The portal swung open with a hissing glow and Eron stepped out onto the stone floor.
His hiking backpack was slipping off one shoulder and looked beat up, straps frayed, fabric burned, fine ash in the seams. It seemed almost empty. His clothes were trashed. Jacket singed on one side with sleeves torn to shreds, pants ripped at the knees, boots cracked and partly melted. They looked like they could fall apart any moment. He looked like someone who'd just walked out of a battlefield.
But his eyes were different now. Not filled with fear anymore. Completely focused, sharp with an intensity he'd never had before.
As the portal closed behind him, the cavern went still again. But for him, a different silence echoed, the silence of twenty years spent alone.
Time resumed.
The serpent was exactly where it'd been with fangs glinting as it opened its mouth wide. Its tongue darted out while its massive body slid across the cavern lake and the water droplets that had been suspended finally fell, creating ripples in the dark water below.
Eron didn't move. He slowly lifted his hand. Sparks flickered across his palm, shimmering with a steady rhythm. His voice echoed softly through the cavern, low and calm.
"Fireball, Number One." He paused. "Big boom."
The serpent's pupils narrowed.
Mana burst forth in a brilliant display and formed a fiery orb that swelled to the size of a large boulder. At its core, it glowed with vivid white-orange light while red flames covered its surface. The heat in the air grew almost unbearable. The nearby walls began to melt.
The fireball launched forward and crashed right into the serpent's head.
BOOM!
The blast echoed through the cavern and rattled the walls while bits of rock tumbled down around him. A sudden shockwave rippled across the lake. The water closest to the explosion instantly boiled, turning into steam that shot up to the ceiling. Rocks splintered and shattered, sending pieces flying in every direction. Under Eron's feet, glowing cracks appeared. The ground started to break apart.
The serpent didn't even have time to react. It let out a deafening shriek as its scales darkened and cracked while flames devoured its flesh. Its massive body thrashed violently and slammed into the cavern walls before collapsing into the fire. Its screams faded, drowned out by the roar of flames.
Mist floated up from the lake as warmth seeped into every crevice. The cave glowed with soft orange light from the lingering heat. The lake's surface swelled under the pressure before crashing down in waves that splashed across the rocky floor.
The explosion was brutal. The shockwave slammed into Eron and sent him flying backwards. His boots slid on the ground before he crashed against the cave wall. Rough rock pressed painfully into his shoulders. His ribs felt like they were going to burst. Everything started to blur and he could hardly hear anything over the ringing in his ears. He struggled to catch his breath.
Inside the Time Pocket, Fireball No. 1 moved with precision and control. Like practicing inside a sealed world. But out here, the real world had consequences.
Here, the flames howled. The blast tore through everything around him. Magic surged through the air and ground, carrying a force unlike anything he'd felt before.
Eron coughed hard and choked on the dust that settled in his mouth. He struggled to get up, leaning heavily against the wall with one shaky arm. Smoke stuck to his burnt sleeve. His hair was messy from the explosion.
"Damn," he muttered while choking a bit as he coughed. His chest burned. "I didn't lower the mana output. Way too much for this place."
The cavern smelled of burned flesh and blood. The serpent floated lifeless with its ruined head steaming in the boiling lake. Its body twitched once before it sank, covered by ash and steam. Eron's fist clenched, ready for another strike, but he held himself back.
He stumbled ahead. The ground cracked under his boots. A soft glow pulsed from the molten veins below. Every part of him ached yet his hand still radiated with energy. Tiny sparks flickered stubbornly at his fingertips.
His body was exhausted. His breath came in ragged gasps. Yet his eyes still blazed with the intensity of the power he'd unleashed.
"Number One actually worked," he said softly, his voice rough as he looked at the mess he'd created. "But that explosion almost killed me."
His body looked just as youthful as ever, but his mind held the burden of twenty years. Hard work, isolation, unwavering resolve, all of it pressed down on him.
After twenty years, even if only moments had passed outside, Eron allowed himself a faint, weary smile.
The fragile spark from his early days had vanished. In its place was something far more powerful.
And this was just the beginning.