The main hall of Ashen Academy was a maelstrom of light and void. The mysterious woman's runes blazed like miniature suns, their energy tearing at the fabric of reality. Stone cracked, pillars groaned, and the air screamed as her power clashed with Won's void. He stood at the center, coat billowing, his hands raised as the black shimmer of his power swallowed the onslaught. The crowd at the hall's entrance gasped and stumbled back, some shielding their eyes, others too mesmerized to move. Mira's voice cut through the chaos, fierce and trembling. "He's holding it back!"
The woman's smile didn't falter. Her sigils pulsed, each one a jagged scar of light that seemed to writhe with a life of its own. "You're strong, God of Emptiness," she called, her voice resonant, almost musical, despite the destruction. "But strength isn't enough."
Won's eyes narrowed, his voice low and dangerous. "Who are you?"
She laughed, a sound like shattering glass. "Call me Seris. The one who'll unmake you."
Before Won could respond, Seris thrust her hands forward, and the runes exploded into motion. They spiraled, forming a cage of light that surged toward him, each sigil crackling with energy that burned the air. The crowd screamed, students scrambling over each other to escape the hall's trembling walls. Mira grabbed Cal's arm, pulling him back. "Move, idiot!"
Won didn't flinch. The air around him pulsed, and the void roared, a black wave that met the cage head-on. The collision shook the hall, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the floor. For a moment, the two forces held, light and darkness locked in a stalemate. Then Won snapped his fingers, and the cage unraveled, its sigils dissolving into sparks that vanished into his void.
Seris's eyes widened, but her smile grew sharper. "Impressive. Let's see how you handle this."
She clapped her hands, and the runes on the walls flared, releasing a swarm of glowing blades—each one a shard of pure energy, sharp enough to slice through stone. They flew toward Won, a storm of light that left trails of scorched air. The crowd's screams reached a fever pitch, some students conjuring shields of fire or ice in desperation.
Won moved, not with speed but with precision. His hand swept through the air, and the blades vanished midflight, swallowed by pockets of nothingness. He advanced, each step deliberate, the ground trembling under the weight of his power. "You're not the first to challenge me," he said, his voice cutting through the chaos. "You won't be the last."
Seris laughed, undeterred. "Oh, I'm not here to challenge you. I'm here to break you."
She slammed her foot down, and the floor erupted, a massive rune glowing beneath Won's feet. It pulsed, and a column of blinding energy shot upward, engulfing him. The crowd gasped, some shouting his name, others falling silent in dread. Mira's eyes widened, her voice a whisper. "No…"
But the void answered. The column of light flickered, then collapsed inward, consumed by a black vortex that spiraled around Won. He stepped out, unscathed, his coat untouched, his eyes blazing with cold fury. "You'll have to try harder."
Seris's smile faltered for the first time, but she recovered quickly. "Very well."
She raised both hands, and the runes across the hall ignited, merging into a single, massive sigil that hovered above her. It pulsed with a power that made the air feel heavy, oppressive, like a storm about to break. The crowd froze, even the boldest students stepping back. Jace, watching from the shadows with Lila, Torren, and Sable, clenched his fists. "She's going to kill him," he muttered, but his voice lacked conviction.
Sable's runes glowed faintly, her eyes calculating. "Or he'll kill her. Either way, we learn something."
The sigil above Seris flared, and a beam of raw energy shot toward Won, wide enough to swallow half the hall. It wasn't just light—it was force, tearing through the air with a scream that shook the walls. Students dove for cover, some conjuring barriers that shattered instantly. The faculty, watching from a balcony above, shouted warnings, but no one could hear over the roar.
Won raised both hands, and the void surged, a black wall that met the beam head-on. The impact sent shockwaves through the hall, cracking pillars and sending debris flying. Students screamed, some hit by falling stone, others scrambling to escape. Mira stood her ground, her eyes locked on Won, her voice fierce. "Come on, Professor!"
For a moment, the beam held, pushing against the void. Then it began to fracture, tendrils of light unraveling into darkness. Won's eyes gleamed, and he pushed forward, the void expanding, swallowing the beam entirely. The sigil above Seris flickered, its light dimming.
