Ava stood inside one of the dungeon chambers.
In front of him was an army of monsters.
He rushed toward them, fists glowing, shouting:
"Chaos Strike!"
Purple lightning and chaotic energy erupted from his hands.
His Black Lotus wings unfolded, lifting him into the air.
From above, he unleashed a storm of chaos thunder, blasting the monsters below.
They broke ranks, terrified, scrambling to flee.
Ava summoned his Higher-Dimensional Cards, throwing them into the air.
Each card flashed with light, sealing monsters inside as they were captured.
The cards returned to his hand.
Ava clenched his fist.
"How am I supposed to get stronger with this?" he muttered. "These 7D monsters are weak. How am I ever going to defeat Trivana with summons like these?"
He looked down at his deck.
"Luckily… I still have some of my original cards from my deck, from before I was reborn."
He pulled out a single card its title engraved in dark red letters:
MAGICIAN WARRIOR
On the card's artwork stood a knight clad in black-gray armor, streaked with hints of crimson.
A spiked shield rested on his arm, and a purple energy sword crackled with unstable power.
A torn red cape billowed behind him.
Below the image, the description read:
Magician Warrior — Warrior Class Card
When summoned, he fights on your behalf.
Slayer of Worlds.
His blade channels magic and gravity control.
Can cast multiple spells, especially protective ones.
Ranking: B-Class Card
Ava exhaled softly.
"The day my Black Lotus wings reawakened… that was the day this card finally returned to me. If I keep training if I keep pushing eventually the rest of my original deck will come back."
He threw the card.
A flash of light erupted across the dungeon.
The Magician Warrior appeared.
He dropped to one knee, head bowed.
"What can I do for you, my lord?"
Ava stepped back, wings dimly glowing.
"We train," Ava said. "I need to raise your ranking… and I need someone strong enough to practice my Life Strings on. It's a skill I'm going to need."
He lowered his gaze, hand brushing over his stomach
over the Chaos Mouth, now closed but pulsing faintly beneath his skin.
His expression hardened.
"I have to be ready," Ava whispered. "Even if I have to use my chaos forms."
He aimed his hand forward.
Golden Life Strings burst out, snapping toward the Magician Warrior.
The Magician Warrior dodged effortlessly, slicing through the strings. Then he charged at Ava, his blade glowing with gravity magic.
Ava's body crashed downward under the sudden weight.
The Magician Warrior split into multiple clones, each rushing him with their blades raised.
Ava dodged, wings straining under the crushing gravity. He shot into the air, hand extended Life Strings whipping outward, grabbing every clone at once.
He yanked them toward himself like yo-yos.
Ava pulled back his fist and punched through them, destroying all the clones and leaving only the original warrior standing.
He prepared a Chaos Thunder strike purple lightning building in his hands.
"No…" he muttered. "I have to work on these Life Strings."
He shut the attack down.
Golden threads surged forward again.
The Magician Warrior flipped backward, dodging.
The Life Strings stabbed into the ground, tearing up giant boulders and hurling them at him.
The warrior destroyed each one with blasts of energy.
Their training continued like this inside the dungeon
days for them, but only Meta hours outside in the school grounds.
Ava's energy began to burn out. Sweat dripped down his face.
He gasped for breath.
"I haven't used these Life Strings offensively in a long time…"
He lifted his hand weakly.
"Enough, Magician Warrior."
The warrior stopped instantly and bowed. His armor was cracked, his face bruised, cape torn.
He lowered his head, exhausted.
Ava walked toward him.
"Good training," Ava said quietly. "But you must get stronger. And so must I. We have a big task ahead of us."
The warrior raised his eyes, his voice strained as he spoke:
"My lord… it is difficult. When I return to your Card Universe, the only ones left to train with are the new monsters you've sealed the Seven-D monsters. But the warriors I grew up with… the ones who raised me… the ones from your original deck…"
His voice trembled.
"They are gone. Please tell me… my brothers and sisters will return."
Ava lowered his eyes.
"Yes. You are the only original monster, soldier card I still have. The rest… I believe they will return as my power grows."
He shook his head. "For now, all I can capture are these 7D creatures these weaklings."
He raised his hand.
"Return."
The warrior bowed once more before dissolving into card-light and vanishing back into the Card Universe.
Ava bent over slightly, still breathing hard.
He raised his palm, letting golden Life Strings flicker out.
