In the depths of the dark cave, the echoes of Hades' daggers clashing against the walls resounded as if coming from another world. He trained with ferocity, his body dripping with sweat, his features strained as if he were fighting death itself.
But before this… let us return to the moment when his body lay collapsed, unconscious, trapped between the borders of life and death.
Darkness was consuming him bit by bit, until he felt his last breath leaving his chest. Suddenly… a strange tremor shook the cave, as if the earth itself was groaning. From the void, thick shadows seeped out, slowly gathering before him, until they formed a towering human figure.
Hades opened his eyes slowly, his breath ragged, finding himself sprawled on the cold ground. As he struggled to catch his breath, he saw before him the mysterious entity emerging from the womb of darkness. Every step it took echoed through the walls, as if the darkness itself bowed before it.
Hades (nervously, rising with difficulty):
Who are you?!!!
The mysterious being raised its head slowly, its deep voice reverberating in the cave as though it came from a thousand abysses:
Relax, boy… I do not intend to harm you.
Hades (tense, gripping his dagger):
What are you!!!
Then, the darkness around the being split apart, revealing a face like a skull, its eyes blazing with a faint red light. The air around them grew heavier, and the whole cave seemed to collapse under its presence.
The mysterious being (with an authority that shattered the silence):
I am… Zigrid, General of the Void.
The scene returned to the present…
In the heart of the cave, Hades stood exhausted, panting, while Zigrid sat in the shadows, his ember-like eyes watching him with nerve-cutting calm.
Zigrid (in a deep, firm voice):
Enough… your strikes are useless if you do not understand the essence of your power.
Hades (wiping the sweat from his brow, grumbling):
The essence of my power?!
Zigrid rose, his steps heavy as though the void itself shifted with him. He raised his hand, and suddenly the shadows from every corner of the cave gathered into his palm, swirling into a dark vortex that pulsed like a living heart.
Zigrid (with majesty, his voice shaking the cave walls):
True power is not in wielding a weapon… but in making the world itself your weapon.
You possess mana, but you do not hear it… you do not feel it.
Hades (grumbling as he watches the vortex):
I can use that thing…
Zigrid:
Mana is not just energy… it is the soul of this world. The air you breathe, the ground you stand upon, even the blood coursing through your veins… it is all mana. And he who cannot master it remains nothing more than a child waving a knife in the dark.
Zigrid stepped closer, his eyes glowing with a faint red gleam, then extended his finger and pressed it against Hades' chest.
A cold sensation like ice flooded Hades' body, as if something long asleep within him was beginning to awaken.
Zigrid (soft but commanding):
I will teach you to listen… to open your senses… to forge your own Mana Zone.
Only then will you know whether you are using mana properly… or not.
Hades trembled, clutching his chest, gasping as he felt a strange power flow within him, his mind flashing back to the Mana Zone he had once seen Oungan wield.
Hades (in a broken voice):
A Mana… Zone? I've seen that power before…
Zigrid smiled coldly, his expression closer to a soulless skull laughing:
Zigrid:
Yes, but what you saw was not complete…
This is only the beginning of your path, boy.
But remember… the Mana Zone will either make you the strongest… or leave you a charred corpse.
Zigrid stepped back two paces, then slowly spread his arms.
The shadows surged from the cave walls like raging waves, intertwining until they surrounded Hades in a suffocating dark circle.
Zigrid (in an icy tone):
If you want to learn the Mana Zone… you must first endure the void.
This will be your first trial.
Zigrid (his voice echoing in the void):
Endure… or die here.
Agony assaulted Hades' body from every side, his veins burning, his lungs begging for air as he gasped violently.
His knees trembled, his body nearly collapsing, but his eyes remained locked onto Zigrid.
Hades (screaming, his voice breaking):
No… I will not… die… here!
He pressed his fist against the ground until his fingers bled, sweat pouring down his forehead in torrents.
His thoughts were on the brink of shattering, but amidst the chaos… he felt a strange pulse, faint but present.
Deep within his body, it was as if a thread of light was knocking at his heart.
He began to hear whispers—not human voices, but the very beats of mana itself, calling out from within him.
Zigrid (watching, his ember-like eyes narrowing):
Well done… do not resist the void, listen to it. Let mana answer you… or it will devour you.
Another scream burst from Hades' throat, his body shaking under the crushing pressure.
Then suddenly… a dark-blue spark burst from his chest, small but strong enough to shatter part of the circle of shadows.
Air rushed back into his lungs, though he continued panting violently, swaying as if on the verge of collapse.
Zigrid (with a faint skeletal smile):
Hah… your struggle isn't bad. You finally heard the mana… but you are still far from mastering it.
The void gradually subsided, the shadows fading away. Hades fell to his knees, clutching his chest, gasping as though each breath was a battle of its own.
Zigrid (in a deep voice):
Good.