"You want to see her? Mn. You'll meet her soon, don't worry."
He pushed the door open.
"Now let's see if you're really worth that insignia."
.
After a brief series of elemental tests, we already headed toward another facility: the research lab.
The research lab was huge, but the room we entered was simple: a tall, circular space with smooth black walls and a high domed ceiling. Soft white light came from three floating orbs near the top. In the center stood a single stone pedestal holding a small black crystal.
They handed me three thumb-sized crystal shards with faint runic inscriptions.
"Channel your best mastery into it," the elder said. "These crystals are made of a rare elementless material. Completely neutral with no affinity of their own."
"When you pour your energy in," he continued, "the crystal records the exact law of that power, not just the element, but how you wield it. Normal fire records ordinary fire laws. Lightning records lightning laws."
"Once recorded, the crystal works for you alone. No one else can benefit from it. It makes drawing that law easier. Think of it like a modern Araktis; a magical artifact."
I pressed the shard with two fingers, turned to catch the light, small and sharp-edged.
'This reminds me of a hex crystal, even though they don't look alike.'
'But to record the laws... I wonder what happens if I use the UI to draw frost, lightning, or even flash and shockwave? And what about the spells? They're mine, are they not? And if it does work, how much should I reveal?'
I glanced at their expectant faces.
'Why limit myself?'
Fuck it.
"These crystals, how many do you have?"
.
..The whole process worked as expected.
The UI worked.
The first crystal took fire. Once it finished it glowed deep electric purple, crackling with faint lightning.
Air was translucent blue with faint motion blur trails. It looked like liquid speed frozen in time.
Earth was brown with cracks inside and small vibrations.
Water was glacial cyan with tiny ice crystals constantly forming and melting inside it, giving the impression of eternal winter trapped in glass.
Light was yellow. It's core like a lightbulb.
And the last two were the most unusual:
Spirit turned into a perfect mirror-gray. When you look into it you don't only see your face, you see fragments of the spiritual world itself. The glowing landscapes, distant spirits and silhouettes.
'Could this be useful?'
When it came to darkness I had to stop for a moment and think.
'I've never activated it before. And I don't think the UI has it either. Still, it shouldn't be much different from the others.'
I took a deep breath and calmed my heartbeat, entering deep focus.
I searched for the darkness inside myself again, that vast space I saw the first time I tried magic.
I found it instantly.
Yet using it was a different thing.
For the others I just had to touch it, and with time I didn't even need to focus anymore, becoming second nature. But the beginning was always tough. It required time, and understanding.
'If fire represents my will, what is darkness even about?'
.
Time passed, minutes, maybe more.
At some point I used the spell [Clarity] and started to have visions. My past life. My baby self. My mother's face. The time she noticed I wasn't like the others.
School years. Reports piling up. Bruised classmates. Frightened teachers. Angry mothers at the door. Her hands shaking as she read another letter, then folding it neatly and placing it in a drawer.
The day I brought her the small, stiff body of a neighbor's cat wrapped in newspaper like a gift. Her eyes widened, then she knelt and said softly:
"We need to talk about rules."
As I grew she taught me strict rules for killing. Maybe she knew I couldn't stop, or she was just as bad as me.
Years later, cancer took her. The same way she lived, quietly.
I sat by her bed until the end. She didn't speak of forgiveness, not even condemned me. She just held my hand and looked at me like I was still her son.
After that, loneliness came and so I buried it in games, while also trying to live by her rules.
Now, standing here with the crystal in my hand, it clicked.
The only reason I'm not going into a killing spree, even in this world, is because her rules still echo in my head.
Because, even if shallow, I loved her.
'...Perhaps I'm not as cold as I thought.'
On the outside, Tzaleah, the elder, and a few onlookers watched in tense silence.
"How much longer do we have to wait?"
Tzaleah muttered, annoyed. "By how it was going, I thought the bastard was gonna ace all seven."
The elder's voice was low: "Advanced. They're all master level. I figured he was talented, but this..."
"Wait, look!" A lab worker shouted.
My skin darkened. Black smoke began to rise from me in thin, coiling threads. My hair lifted slowly, shirt flapping as if caught in an unseen wind.
SNAP—When I came to, every shadow in the room felt connected to me. Like limbs.
"His eyes are totally black!" another voice gasped.
Tzaleah took a half-step back. Sweat slid down the elder's temple.
SWISH!
All the smoke, pressure, and connection collapsed inward, sucked violently into the crystal shard, then turning it into a void-black appearance that absorbed all light. No shine, no reflection, no edges.
The room exhaled as one.
I stood up slowly.
"That was," the elder said, voice hushed. "Unexpected. To have two in the same generation… It's either a blessing or a bad omen."
I walked toward them. Tzaleah leaned back.
"Unbelievable. Crap. Shit." She cursed, then turned to leave. "Quickly, Axion. There are still many places I have to show you."
"…"
The bald elder gaze stood on me.
"Elder," I asked, "do you think she's afraid, or mad?"
"Mhm. She's jealous, I'm certain."
"Jealous?" I touched my chin, "It's also the first time she called me by my name."
The elder's eyebrows rose. A small smirk tugged at his lips.
"Ho-ho." He brushed his beard. "Then it's something even better. Don't worry."
When I was leaving he gave me a warning.
"If I were you, I'd shut that one away." he said, serious. "Darkness is not well seen. All its users are… lacking in virtues."
I kept silent but took his advice to heart. Then bowed respectfully before leaving.
.
For the rest of the day, I got familiar with the other locations: the missions, the hospital, the arena, and a few others.
The place where me and Storm fought—Well, more like I got desperate and ran—was already repaired. As if nothing had happened.
.
Night came.
And I was laying on the bed of my new room.
I stared at the ceiling, my vision blurring.
"I need to check that again."
Status open.