"I can't risk using omnipresence in front of people," he muttered. "Too many would notice. These Life Strings… they're the closest thing I have."
Ava looked down at the dead 7D monster on the ground.
He stepped closer.
"Come on…" he muttered.
He pointed his hand forward.
Golden Life Strings surged out, latching onto the monster's body.
"Focus… come to life."
The corpse twitched.
Its eyes flickered glowing faint gold.
For a moment, it seemed like it might rise…
Then the glow faded, and the creature fell still again.
Ava cursed under his breath.
"Damn… still not enough. I need to get this down."
Suddenly
FWOOOOSH
A jet pack roared overhead.
Ava looked up as Dallas landed beside him, smoke rising from his thrusters.
"Where have you been?" he asked. "Star told me to come looking for you. It's almost time for the school meeting before we take off for the Aztec Hyperverse."
Ava rubbed the back of his neck.
"I just couldn't sleep. Had to get some training in. But come on let's go."
Both of them vanished, reappearing at the school grounds outside the dungeon entrance.
As they began walking toward the main path, Dallas spoke quietly.
"I had a hard time sleeping too. Especially knowing that… well… we're finally going to war. We're actually part of the troops now." he swallowed. "One step closer to becoming generals. I'm excited but… kinda scared too."
Ava nodded.
"We're one step closer, yeah."
He glanced over. "Dallas… would you ever betray the Dark Lord?"
He stopped mid-stride, shocked.
"Why would you even ask that? I would never betray the Dark Lord. All I want is to serve his army and bring my people glory."
Ava's voice lowered.
"What if you could bring your people glory… without serving the Dark Lord?"
Dallas frowned, tension rising.
"…I would do anything to save my people. Anything. But why are you asking these questions?"
"I was just wondering," Ava replied softly.
Silence fell between them as they walked.
Students flew overhead or moved quickly through the halls, all heading in the same direction.
Finally, Dallas spoke again, changing the subject.
"I made some blueprints for the sentinel you're trying to build. It's going to take a while though. Especially with how slow you shed feathers from those wings. And those Life Strings you had me use… they vanished. Can I get more?"
Ava sighed.
"That's the problem. If my Life Strings aren't connected to me for long, they disappear. When they're attached to something like the robot it's automatically alive because I'm controlling it. I wanted it to move on its own. For my Life Strings to be its veins… without being tied to me."
Dallas nodded slowly.
"I see. Then we need to find a really good core. And the mechanical structure has to be perfect. The rest we can figure out."
They finally reached the massive training field in the forest on school grounds.
Tens of thousands of students stood lined up in organized rows groups of four beside groups of four, stretching across the clearing.
Ava and Dallas walked to their assigned squad.
Star and Demeter waved them over.
"Over here, guys!" Star shouted.
And standing right beside them…
Team Vortex.
Everyone around them was talking.
Some students trembled with fear.
Others stood tall, pretending to be brave.
Whispers filled the air like a nervous storm.
Ava stepped aside but remained near his team, his arms crossed, lost in thought.
Star walked up to him quietly.
"Ava… I really want to apologize."
Ava sighed. "I want to apologize too. I overreacted."
Star stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
Ava hugged her back gently, but with restraint.
Then he pulled away.
"But… I think we should just be friends. No more of what we were doing. I'm your team leader. That's the way it should stay."
Star shook her head immediately.
"No. I don't believe you. That's not why you're saying this."
Her eyes narrowed. "You're only saying it because… I can't claim you. Tell the truth."
Ava looked away.
"There are multiple reasons," he said softly. "It's complicated."
Star stepped closer, eyes locked on him.
He tried to avoid her gaze, but she reached out.
"Ava… can you please just look at me?"
Her voice cracked.
"Please tell me what you want me to do. I'm sorry for what I did yesterday."
Footsteps echoed heels clicking sharply across the stone.
Lilith appeared beside them, arms folded, smirking.
"Well, well," she purred. "Trouble in paradise again?"
Star glared at her.
Ava straightened. "Everything's fine."
Lilith laughed and tapped Ava's shoulder with a playful finger.
"I was just teasing. So, are you guys ready to get our new armor?"
Ava shook his head calmly.
"I already made my own."
Lilith's lips curled into a wicked smile.
"Impressive. I would expect nothing less from a leader."
Star's eyes lit up as she straightened.
