Suddenly…
Rio's right eye began to glow with a dark purple aura, thick like smoke, yet pulsing like a living heart.
The air around him trembled.
Rio (in a tense whisper):
"Now… it's time to train… but… this eye… what should I name it?"
He fell silent for a moment, as a strange sensation crept inside his skull, a pulse that did not belong to his heart.
"…I've got it. Hazuki."
System:
A new ability has been activated: Hazuki
Level One: The First Pulse – Gravity
Rio opened his eye in astonishment, notifications appearing before him as if carved into the air.
Rio (in a low voice):
"I've had this eye for two months… but I never knew its abilities. The first pulse… gravity?"
Description:
[Hazuki – First Pulse – Gravity]
Ability: Control over gravity within a limited range.
Range: 10 meters.
Consumption: Medium.
Warning: Prolonged use causes neural strain on the brain and may lead to death.
Rio extended his hand forward.
The purple aura suddenly expanded, condensing until it resembled a dark vortex. At its center… a black hole.
It was not visible to the small dragon due to its infinitesimal size, but Rio could see it clearly; his sense of it was as if it were part of his own body.
A small black point, silently devouring light.
Rio focused.
The black hole grew… slowly… then rapidly.
The ground beneath his feet cracked, tree leaves rose from their places, and even the air itself seemed to be forcibly drawn toward the center.
Rio (murmuring in genuine amazement):
"…This… is unbelievably amazing. I love it."
Then he suddenly canceled the ability.
The black hole vanished, and everything fell back into place as if nothing had happened.
Above…
Rio sat silently atop the peak of a massive branch, his body exhausted, his breathing heavy. Hazuki was still active, but something else began to stir deep within him… something that was not part of his plan.
System:
Unexpected evolutionary stimulation…
Hazuki evolution: Another eye will appear
Left eye: Eye of Eternity
Rio (in a tired, shocked voice):
"Another… eye?! I didn't ask for this!"
Successfully completed.
A sharp pain pierced his head.
His left eye shut completely, as if an invisible force had extinguished it… then it opened.
But it was not purple.
It was yellow, tending toward gold, radiating a warm aura—yet terrifying in its calmness.
Not an aura of violence… but an aura of judgment.
Rio looked at his hand.
A strange mark appeared on his palm, resembling a cracked crimson crescent.
Rio (in a low, almost whispered voice):
"…What is this thing?"
He clenched his hand.
The mark disappeared…
But a new small star appeared, one that had not been there before.
Rio (with suppressed anxiety):
"I… what is happening to me?"
…
In a very distant place…
A man wearing a pitch-black cloak suddenly stopped.
He opened his third eye, and a white mark appeared in the middle of his forehead.
The mysterious man (in a hollow voice):
"…He has been reborn."
He smiled… then vanished, leaving behind a heavy void filled with secrets.
Yui felt a shiver run through her body.
Yui (turning anxiously):
"…Something is watching us."
Zalarosa tightened her grip on her sword, her eyes sharp.
"This isn't just a feeling… it's here."
Before she could finish her sentence—
A shadow beast burst out behind Yui, its claws like solidified smoke, and a single strike was enough…
It severed her arm.
Blood scattered.
Above…
Rio smiled faintly as he closed his eye.
Rio (whispering):
"It seems my power… is increasing."
The small dragon approached him and settled beside him, with the calm of a child trusting its mother.
Rio (in a calm tone):
"Soon, my friend… we will begin the real journey."
The labyrinth.
Zalarosa (with a pale face, screaming):
"Yui!!"
She ran toward her in panic and tension.
Yui (with a tired but steady smile):
"I'm fine… don't cry. But we must finish this monster now."
Zalarosa wiped her tears away, anger igniting in her eyes.
She charged like lightning, her attack aimed at the neck—
But the monster dodged it and struck her hard in the back.
Zalarosa fell to the ground, motionless.
Yui (with a trembling voice):
"Zalarosa?!"
No answer.
Rage exploded.
Behind Yui, twenty swords of red fire formed in the air, each one shining like the sun, the temperature of each sword 100 degrees Celsius.
The ground began to melt…
The walls liquefied…
The air itself burned.
Yui (in a cold, terrifying voice):
"Now… your turn is over."
To be continued…