The storm subsided.
Shattered marble, molten veins of light, and broken fragments of space lay across what was once the grand training ground. The echoes of two titanic powers lingered, like fading thunder after a divine war. The stars overhead flickered back into their rightful places, though a scar still ran through the sky, refusing to heal.
Loryn lay on the cracked ground, his chest rising and falling, blood painting his lips. His vision blurred, but he forced his eyes open. He would not allow himself the weakness of closing them, not while his parents stood before him.
The Omni Queen knelt at his side, golden hair spilling over his shoulder like a protective veil. Her aura shielded him, gentle now, wrapping around him like warmth in the freezing void. With each touch, the pain in his body dulled slightly, though not completely.
"Enough, Loryn," she whispered, her voice trembling despite its strength. "Your body cannot endure this madness. You are my son… I will not let you be crushed under your father's cruelty."
Her hand lingered on his cheek, her eyes soft but burning with fury whenever they flicked toward the King.
The Omni King stood silent, his arms crossed, his gaze unyielding. His aura had already vanished, yet the very air still bowed in submission to his presence. His eyes were locked on Loryn—not as a father watching his child, but as a king testing the flicker of a flame, measuring whether it would die out or rise into a blaze.
"Why…" Loryn coughed, blood spraying onto the ground, "why do you treat me like this? I am your son…"
The King's voice rolled like thunder through eternity, calm yet absolute.
"And because you are my son, you will be tested more than any other. Do you not understand, Loryn? The blood you carry… it is both gift and curse."
He stepped forward, his shadow stretching endlessly across the broken ground.
"You are not born merely as my heir. You are born into the weight of expectation. To be weak is not an option. To falter is not allowed. The Omniverse will not forgive you for being my son—it will only seek to devour you."
The Queen rose sharply, golden flames flaring.
"Enough! He is still a child! Must you shatter him now, before his wings have even grown?"
Her fury clashed against his stoic presence once more, but this time, no power surged between them. The King only looked at her, then back at their son.
And then, with trembling arms, Loryn pushed himself up. His body screamed, every movement drenched in agony, but his spirit refused to bend. His golden eyes burned, catching both his parents' attention.
"I… I don't want to hide behind your shadows." His voice cracked, but it carried weight. "If I enter the Academy as the son of the Omni King, everyone will bow. Everyone will fear me. But none of that… none of that will be mine!"
He staggered, clutching his sword as if it were the only thing holding him upright. His blue hair clung to his bloodstained face, yet he looked no less radiant.
"I want to carve my own path. My victories must be my own. My strength must be my own. I will not stand in your shadow, Father… nor in yours, Mother."
The Queen's eyes softened, her anger momentarily silenced by the determination blazing within her youngest child. She placed a hand gently on his back, her aura steadying his breath.
The King remained silent for a long while, his expression unreadable. Then, for the briefest moment, his lips curved upward.
"…Hmph. Good." His voice rumbled through the air like distant thunder.
"Then in two months, you will face the Academy's trials not as my son… but as Loryn. Fail, and you will not be spared. Succeed, and the Omniverse itself will be forced to acknowledge you."
With that, his figure blurred, dissolving into countless motes of starlight before vanishing into the night sky. The ground exhaled in relief as his presence faded.
Silence returned.
The Queen sighed, her golden eyes dimming as she turned back to Loryn, her hand brushing the blood from his chin.
"You are too much like him," she murmured softly, half in sorrow, half in pride.
Alther, still struggling to stand after being nearly crushed under their clash, finally managed to bow his head, voice hoarse.
"Master Loryn… tonight, you have shown me something greater than power. You have shown me resolve. That alone may carry you further than bloodlines ever will."
Loryn smiled faintly, his body swaying as exhaustion consumed him.
"I… will prove it."
And with those words, darkness claimed him, his body finally yielding to rest.