"I can't wait to get the new armor. The one I'm wearing right now is pretty beat up."
Lilith's eyes gleamed.
"I can't wait to begin the conquering. A whole new world for us to take in the Dark Lord's name. And I can't wait to feast…"
She licked her lips.
"Maybe I'll get to taste a god."
Ava's hand instinctively moved to his stomach, pressing against the fabric of his shirt where the Chaos Mouth lay hidden beneath.
A sharp memory surfaced. Hunger. Noise. Screaming.
"What do you mean by feast?" Ava asked, his voice steady despite the unease crawling through him.
Lilith's lips curled into a slow grin.
"I drink the blood of my enemies," she said lightly. "And their fear."
She dragged a single black nail across Ava's chest, slow and deliberate.
"I can't wait to see how you conquer."
Star stepped between them without hesitation.
"Our team doesn't conquer like that," she said sharply.
"In the dungeons, when we trained, we didn't hurt civilians. We only fought when necessary. And we avoid killing unless there's no other choice. If we can make a planet surrender, we do."
Lilith blinked.
Then she burst out laughing.
"You're serious?"
Ava nodded once. Calm. Certain.
"It's true. There's no need for reckless chaos. Chaos can be controlled."
Lilith tilted her head, studying them both.
"So you really believe that?" she said. "Good luck telling that to the generals. When they invade a planet, mercy isn't part of the mission."
Ava and Star exchanged a glance.
Before either of them could speak, a voice echoed across the field.
"Students. Students."
The entire training ground fell silent.
Every head turned.
Space itself rippled.
Portals tore open at the far edge of the arena, one after another, glowing with violent light. Heavy footsteps followed. Tall silhouettes emerged, cloaked in power and presence alone.
A line of figures stepped forward and came to a stop.
Generals.
High-level instructors.
Their presence alone crushed the air.
One figure stepped forward.
Kharos Oxxion.
His voice carried without effort.
"I am in charge of the military operations for this sector of the academy," he said. "Our journey begins today."
A low rumble answered him.
The ground trembled.
Students looked around in confusion as the shaking intensified.
Kharos raised a hand.
"Calm yourselves."
The tremor deepened, no longer violent, but deliberate.
"What you are feeling," Kharos continued, "is the school grounds lifting. We are leaving the Fifth Dimension of this Hyperverse."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"And now," he said, his eyes glowing faintly, "the academy begins transit. We are moving through the Shadow Omniverse toward our destination."
The forest arena shimmered as reality itself peeled away.
"This is not an isolated movement," Kharos added. "Multiple sectors of the academy are relocating simultaneously. Every domain under the Dark Lord's control is executing the same operation."
He folded his hands behind his back.
"I run a strict program. You will follow orders. No exceptions."
The shaking slowed, replaced by a deep, constant hum.
"When we arrive in the Aztec Hyperverse, we proceed with caution," Kharos said.
"Our objective is conquest. From the Mortal Realm upward. Through higher realms and higher dimensional strata. Across ascending layers of dimensionality itself."
He continued without pause.
"Beyond them lie the Outer Realms. Domains that transcend all versions of space and time. Places where causality no longer behaves, where distance and sequence lose meaning."
His eyes hardened.
"We push through all of it. Until we reach the Outer Gods and retrieve the crystal."
His gaze hardened.
"Planets are not to be destroyed unless necessary. Universes, multiverses, and higher realms are to remain intact unless there is no alternative."
He paused.
"We conquer. We do not simply erase."
Kharos turned and gestured.
"General Yalara."
A woman stepped forward.
She wore red, black, and blue armor fitted close to her frame, crafted for both dominance and mobility. Instead of a full cuirass, a structured, bra-like battle piece covered her chest and shoulders, leaving her arms protected while her midsection remained bare, unarmored by design rather than oversight.
Black high heels clicked against the ground with deliberate confidence.
Her hair was white, wild with tight curls that spilled freely down her back. Thin glasses rested on her face, framing eyes that were sharp, calculating, and utterly merciless.
Gold caught the light at her ears, wrists, and throat. Earrings, bracelets, and a heavy necklace marked her rank and wealth, each piece more ceremonial than ornamental.
She did not smile.
She did not need to.
The field seemed to tense the moment she stopped moving.
"My name is General Yalara," she said. "I will be teaching you a technique known as the Gentle Fist."
Several students stiffened at the name.
