The cavern floor had been cleared, stones shoved aside until only bare earth remained. Crystals glowed faintly above, casting pale light on the circle Gaia had marked into the ground.
The Eleven stood around it, bruised and sore from days of training.
"Today," Gaia said, her molten eyes sweeping over them, "you will test each other. Words and promises mean nothing if you cannot withstand the weight of another's power. You will not kill. You will not maim. But you will strike, and you will endure. A Titan must not fear battle—not with the world, and not with their own blood."
Her voice echoed through the cavern like prophecy.
Chronos' chest tightened. Sparring was different from freezing a pebble or surviving a beast. Sparring meant hurting his siblings—and being hurt in return.
Oceanus cracked his knuckles, smirking. "Finally. I've been waiting to drench Hyperion's fire."
"Try it, fish-boy," Hyperion shot back, sparks dancing across his chest.
Gaia's voice cut the air. "Begin."
Oceanus vs. Hyperion.
The ripple-mark on Oceanus' arm flared, and water surged from the stream at the cavern's edge, coiling around his fists. Hyperion's star blazed in his chest, sparks erupting across his skin.
They clashed in the center of the circle. Water hissed against flame. Steam filled the cavern.
Oceanus swung, fists wrapped in liquid force, but Hyperion's sparks exploded on impact, searing his arm. Oceanus gritted his teeth, the water sizzling away.
"You burn too fast," Oceanus growled.
"And you drown too slow!" Hyperion shouted, his fist bursting in a flare of light.
The clash sent both sprawling backward, steam hissing between them.
The siblings shouted encouragements and jeers—Mnemosyne muttering every move, Iapetus laughing at their stumbles, Tethys cheering for Oceanus, Phoebe wincing every time sparks flew too close.
Gaia's judgment was simple: "Raw. Unfocused. But you will sharpen."
Mnemosyne vs. Crius.
Mnemosyne's eye glowed as she predicted Crius' movements. Every shift, every breath, she called out before he made it.
"You'll step left. Now your hand will rise. You'll lose balance on the next strike."
And she was right. Crius' constellation-mark flared, but his stars flickered chaotically, breaking apart as he faltered.
"Stop telling me what I'm doing!" he snapped.
Mnemosyne smirked faintly. "Then do something even you can't predict."
He roared, his constellations surging brighter for a moment, until exhaustion made him stumble.
Gaia's judgment: "Memory is strength, but memory without patience breeds arrogance. Constellations without discipline are scattered stars."
Iapetus vs. Themis.
Iapetus' blade-mark burned, his fists striking like hammers. Themis' scales glowed faintly, shimmering every time his strikes neared.
"You're reckless," she said, sidestepping his blow.
"You're fragile," he countered, his fist grazing her shoulder.
Her scales flared, shifting her stance. She blocked his next punch with a calm step, redirecting it into the ground. The floor cracked beneath the impact.
For a moment, Iapetus grinned. "You're not so bad."
Themis smirked faintly. "And you're not hopeless."
Gaia's voice rumbled: "Justice and violence are not enemies. Together, they become judgment. Learn it."
Phoebe and Tethys vs. Coeus.
Phoebe's moon glowed softly, steadying Tethys as water burst wildly from her mark. Coeus' scroll burned, knowledge flooding his mind. He spoke words the others didn't understand, and the air itself seemed to ripple.
Phoebe calmed Tethys' panic, guiding her water into steady waves. For the first time, Tethys controlled it instead of drowning in it. The waves struck Coeus, disrupting his focus. His scroll dimmed, and he fell backward with a groan.
Phoebe smiled gently, helping her sister up. "See? You're not drowning. You're flowing."
Gaia's judgment: "Moonlight steadies tides. Wisdom wields knowledge. Do not forget you are stronger together than alone."
Finally, Gaia's molten gaze fixed on Chronos.
"You. Step forward."
Chronos' heart pounded as he entered the circle. His siblings whispered, uncertain. Everyone had seen what happened when he used his power. Everyone knew the cost.
"Your opponent," Gaia said, her voice heavy, "will be Hyperion."
Hyperion grinned, sparks already dancing across his fists. "Don't worry, little brother. I'll try not to roast you."
Chronos swallowed hard. "Do your worst."
They faced each other in silence.
Then Hyperion struck.
His fist blazed with sparks, flaring brighter than before. Chronos flinched, raising his hand instinctively. The silver hourglass seared his palm.
The world lurched.
Hyperion froze mid-strike, his fist locked inches from Chronos' face. Sparks hung in the air, unmoving.
The cavern gasped. Even Hyperion's cocky grin was stuck in place.
Chronos staggered, his nose bleeding instantly. His chest ached. But this time—this time he didn't freeze the world. He froze Hyperion alone.
It's working…
He clenched his trembling fist, holding the moment for three heartbeats. Then he let go.
Time snapped back. Hyperion stumbled, blinking in shock. "What the—did you just—?"
Chronos swayed on his feet, blood dripping down his chin. "I… stopped you. Just you."
Hyperion grinned, sparks flickering. "Damn. That's terrifying. I like it."
Gaia's voice thundered, shaking the cavern. "This is the beginning. Not mastery, not strength. But proof. One step closer to what you must become."
Chronos collapsed to his knees, but Oceanus rushed to his side, steadying him. Themis placed a hand on his shoulder. Phoebe gave him a soft smile, while Iapetus laughed.
"Scrawny little brother might actually be useful after all," Iapetus said with a grin.
Chronos forced a weak smile. For the first time, he felt not just like a burden—but like a Titan.
The Eleven stood together in the circle, bruised, bloodied, exhausted. Their emblems flickered faintly. But in that moment, they felt something new.
Bond.
Gaia looked over them, her gaze molten and fierce.
"You are not ready," she said. "But you are no longer children fumbling in the dark. You are sparks. Sparks that will one day set the world aflame."
The siblings straightened, their exhaustion giving way to determination.
And Chronos, clutching his burning palm, whispered to himself: If I can freeze a moment… one day, I can freeze destiny.
——-
This will be the last chapter for today..Enjoy heheh