She staggered, her breath ragged. "You… you can't—"
Won stepped closer, his voice a low growl. "I can. And I will."
He snapped his fingers, and the sigil shattered, its fragments dissolving into nothing. Seris stumbled back, her runes flickering weakly. For the first time, fear flashed across her face. "This isn't possible," she whispered.
Won's smile was cold, savage. "Emptiness doesn't care about possible."
He raised a hand, and the air around Seris warped, pulling her toward a void that pulsed with dark energy. She screamed, her runes flaring in a desperate bid to resist, but the void was relentless, dragging her closer. The crowd watched, breathless, as she clawed at the air, her power fading.
But Seris wasn't done. With a cry, she slammed her hands together, and a new rune appeared, this one pulsing with a sickly green light. It exploded outward, not toward Won but toward the crowd. A wave of toxic energy surged, students screaming as it burned their skin, shattered their conjured shields, and sent them sprawling.
Won's eyes narrowed. He gestured, and the void shifted, redirecting the wave into a black vortex that swallowed it whole. But the distraction gave Seris a moment to act. She vanished, her body dissolving into a flash of light, leaving only a faint rune glowing on the floor.
The hall fell silent, the only sound the groans of injured students and the crackle of fading runes. Won stood alone, his expression unreadable. The crowd stared, some in awe, others in terror. Mira was the first to move, pushing through the chaos to help a fallen student, her eyes still flicking to Won. "He saved us," she whispered.
Cal, helping her, shook his head. "Or he started this."
The aftermath was chaos. Faculty rushed into the hall, shouting orders, conjuring healing spells for the injured. Students were herded out, their voices a mix of panic and excitement. The faculty balcony was empty now, the professors scrambling to restore order. Jace and his crew slipped away, their faces grim.
In a hidden alcove, Sable's runes glowed as she whispered to Jace. "She was testing him. That wasn't her full power."
Jace's flames flickered briefly. "Then why run?"
Sable's eyes gleamed. "Because she found what she needed. And now we know what we're up against."
Lila shivered, her frost creeping across the floor. "What was she? She wasn't from the Academy."
Torren's sparks flared. "Does it matter? She almost beat him. That means he's not invincible."
Sable's smile was cold. "Exactly. We just need the right weapon."
Won didn't stay to answer questions. He walked through the ruined hall, his boots crunching on debris, his eyes scanning the fading runes. The god's voice stirred, sharp and urgent. She wasn't human. Not entirely. Those runes… they're older than me.
Won paused, his gaze hardening. "Older than you?"
The god's voice was grim. Old magic. Forbidden magic. Someone's playing a dangerous game.
Won's lips curved into a faint smile. "Good. I like games."
He stepped over a cracked pillar, heading toward the hall's exit. But as he passed the glowing rune Seris had left behind, it pulsed once, sharp and bright. A voice echoed, not in the air but in his mind, cold and mocking.
"You can't erase what's already gone, God of Emptiness."
Won froze, his hand twitching. The void hummed around him, but the rune didn't vanish. Instead, it flared, and a crack split the floor, a faint green light pulsing within. The air grew heavy, oppressive, and the god's voice roared in his mind. Get out! Now!
Before Won could move, the crack exploded, a surge of green energy erupting upward. It wasn't an attack—it was a portal. Figures emerged, cloaked in shadow, their eyes glowing with the same sickly light as Seris's runes. They moved fast, too fast, surrounding Won in a heartbeat.
The crowd, still lingering at the hall's edge, screamed. Mira's voice rose above the rest, desperate. "Professor!"
Won's eyes gleamed, the void surging around him. "Let's dance," he said, and the air shattered as he unleashed his power.
But as the shadows closed in, one figure stepped forward, a blade of green light in its hand. Its voice was a hiss, chillingly familiar. "This time, we end it."
The void roared, the shadows struck, and the hall became a battlefield of light and darkness.
And then, from the portal, something else emerged—a presence so vast, so ancient, that even the god inside Won fell silent.