The air was charged with an invisible energy, and the surrounding shadows shifted as if they were living beings breathing in silence.
Rain did not move immediately.
He was fully aware of what had just happened—
He had crossed a new threshold, but he was not yet sure what it meant.
The Black Butterfly hovered beside him, its massive wings glowing with a mysterious golden hue, as if it was no longer just a spiritual insect but something that transcended classifications altogether.
But what concerned him was not the power he felt, but rather—
Why had this happened now?
Who were those strangers? And why did it feel as if they had been trying to force him into something?
There was no time for questions, because the Black Forest was no longer as silent as it had been moments ago.
It had begun to move.
The twisted trees around him began to shift, their gnarled trunks morphing as if they were not mere plants, but sentient beings watching him in silence.
Then, from within the shadows, a new figure emerged.
They were tall, clad in dark silver armor, with a flowing cloak that bore a strange symbol—
A black spiral encircling an open eye.
Rain did not need much time to realize that this person was no ordinary warrior.
But before he could speak, the stranger's voice echoed softly, carrying an undeniable authority.
"You were never meant to be here, Rain Erthon."
Rain remained still, but he could feel the energy around him shift.
The stranger gave him no time to respond.
In an instant, they raised a hand, unleashing a wave of dark energy that shot toward Rain—swift as an arrow, powerful enough to tear through the very air.
But Rain was no longer who he once was.
The moment the wave reached him—
It vanished.
He had not dodged it. He had not blocked it—
He had absorbed it entirely.
The stranger's eyes narrowed for a brief moment before they muttered,
"So... you've reached this stage."
They did not seem pleased.
And they gave Rain no chance to breathe.
In less than a second, the stranger lunged forward, their sword gleaming with crimson light, slicing through the air in an unavoidable arc.
But instead of retreating—
Rain stepped forward.
The moment the sword made contact, it did not cut through his body—
It stopped, as if slicing through empty space itself without touching him.
The stranger's eyes widened for a fraction of a second.
But Rain gave them no time for shock.
With a single movement, he raised his hand and clenched his fingers in the air—
And in that instant, the very fabric of reality around them shattered.
It was in that moment that Rain realized something crucial—
He was no longer just a fighter. No longer even an "enemy of the world."
He had become something else entirely.
And the stranger before him, despite their power, was no longer a suitable opponent.
But he was not here to prove that.
He wanted answers.
So before the stranger could move again, Rain spoke in a low voice, yet one filled with undeniable power:
"You know something I don't. Speak... or you will disappear as if you never existed."