The helicopter blades thrummed steadily as they flew toward the safe zone. Gunjan sat pressed against Ritik, Vanya across from them, the weight of everything still crushing the air between them. The city below was a blur of purple cracks and distant fires, but inside the cabin, Ritik's voice cut through the noise calm, measured, like he was trying to anchor them all with knowledge.
"Inner flux," he began, holding Gunjan's hand a little tighter, "is the most basic form of energy that any living or non-living thing can contain within itself. It's there in everything—the air we breathe, the ground we stand on, the blood in our veins. It's raw potential. The thing that makes magic, strength, even life itself possible."
Vanya leaned forward, eyes red from crying but focused. "So everyone has it?"
"Every living organism does," Ritik confirmed. "But using it… that's where the conditions come in.
First, you need to sense it. Really feel it inside you. That takes time, focus, sometimes pain. It's easier if you have support—like the system the Universal Will is handing out right now. The system acts like training wheels. It shows you the window, guides the flow, makes it accessible."
Gunjan stared at her own hands, still stained with blood from earlier. "And the second condition?"
Ritik's expression darkened. "You must not come from a special bloodline tied to the outer world. If you do, the universe itself suppresses you here. Totally. No system access. No easy path to the flux. That's why some of us… can't feel it at all."
Gunjan's voice was quiet, almost broken. "Like me."
Ritik nodded, squeezing her hand. "Like you. Like me. Like Kurogami, Kurana and some other members if Alexanderia family. Our bloodlines are special tied to things beyond this universe. The Universal Will sees us as threats or outsiders. It shuts the door for us. According to my knowledge some of the ancestors of aether family and Alexanderia family were in relations with the three outer gods or whatsoever it is."
Vanya touched the star on her cheek, still processing. "So this glitch… the system appearing… it's because of what's happening to the universe?"
Ritik leaned back, eyes distant as the helicopter banked slightly. "Yes. Our universe stopped expanding due to extreme energy changes, something fundamental broke the natural flow. That created a glitch. The Universal Will, this half-conscious system that governs everything here, started malfunctioning. It began granting access to inner flux to ordinary people to… compensate? Stabilize? No one knows for sure. But that's why the marks, the levels, the perks appeared so suddenly. It's the universe trying to adapt, or maybe fight back."
Gunjan's voice trembled with frustration and grief. "Why me? Why can't I feel anything? I fought those monsters with chains and will, but I feel… empty. Like I'm missing a piece everyone else got."
Ritik pulled her closer, resting his forehead against hers. The pain in his eyes mirrored hers. "Because our blood is different. It's not a curse, Gunjan. It's just… different rules. Bloodlines like ours are suppressed here by design. The Will doesn't want outer influences running wild inside its domain. But that doesn't mean we're powerless. We can still sense inner flux the old way. It just takes time."
Kurogami, piloting quietly, spoke up without turning. "He's right. I've felt flickers of it over the years. It's there. Buried deep. But the system… it never came for me either."
Vanya listened, absorbing every word. "There are one hundred levels total, right? I saw it on my window. Level 1 out of 100. It said every next level gets harder. What happens at the end?"
Ritik's tone grew heavier. "If you clear all one hundred levels, you gain the ability to make an appeal directly to the Multiversal Will. That can grant you passage to the lands of the outer gods—the Mystic Realm. It's the place beyond this universe. Where beings like Purple Sun God originally came from. But getting there… no one does because normal people don't know. These levels are brutal. Each one demands more flux, more sacrifice, more proof that you're worthy."
Gunjan stared out the window at the cracked sky. "So this purge… it's not just monstersbur the universe breaking open. Giving power to some, suppressing others, and forcing everyone to fight for survival."
Ritik nodded. "Exactly. The glitch turned the world into a trial. Some people see opportunity. Others see the end. We… we just have to keep going."
Vanya touched her mark again, voice soft. "My inner flux is Emperor Class. I don't even know what that means yet. But it feels… heavy. Like responsibility I didn't ask for."
"You didn't," Gunjan said quietly, reaching across to squeeze Vanya's hand. "None of us did. But here we are."
The conversation continued as the helicopter flew on, the weight of new knowledge settling over them like a shroud. Ritik explained more how flux regeneration worked, the risks of overusing perks, the way killing could accelerate leveling but corrupt the soul if done without purpose. Gunjan listened, grief and determination warring inside her. She still couldn't access the system, but Ritik's words gave her a fragile hope. She wasn't powerless. Just… different.
By the time they reached the safe zone, the sun was dipping low. The explanations had filled the flight, leaving them all quieter, more aware of the terrifying new reality. The purge wasn't random. It was a system acting as a glitch or a trial.