"And in the very heart of the circle, suspended above the carved floor, stood the object of legend:
The Luminox."
It hovered like it had chosen that exact spot in the universe to exist—silent, proud, and impossibly still.
It was a cube, small enough for hands yet heavy in mythology, rotating slowly in the air—edges perfect, surfaces carved with ancient sigils that shimmered like secrets remembering themselves.
The glow it gave off wasn't ordinary light.
A mysterious blue radiance bled from the engravings, but instead of flooding outward like normal brightness, the luminance drew inward first—gathering and concentrating
Viritius stepped closer, eyes stretched wide, irises shimmering with reflected blue.
"It looks .....cool"he whispered,voice cracking in awe.
Arynx felt the same spark of amazement, but his thoughts were something deeper.
"Cool,yes it looked cool"he thought.
"But magic cool. Like magic was flexing gently, just to be admired."
"Is it....alive?"Arynx asked.
Draven glanced at the glowing cube, light spilling over his sharp grin.
"It may look alive," he said, "but No"
"Only Dominion-Grade Luminox have a will of their own."
"This one just knows how to look spectacular."
Saying this, Draven flicked his wrists.
The blue shield that had been guarding the three through the entire battle shimmered… then dissolved into nothing.
"This is how you collect a Luminox," Draven said.
Then he pressed his palm onto the Cube.
Instantly, the engravings ignited, one line at a time, glowing blue like molten runes.
The Cube began to split, each face sliding apart with mechanical perfection, cracking open in smooth, mirrored symmetry.
From its core, a star-shaped blue light emerged—four sharp points blazing outward.
Not a sphere.
Not a flame.
A star—sharp, brilliant, and alive with energy.
Its points stretched into trails like comet tails, casting ghostly streaks across the chamber.
The air around it warped, humming with energy.
Draven raised his arms.
The star-light shot toward him, its edges stretching into comet-like trails.
It struck his chest and exploded inward, threads of brilliant white sinking into his skin like living lightning.
A moment later, a blue radiance blasted outward, a shockwave rippling across his body, warping the air, making the ground tremble under Arynx's feet.
Dust spiraled upward.
"Once you collect a luminox,the power doesn't need to be explained.Your mind automatically wakes up with the knowledge"
Draven told them.
Saying this he flicked his hands - the same way the demon had - and the shattered shards of the statue appeared out of thin air, circling him.
The fragments glimmered under the blue light, swirling like controlled chaos.
"It's a pity," Draven murmured. "Would've been nice if I'd gotten the building's shards too."
Just then,
Arynx blinked.
And the world flipped.
Just like when the portal swallowed him, gravity spun, the sky folded, the floor twisted—and then he slammed down onto soft earth.
Grass.
Wind.
Insects buzzing.
They were back in the jungle.
Viritius groaned beside him.
"Ughhh—I hate this," he muttered, rolling onto his back dramatically.
Caldus staggered upright, then bowed his head to Draven.
"Thankyou for saving me,sir"Caldus thanked Draven.
"Caldus....gratitude is fine.
But next time you feel brave, make sure it's not the stupid kind"he scolded Caldus.
Caldus swallowed and nodded.
Then Draven walked over to Arynx and Viritius
"You both did well,better than well"
A faint smile tugged at his mouth.
"Good work. Now—on your feet"
He turned, cloak shifting, walking forwards
"Come on. We're not done."
Arynx exchanged a glance with Virituis, then hurried after him.
Unaware of the tragedy his future will hold.
" 8 Year's Later "
A black portal?
"When did they start coming in black?"Virituis asked.
Both of them were standing on the top of the mountain and at the peak was the portal.
Seeing it , pulled Arynx thought's drifted, pulled backwards through time:
Eight years ago.
That was when Draven had taken them under him as disciples.
The training had been merciless—days bleeding into nights, nights torn apart by discipline and pain.
There were no breaks, no mercy disguised as kindness. Only repetition, endurance, and the quiet understanding that weakness was something to be burned away.
They learned to fight when their muscles screamed.
Draven forged them the only way he knew how.
And the result?
Both he and Viritius had grown into warriors—real ones.
Lean muscle, hardened reflexes, bodies shaped by countless battles and endless training.
They were eighteen now. Grown.
It had been three years since they had left Draven's care.
Three years since they had become Collectors themselves.
In that time, they had each collected four Luminox.
Enough to be promoted to Engraved-Grade.
Yet even now, standing here, Arynx knew—
This was only the second time since that first one with Draven that he had seen a Luminox above Tempest-Grade.
And then there was the portal.
A black one.
Who knew what danger waited beyond it?
"Maybe we should stay away from this one?"He advised Virituis
"Hey, remember the first rule?"Virituis said.
"Yeah, but didn't Draven advise us to never go into a Dominion - Grade portal without backup,no matter what?"
"You seriously think its a Dominion - Grade? They are red remember?
And don't The Echelon have a way to know when a Dominion - Grade appears?
They would have already reached here with Sovereign-Grade Collectors if that was the case.
I'm sure its just an Omnis - Grade."
Arynx opened his mouth to protest—
but Viritius grabbed him anyway,seizing his hand.
Dragging him into the portal before he could speak..