The twilight cliffs of Vrasnia thrummed with newfound power, the air charged with the intensity of a month's relentless training—equivalent to a year on Earth. Beneath the eternal aurora and the purple moon's eerie glow, Kazimir, Riah, and Vanessa had forged their companions into weapons of cosmic might. Felicia's pale blue phoenix flames now danced with precision, a testament to Riah's fiery tutelage. Lihanna's swordplay had evolved into a blur of lethal grace under Vanessa's abyssal guidance. Tyrone, battered but unbroken, had endured Kazimir's brutal regimen, emerging with a strength that rivaled the gods.
Riah's voice cut through the wind, her fiery aura flickering like a star. "A month here, but a year on Earth. You've all grown immensely. Felicia, your flames burn with the control of a natural-born pyromancer. Well done."
Felicia gazed at her hands, where azure embers flickered. "Thank you, Riah. It's hard to believe it's only been a month. Vrasnia's time dilation is… something else."
Lihanna's laughter rang out, her lithe form radiating newfound confidence. "It really is. I feel lighter, faster—like I could cut through a storm."
Vanessa's light purple eyes gleamed with approval. "You are faster. Your sword skills were always impressive, but now? You're a beast, Lihanna. In a league where she might even give Kazimir a challenge in a sword match."
Lihanna's smile was radiant. "Your teachings pushed me beyond what I thought possible. We're all ready to take on Vandors now."
Tyrone, still catching his breath, groaned dramatically. "At least you guys had good training. Kazimir's a damn nightmare."
Lihanna's curiosity sparked. "Oh? Spill it. What was it like?"
Tyrone shook his head, his blonde hair catching the moonlight. "It wasn't training—it was an ass-whooping. Every spar, he'd wipe the floor with me. When I failed, he'd trap me in that Imaginary Space and whoop me again."
Riah's lips curved into a knowing smile as she glanced at Tyrone. "You survived, didn't you? That was the test. Kazimir saw your potential. He pushed you to find your will, to forge resistance to nullity through sheer determination. And look at you now—you're standing here, unbroken."
Tyrone's eyes widened, realization dawning. "Yeah… I did. And I learned something new. A hybrid form."
Neve's brows shot up. "Hybrid form? What's that?"
Before Tyrone could respond, a surge of purple and black aura erupted from him, a tempest of raw power that sent everyone's hair whipping in the wind. The cliffs trembled as the energy pulsed, dark and radiant, a storm of potential. Vanessa and Riah exchanged impressed glances, while Jessie's jaw dropped. Kamaki shielded his face, shouting, "What the hell is this, Tyrone?!"
Tyrone's blue eyes darkened to a deep purple, his blonde hair shifting to jet black. Unlike his previous transformations, he didn't grow to a towering nine feet or sprout horns. He remained human, six feet tall, but his presence was electric—his speed and power amplified to a terrifying degree. The aura faded, revealing his new awakening.
Neve stepped forward, her white hair catching the aurora's glow. "Tyrone, is that you? Kazimir, what did you create? He's on the power scale of a Vandor now! Not stronger than me, of course, but… he could wipe out every Vandor on Earth in a one-on-one!"
Jessie nodded, her two-toned purple hair swaying. "I'm impressed, Tyrone. You endured Kazimir's training. That says a lot about what was sleeping inside you."
Raijin approached, his eyes narrowed as he studied Tyrone. "Guess I can't call you 'bitch boy' anymore. I've gotten stronger too, but not like this." He glanced at Felicia and Lihanna, his voice edged with determination. "Those two are monsters now, but I'm ready for Sando. He's got payback coming."
Kazimir, leaning against a gnarled tree at the cliff's edge, finally stirred. His black hair, tipped with blue, caught the moonlight as he stepped forward, his crescent-moon pupils glinting with cosmic weight. "I have an announcement," he said, his voice low but commanding.
Vanessa's abyssal aura flared as she turned to him. "What's the announcement?"
Kazimir's gaze swept the group. "Dynasties on Earth's moon are plotting to corrupt its glow, triggering an event like Vrasnia's fall. They're pushing Earth toward Vrasnia's old fate."
Riah's fiery eyes widened, her aura flaring like a warning beacon. "The same corruption that scarred Vrasnia?"
Vanessa's voice was grim. "So you're saying we need to go to the moon."
Kazimir shook his head, his expression unyielding. "No. I'm telling you to get any loved ones off Earth now. I'm only going if Abiba's there. She must die."
Before anyone could respond, a blinding white glare erupted across Vrasnia's sky, a radiant pulse that drowned out the aurora and purple moon. The others shielded their eyes, while Kazimir, Riah, Vanessa, and Jessie stood unflinching, their gazes locked on the horizon. As the light faded, a massive white hole loomed in the distance—a cosmic wound that seemed to devour the stars themselves.
"Vanessa," Kazimir said, his voice steady but tense. "That's him, isn't it?"
Vanessa's eyes narrowed, . "Rygar. He's awakened. And it looks like he's destroyed an entire galaxy."
Riah's flames flickered with unease. "Cytherea's behind this, isn't she?"
Neve and Jessie exchanged confused glances. "Who's Rygar?" Jessie asked, her voice tinged with frustration.
"Yeah," Neve added, stepping forward. "What are you guys talking about?"
Vanessa's abyssal aura pulsed as she turned to them, her voice carrying the weight of ancient history. "Four thousand years ago, Rygar stood with the Fleet of the High Dragons, a warrior of evil intent. In a single thrust of his spear, he unleashed a white beam that pierced fifteen worlds, shattering their cores. The chain reaction birthed the White Cataclysm—a white hole that consumed five High Dragons and collapsed entire star systems. He was named… the Inverted Star of Nullity."
The group turned to the horizon, where the white hole loomed, its edges crackling with unnatural light. It felt impossibly close, a cosmic predator threatening to swallow Vrasnia whole. Kamaki's voice trembled. "That thing… it's massive."
Felicia's flames flickered nervously. "What do we do?"
Kazimir's smirk returned, his voice calm but laced with menace. "We prepare. Rygar's return changes everything. If Abiba's with him, I'll carve through that white hole to get her head."
The cliffs fell silent, the group's newfound power now a flickering candle against the looming shadow of the Inverted Star. Vrasnia's eternal night seemed darker, the aurora dimmed by the white hole's glare, as the warriors steeled themselves for the storm to come.