"The Gentle Fist allows you to strike with the full force of any attack," Yalara continued.
"No matter how vast the power behind it."
She raised a single finger.
"That force is compressed. Refined. Directed into the target alone. The impact does not spread. The explosion is minimized. Everything else is spared."
Her gaze hardened.
"Only what you choose is destroyed."
She clenched her fist.
"The impact affects only what you strike. No collateral damage. No planetary collapse. No unnecessary annihilation."
A murmur spread through the students.
"This technique applies to physical attacks, magic, and energy-based abilities," Yalara said. "You may strike with absolute power while preserving everything around your target."
She clapped her hands once.
Portals tore open across the field.
Rows of armored warriors appeared, standing beside tables and glowing displays. Armor of every shape and size hovered above them, etched with demonic runes pulsing faintly with power.
"Before we begin training in the Gentle Fist," Yalara ordered,
"choose your equipment."
She gestured to the racks behind her.
"Your armor is imbued with demonic reinforcement, designed to increase durability and ensure survival in higher realms."
The students broke into their groups, moving quickly toward the displays.
Ava's team began selecting their armor.
Team Vortex stood at the displays beside them, doing the same.
The other students moved quickly, selecting their armor from the racks before snapping their fingers and calling it onto their bodies in flashes of magic.
Ava did not move.
He stood apart, arms crossed, watching in silence as Team Vortex began choosing their armor.
Kabuka moved first. He selected a set woven mostly of cloth, layered with hardened segments in black and white. A matching hat settled onto his head before unfolding into a full-face mask. As the armor locked into place, his power began to leak through the seams. White vapor poured from his shoulders and limbs, clouding around his body like drifting smoke.
"This feels like my old armor," Kabuka said, flexing as his form stretched upward before settling back into place. "But far stronger. I already feel it."
Ryujin found his next.
His armor formed in black, orange, and dark blue, heavy and fully plated. The back was designed to carry his swords, slots unfolding one by one. Even his tail was armored, fitted with additional mounts to hold more blades. He rolled his shoulders once, testing the weight. Solid. Balanced. Built for prolonged war.
Lilith chose something far less restrained.
Her armor was minimal and aggressive. Reinforced claws. A black and purple skirt. Military-grade armored boots that dug into the ground as she stood. It was less protection and more declaration.
Uzuhana snapped her armor onto herself hers last.
Mostly cloth with light armor reinforcement, a red dress shaped for movement rather than defense. White gloves sealed at her wrists, clean and deliberate. Functional. Precise.
She glanced toward Ava.
"I know we're both team leaders," Uzuhana said. "And I know you're strong. But come on. You need armor too. Especially new armor."
Ava didn't answer right away.
He kept watching.
Inside, his thoughts were quiet and cold.
I don't trust the Dark Lord's armor, he thought. It's probably laced with command magic. Something that can immobilize allies if needed.
I won't wear it.
Out loud, he said calmly, "It's fine. I have my own. I've been working on it."
He raised one hand.
A higher-dimensional card appeared between his fingers.
On its surface, glowing letters formed.
BLACK LOTUS CHAOS ARMOR
The description on the card –
Living armor forged from Black Lotus wings and Golden Life Strings,
the map to existence and nonexistence itself.
Self-healing.
Amplifies strength, speed, and power.
Ava used his magic snapped his fingers.
The armor unfolded around him like living shadow.
Silver-black plates formed seamlessly across his body, etched with flowing design lines. A belt of the same material locked around his waist, faint gold accents gleaming at its center. His arms remained partially exposed, armored gloves forming over his hands, their edges trimmed in gold.
The armor breathed.
Alive.
Around him, other students finished equipping themselves.
Demeter moved along the racks, eyes scanning armor taken from conquered hyperverses. War relics. Fallen champions. Stolen legacies. Her hand paused at a set marked with an ancient Greek sigil.
With a thought, the armor answered.
Gold and black plates formed over her frame, layered with reinforced cloth that draped like a warrior's chiton. Subtle Greek motifs lined the edges. Laurel patterns. Faded runes of old gods. The metal carried weight and history, forged for endurance rather than display.
Beside her, Star found her armor as she used her magic to snap it onto herself.
An armored dress unfolded around her in a flash of magic, black and red with precise lines of gold. It fitted perfectly, flowing where it needed to and locking tight where it mattered. Gloves and boots sealed into place, elegant in form, lethal in function.
