The instructor closed his eyes—
waiting for impact.
But it never came.
Instead—
lightning exploded across the sky.
A massive barrier of condensed electricity unfolded before him in layered hexagonal patterns, each segment crackling with violent arcs as the incoming wind bullets slammed against it.
The collision detonated like thunder.
Electricity and compressed wind scattered across the storm in spiraling shockwaves.
The instructor's eyes opened slowly.
A familiar figure stood ahead of him in the sky, one hand raised casually while lightning danced around his arm like living serpents.
Silver-blue eyes.
Dark academy coat fluttering violently in the storm.
And a look that somehow remained relaxed despite the catastrophe surrounding them.
Recognizing the voice, the instructor let out a long breath.
"Took you long enough, Aaron."
The newcomer smirked faintly without looking back.
"I had students to evacuate unlike someone I know who likes fighting evolving beasts alone."
The instructor clicked his tongue and slowly pushed himself upright in the air, flames flickering weakly around his body.
Below, the battlefield was still chaos.
His eyes immediately searched for the students—
But Aaron spoke first.
"They're alive."
Relief passed through the instructor's expression for only a moment before Aaron tossed something toward him.
A crystal emitting a deep blue hue.
Essence restoration.
The instructor caught it instantly and absorbed the contents without hesitation. Cool essence flooded through his strained channels, easing the unbearable pressure tearing through his core.
Only slightly.
Still enough.
Aaron's expression gradually sharpened as he looked toward the storm wolves.
"That beast isn't ordinary."
The instructor nodded grimly.
"No treasure manifestation was reported. But one of them forced unstable evolution anyway while the other stabilized the process."
Aaron's brows furrowed.
"…That explains the essence distortion."
Lightning flickered more violently around him as another barrage of wind projectiles descended from above. He raised a hand lazily.
Lightning barriers unfolded again.
The impacts shattered against them.
"I felt the fluctuation from my side of the Expanse," Aaron continued. "Had to get my students out first before coming here. That's why I'm late."
Another explosion shook the clouds.
The larger storm wolf howled violently as unstable essence spiraled around its body in increasingly dense currents.
Aaron's gaze narrowed.
"The others should've sensed this too. I came with Maddon."
"The earth user?" the instructor asked.
Aaron nodded once.
"And Lena went toward the second fluctuation."
The instructor's expression changed instantly.
Toward the ancient tree.
Toward Eryndor.
For a brief moment, silence passed between them despite the raging storm.
Then the instructor smiled faintly.
"…Poor timing for her."
Aaron snorted.
"That woman enjoys dangerous situations too much."
The instructor finally straightened fully.
The blue essence crystal had stabilized his core enough.
Not healed.
Never healed.
But enough.
Flames slowly began spreading around his body once more.
Not wild.
Not explosive.
Controlled.
Dense.
His fiery aura thickened steadily, heat pressure spreading outward in waves that began igniting the surrounding storm currents again.
Aaron glanced sideways.
"Looks like you're done absorbing it."
The instructor rolled his shoulder painfully.
"Enough to continue."
Aaron's expression became amused again.
"Good. Because after this…"
Lightning surged violently around his body.
"…you're visiting the infirmary."
The instructor laughed weakly.
Then the sky changed.
Both men released their essence fully.
Flame erupted upward.
Lightning split the clouds apart.
The storm wolves answered instantly.
The larger evolving beast released a roar that shook the sky itself as surrounding essence converged violently into its body. Its unstable structure finally began nearing completion.
The evolution was almost complete.
Wind pressure exploded across the battlefield.
The sky darkened further.
Lightning spread through the clouds in endless branching patterns as if the heavens themselves recognized the confrontation unfolding below.
The instructor raised his burning hand.
Aaron extended his lightning-covered arm.
And together—
they spoke.
"Partial Domain."
The world trembled.
The instructor's flames spread unnaturally through the atmosphere once more, igniting oxygen itself while heat pressure warped the surrounding storm.
At the same time—
Aaron's lightning domain unfolded in countless branching currents that filled the sky with crackling electrical patterns, every movement within its range becoming violently unstable.
The storm wolves roared.
Wind exploded outward.
And the sky descended into war.
While beneath the Ancient Tree
Blood stained the glowing garden.
Eryndor lay plastered against a massive root formation, crimson spreading across luminous grass beneath him.
His breathing was shallow.
Weak.
Broken.
The weaker storm wolf approached slowly through the ancient garden, its massive paws crushing glowing flowers beneath them. Wind essence spiraled around its body while its cold eyes remained locked onto Eryndor.
Eryndor tried to move.
Pain exploded through him instantly.
He looked downward—
And froze.
One of his legs was gone.
Torn away completely below the knee.
A massive claw wound stretched across his abdomen, flesh opened so deeply that blood flowed continuously onto the glowing roots beneath him.
Yet strangely—
his mind barely registered the pain anymore.
Only survival remained.
Only movement.
Only the desperate refusal to die.
Slowly—
dragging himself forward with trembling arms—
he crawled deeper into the garden.
Blood trailed behind him across glowing grass and ancient roots alike.
The wolf followed calmly.
Patiently.
Predatory instinct had already concluded the hunt.
Eryndor's vision blurred more with every breath.
The world tilted.
Still he crawled.
Until finally—
his strength failed.
He collapsed against an enormous tree near the center of the garden.
This tree was different even from the others.
Its bark shimmered faintly with silver-gold essence while enormous roots spread outward like veins carrying life through the entire hidden world. Soft light pulsed beneath its surface in slow rhythms almost resembling a heartbeat.
Unknowingly—
Eryndor's blood touched the roots.
And vanished.
Absorbed instantly.
The tree reacted.
Light spread slowly through its massive trunk.
Then brighter.
And brighter.
The wolf stopped moving instantly.
Its ears twitched.
Its body lowered cautiously.
Though not fully evolved, true feral beasts already possessed the beginnings of intelligence unlike residual essence constructs.
And instinct screamed danger.
The wolf's eyes widened slightly as it sensed the change within the tree.
Whatever was awakening—
it was valuable.
Enough to complete pure evolution.
Enough perhaps even to finish the larger wolf's unstable transformation.
Wind essence exploded around its body.
The wolf lunged.
At the same moment, roots erupted from the earth.
Massive ancient roots burst upward in violent spirals, attempting to bind the beast instantly. But the wolf reacted with terrifying speed, twisting through the attacks while wind pressure shredded approaching roots apart.
It continued charging forward.
Toward Eryndor.
Toward the awakening light.
Eryndor barely noticed any of it anymore.
His consciousness was fading rapidly.
Darkness crept into the edges of his vision.
Then—
a voice spoke.
Soft.
Gentle.
Female.
"You can rest now, young one."
Warmth touched his forehead.
And finally—
Eryndor lost consciousness.