"Travellers… you finally came."
The voice did not echo—it pressed.
The moment the words left the man's mouth, an overwhelming force flooded the air. It was invisible, yet impossible to ignore. The space around him trembled, as if reality itself was being bent by his presence. It felt like standing before a starving demon—its scream not heard by ears, but sensed directly by the soul as it locked onto its prey.
All three of them felt it instantly.
Their breathing grew heavy. Their legs stiffened. A crushing pressure descended upon their bodies, forcing their instincts into panic. Catia clenched her teeth, Joshen felt his vision blur, and yet—
Kame noticed something strange.
The pressure upon him was still immense, but compared to the others, it was… lighter. Manageable. As if something unseen was shielding him, dulling the weight that threatened to crush them.
The man before them stepped forward.
"Oh?" he said, eyes narrowing with interest. "So you are not yet aware of this power. How intriguing."
He straightened his posture, his presence growing even heavier.
"Listen carefully," he continued. "I am the Barbarian of Pride, one of the Seven Great Barbarians of this universe. And for the first time in two hundred years… we have sensed a disturbance worthy of our attention."
His gaze sharpened.
"A threat is coming."
That was all he said.
And yet, those words alone were enough to shatter their composure.
Their thoughts collided in confusion. Questions rose endlessly—What threat? Why them? Why now? None of it made sense. But as moments passed, an unsettling realization settled in.
Whatever this was…they would have to adapt.
Among the three, the least surprised was Kame.
Suppressing the pressure bearing down on him, he took a step forward and asked calmly,"What is the energy surrounding you?"
The Barbarian's lips curved upward.
"Hm. I see… You are quite clever."
He lifted one hand slightly, and the unseen force rippled.
"This is the Shifter's Ability. Its origin—"
"Wait."
Catia cut him off sharply, turning toward Kame with widened eyes.
"Kame, didn't you say something about this?" she asked. "That weird dream you told us about?"
The Barbarian froze mid-sentence.
"…What did you say?" he asked slowly.
"You saw it… in a dream?" His expression darkened. "Then that means she has already chosen you."
Joshen looked between them, completely lost.
"Hold on," he said. "Can someone explain what's happening? What exactly is this Shifter's Ability?"
The Barbarian exhaled deeply before speaking again.
"It is an external force," he said, "one that merges with your own life force. It grows stronger each time you travel through timelines."
He glanced at the three of them.
"There is already a trace of it within all of you. However—" his eyes settled on Kame "—the boy possesses the most."
Kame felt a strange warmth spread through his chest.
"This power reduces the pain of travelling through timelines," the Barbarian continued. "It makes you prone to other worlds, dimensions, and realities beyond your own. Your intelligence rises unnaturally. The force surrounds your body and radiates outward, affecting those around you."
He clenched his fist.
"The more timelines one has crossed, the greater the force it emits."
They began walking.
With every step, the environment shifted subtly, as if the world itself was responding to the Barbarian's presence. Massive stone pillars emerged from the mist, ancient and scarred by time.
"Shifter's force…" Joshen murmured. "So that pressure earlier—"
"Yes," the Barbarian replied. "A mere fragment of it."
As they moved forward, towering walls came into view. Ancient runes glowed faintly across blackened stone, and colossal gates stood silently ahead, radiating an authority that surpassed even the Barbarian himself.
He stopped.
"Young travellers," he said, his voice solemn yet proud,"we have finally arrived."
The gates slowly began to open.
"This," he declared,"is the Great Castle."
And as the doors parted, something ancient awakened within Kame—as if the Shifter's force inside him was responding to what lay beyond.