She stood taller once it was complete.
Not dressed for battle.
Prepared for war.
Demeter turned and shouted, "Dallas, hurry up. Everyone already picked!"
Dallas panicked, rushing between displays. He tripped, scrambling to his feet.
Then he saw it.
A piece of armor that felt right.
He ran for it.
Just as his hand grabbed the plate, he felt resistance.
Dallas looked up.
Team Game Over stood there.
At the front was their leader.
Nullius.
His hand rested casually on the same armor.
"I think I was here first," Dallas said.
Nullius smiled.
"You think I care? This is mine."
He shoved Dallas to the ground.
Dallas pushed himself up. "That's not fair. You already have armor. You've got like three sets floating around you."
Nullius's team laughed.
"The more the merrier," Nullius said.
Dallas tried to shove him back.
Nullius sidestepped effortlessly.
White energy bloomed around his hand.
Eraser energy.
Time and space being erased as he pressed his palm forward, touching Dallas's school uniform.
The white energy spread instantly.
Dallas reacted without hesitation.
He summoned his Grynmar. The spell book snapped open in his hand.
He says the spell. "Veil Snap."
With a flash, his school uniform tore free and dropped to the ground as his armor snapped into place, just as the white energy consumed the discarded cloth.
The fabric vanished, erased in an instant.
Dallas stared at the empty space where it had been, his jaw tightening.
"You just tried to kill me," he said flatly.
Nullius laughed, the sound sharp and dismissive.
"Consider it a lesson," he replied. "Stay out of my way. When I speak, you obey. The same goes for my teammates."
He stepped forward, his presence pressing outward.
"Or maybe I should just erase you."
Before Dallas could respond, a new presence settled between them.
Ava.
He stood calm and unmoving, eyes steady, as if the tension meant nothing to him.
"Do we have a problem?" Ava asked.
Nullius's energy began to spiral outward, aggressive and unstable. Ava's answered in kind, quiet but absolute. The ground beneath them trembled as their auras collided.
Students turned. Whispers rippled through the field.
"They're about to fight."
Before it could go any further, a voice cut cleanly through the tension.
"Enough."
General Kharos stood nearby, his gaze sharp and unyielding.
"You two," he said coldly. "Stand down."
Nullius scoffed. "Father, he dared challenge me. I'm a high-level student. Nearly a general."
Kharos placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Almost, son. Until then, you are still students. On the same level."
Nullius sneered. "He's not on my level. No one is."
He turned and walked away.
His team followed.
Kharos watched them go, then looked back at Ava.
"My apologies," he said. "He inherited his mother's temper."
He chuckled softly.
"I've heard good things about you. Ava. Top student. And the one who exposed the spy."
"Yes, sir," Ava replied.
"Keep it up," Kharos said.
Afterward, Ava helped Dallas select a new set of armor.
Green and silver plates formed over his frame, sleek and high-tech, reinforced with minimal cloth for flexibility. Lines of soft light ran along the surface, syncing with a compact laser weapon mounted directly into the armor itself, already humming with restrained power.
Soon, both teams stood ready.
Ava's team.
Team Vortex.
Fully equipped.
Every student now stood fully equipped.
New armor shimmered across the training grounds, each set infused with magical properties tuned for higher-realm combat.
General Yalara stepped forward, surveying the field.
"I see everyone is armored," she said. "Good. Then we begin."
She raised her hand.
Other generals did the same.
"You will each be teleported separately," Yalara continued, "to one of the Dark Lord's training dungeons. These realms were created specifically for mastering the Gentle Fist."
Light rippled through the air.
One by one, students vanished.
Ava felt the pull before the world gave way.
Reality folded in on itself, space collapsing like a page being turned, and in the next breath he stood on the surface of a distant planet. The sky above him was unfamiliar, streaked with alien color. The land stretched untouched in every direction, silent and vast.
He took a few slow steps, scanning the horizon.
Then space bent.
General Yalara stepped into existence in front of him as if the universe had simply made room.
"Now," she said calmly, "it's time for your lesson."
Without warning, she drove her fist downward.
The planet shattered.
A cataclysmic explosion ripped through the world, continents tearing apart as fire and debris were hurled into the void. The surface disintegrated beneath them, fragments igniting as they scattered into open space.
When the violence faded, Ava and Yalara floated amid the wreckage.
