlefield quaked under the unimaginable power of the source, bending even the Outer God's immense form. But just as the twelve prepared to engage fully, a new presence arrived.
It was unlike anything the Revenants or Mirrored Six had faced. Time, space, and even voids themselves seemed to hesitate around this figure. Energy radiated from it in a pattern so vast it dwarfed even the Outer God, the very air shivering under the weight of its aura.
The Outer God recoiled slightly, relief—an acknowledgment of being outclassed—flickering across its impossible form.
From the ether, the new figure spoke, a voice deep and resonant, commanding both fear and awe:
"You've caused enough disruption. I will finish this."
Even Lucien, fully synchronized with the White and the other eleven, felt the shockwave of power pulse through him. This being was out of their league—at least for now.
Archon Intervenes
Before the new enemy could strike, a tear in reality appeared, and Archon stepped forward. His presence alone warped laws of existence: even the interloper faltered slightly, acknowledging Archon as an equal if not greater force.
"Enough," Archon's voice echoed like both thunder and a whisper. "You threaten balance without understanding the consequences. Leave now, or face the full weight of the currents themselves."
The interloper paused, its eyes glowing. Then, almost casually, it withdrew—fading into the void between dimensions, leaving only a tremor in reality as proof of its arrival.
Lucien exhaled, feeling the tension drain from his body—but only momentarily.
Pocket Dimension of No Laws
Archon then spoke, gesturing with both hands as the landscape dissolved into a boundless pocket dimension, infinite in all directions.
"You are not yet ready. This battle was a test of your coordination and mastery. Here, the rules of reality are meaningless. Gravity, time, distance—all are yours to manipulate. Train. Understand. Grow."
The twelve and their mirrored counterparts were now free to explore a realm where nothing obeyed ordinary physics or void rules. Mountains floated like islands, rivers spiraled upward, and storms of energy twisted endlessly across the sky.
Even more enticing: the space was vast enough that each Revenant and Mirrored Six could pair off, spread out, and focus on mastering their voids without interference—but always connected to the others through the threads of the White.
Lucien and his mirrored counterpart felt the White pulse stronger than ever. Kairo and Eryndra practiced temporal precision in loops that spanned miles. Ashveil's shadows became autonomous armies, learning to anticipate even his moves. Zarynth's chaos void tore through floating islands, reshaping them into unpredictable arenas.
Caelthorn and Morwyn bent gravity on planetary scales, experimenting with force in ways previously impossible. Seliora's threads connected voids across the vast dimension, amplifying training exercises. Vaeltherion merged elemental distortions with kinetic strikes for devastating experiments.
Every exercise pushed them past their known limits, forcing them to think creatively, anticipate attacks, and evolve powers far beyond mortal comprehension.
The Mirrored Six trained in tandem, exploring compatibility and synergy. Every encounter was both learning and teasing, playful yet deadly serious, the essence of competitive cooperation.
Even as they trained, the interloper's presence lingered like a shadow across the cosmos. Archon's words echoed in their minds:
"One day, they will return. Not for a test, but for annihilation. You must be ready—beyond even your current understanding of the voids."
Lucien clenched his fists, White threads surging:
"We'll be ready. Together. Whatever comes, we fight as one."
And in the distance, floating islands warped and twisted, as if even the pocket dimension itself knew the twelve were preparing for a confrontation beyond the scale of universes.