The world moved like broken glass.
Sound stretched into silence as Arjun stepped forward through frozen time. Energy blasts hung motionless in the air. Awakened fighters remained suspended mid-attack.
Only two beings moved freely.
Arjun.
And the Herald.
The Herald's violet eyes followed him calmly despite time distortion.
So you finally step beyond prediction.
Its voice echoed directly inside his mind.
Interesting.
Arjun stopped a few meters away, golden light circling his body. The expanded ring around his wrist rotated slowly, each movement bending the air.
Everything felt heavier now.
Using First Step at this level drained him rapidly. His breathing grew sharp.
You attacked them because of me, Arjun said.
Correction, the Herald replied. We arrived because of what you represent.
It walked forward effortlessly, unaffected by the slowed world.
You are a contradiction. Reality cannot stabilize while you exist.
Dark energy gathered around its hand.
Therefore correction is necessary.
The attack came instantly.
Even in slowed time, it was fast.
A blade of violet energy cut toward Arjun.
Instinct reacted.
He shifted sideways using the thread paths he could see.
The strike passed inches from his chest, slicing a floating tower behind him cleanly in half.
Shock hit him.
That attack would have killed him instantly.
The Herald observed carefully.
You rely on probability vision. Predictive survival.
It raised its other hand.
Then let us remove possibilities.
Dark waves spread outward.
The golden threads around Arjun began snapping one by one.
Future paths vanished.
His ability faltered.
What—
First Step struggled to calculate outcomes. Every option ended in destruction.
The Herald stepped closer.
We exist outside your probability range.
Arjun gritted his teeth.
Then I'll make a new one.
He focused deeper, pushing past fear.
Memories flashed.
Mira standing beside him.
Kael joking even in danger.
Lyra believing in his role.
The golden light intensified violently.
Instead of searching for safe futures… he created movement without prediction.
He lunged forward.
The Herald's eyes widened slightly.
Uncalculated action.
Their attacks collided.
Gold and violet energy exploded outward, cracking frozen space itself. Shockwaves rippled through the halted battlefield.
Time distortion weakened.
Sound returned in fragments.
Boom.
Boom.
Below them, Awakened fighters suddenly felt the clash above like thunder shaking reality.
Inside the tower, the Council watched in disbelief.
He's adapting mid-battle…
Back in the sky, Arjun's arm trembled from impact.
The Herald remained steady.
Your growth rate exceeds projections.
It struck again — faster, heavier.
Arjun blocked, golden energy barely holding.
Pain shot through his body.
He was losing strength.
First Step began collapsing.
Time resumed fully.
The battlefield roared back to life.
Explosions. Screams. Combat everywhere.
Arjun was thrown backward, crashing into a platform.
Mira shouted from below.
Arjun!
He forced himself up.
The Herald descended slowly toward him.
You are not ready to oppose us yet.
Dark energy gathered for a finishing strike.
Seraphine launched upward, firing golden constructs.
The Herald waved casually.
Her attack disintegrated instantly.
Interference irrelevant.
Arjun's vision blurred.
His ability flickered weakly.
Threads barely visible now.
He realized something terrifying.
Prediction alone wasn't enough.
He needed power… not just awareness.
The symbol on his hand suddenly burned hotter than ever before.
A deep voice echoed faintly inside him.
Incomplete synchronization detected.
The Guardian.
Golden light surged from his chest involuntarily.
The giant silhouette appeared again — clearer this time.
The Herald stopped.
Guardian manifestation increasing…
For the first time, caution entered its voice.
Arjun stood slowly, surrounded by expanding golden energy.
The ground beneath him lifted slightly as reality bent.
His heartbeat synchronized with something ancient.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The Guardian's presence overlapped with his own.
Not fully awakened.
But closer.
Arjun raised his hand again.
This time the golden energy formed a solid construct — a radiant blade shaped from pure Origin Flow.
The crowd below fell silent watching.
The Herald smiled again, but differently now.
Yes… evolve further.
It spread its arms as dark wings of energy unfolded behind it.
Let us see what humanity's anomaly becomes.
Golden and violet light collided once more as both charged forward.
Above Astral City, the sky fracture split wider than ever before.
And beyond it…
something far greater turned its attention toward the battle.