"This," Yalara said, her voice steady, "is what we want to avoid."
She snapped her fingers.
The stars shifted, and they reappeared on another planet.
This time, when Yalara struck, the result was different. Her punch landed with precision. A tight, focused explosion bloomed at the point of impact. The ground cracked and trembled, but the planet itself endured.
"The same amount of energy," she explained. "But the force was contained. Directed only where it was meant to go."
Ava watched carefully, then nodded. "I see."
"Try."
He punched.
The planet exploded.
They moved again. Another world. Another attempt.
Again, Ava struck, and again the planet was torn apart by the raw force he released. World after world fell, unable to withstand the unchecked power behind his blows.
Finally, Yalara raised a hand.
"That's enough," she said. Her gaze locked onto him. "You're releasing everything Too chaotically. Focus your energy. Compress it. Choose the target."
Ava steadied himself.
He drew in a slow breath, letting the chaos settle, pulling the power inward instead of letting it spill outward. When he exhaled, his eyes shifted to a small tree standing alone in the soil.
He swung his fist.
The energy behind the strike was still immense. Enough to destroy a planet.
Golden Life Strings wrapped tightly around his hand as the power surged through them, refined and restrained by his will. He struck the tree.
It vanished in a precise burst of light.
The ground remained unbroken. The sky did not change. The planet endured.
Yalara smiled. "Good."
The training escalated.
Ava destroyed suns with single punches, watching them collapse into fire and silence. Then he was placed before buildings, stone, and steel, and released that same stellar force again. This time, only the chosen structure was erased, the surrounding world left untouched.
Galaxies came next.
With one strike, he wiped an entire galaxy from existence. Then, moments later, he stood before a single object and compressed that same power inward, crushing only what he chose.
Finally, they reached the universal scale.
Ava coiled his Golden Life Strings tightly around his hand, drawing in power vast enough to collapse an entire universe. The weight of it pressed against reality itself, space warping subtly around his arm as the energy condensed.
He struck.
An entire universe was erased in a single blow, existence folding inward and vanishing as if it had never been there.
To test the range of his power, Ava shifted tactics. Chaos Thunder surged through his body, violet lightning crawling across his skin and wrapping around his frame. The air screamed as he aimed the energy forward and released it.
Another universe was annihilated.
Yalara nodded once. "Impressive power," she said evenly. "Now remember. Focus."
She gestured downward.
"You are wielding force sufficient to erase a universe," Yalara said. "That does not mean everything around you must suffer for it."
She snapped her fingers.
The space folded, and reality shifted as they were pulled away, reappearing on the surface of a different universe's world, solid ground forming beneath their feet once more.
Ava landed beside her, the same universe-ending power still coiled around his fist. Before him stood a single boulder, half-buried in the ground.
He punched.
The boulder disintegrated instantly, reduced to nothing in a tight, controlled collapse. The planet did not crack. The ground did not tremble. The atmosphere remained calm.
The force had been contained.
From there, the training escalated again.
They entered the realm of multiverses.
Ava pushed his power farther and farther, releasing destructive force capable of erasing countless realities at once, then compressing that same power through the Gentle Fist. Entire multiversal structures vanished when he allowed it. Moments later, he applied identical force to a single object, destroying only what he chose.
Again and again, destruction refined into precision.
Until finally, the lesson ended.
Yalara snapped her fingers.
Ava felt the pull as space folded around him once more.
He returned to the academy.
Changed.
Other students were already reappearing across the grounds, scattered flashes of light marking their return.
General Kharos stepped forward.
"Training is complete. Classes resume as normal," he announced. "We continue traveling through the Hyperverses. By tomorrow, we will arrive in the Aztec Hyperverse."
Murmurs spread.
"Our campaign begins in the Mortal Realm. A three-dimensional space. From there, we advance upward until we reach the Outer Realms."
He nodded once.
"Dismissed."
Students returned to their routines.
At the end of the day, Team Ava, Team Chaos, and Team Vortex trained together, practicing the Gentle Fist and refining their techniques.
Eventually, they retired to their rooms.
All except Ava.
He unfolded his Black Lotus wings and flew to the edge of the academy.
The school drifted through nothingness now. No stars. No light. Between stories. Between Hyperverses.
Ava stared into the void.
"I see the path," he said quietly.
"I can't fail."
He clenched his fist.
"I have to retrieve the crystals before Trivana does."