Time does not stop for the weak.
It crushes them.
Shapes them.
Or leaves them behind.
Ten years have passed.
And in those ten years, everything has changed.
The underground base was no longer what it once was.
What had started as a hidden shelter had grown into something far more complex. Reinforced walls layered with Aether infused materials. Multiple training zones. Storage rooms filled with artifacts, weapons, and extracted cores.
This was no longer just a hideout.
It was a stronghold.
And within it, Monsters were being forged.
Steel rang sharply through the air.
Lucien moved like a storm.
Gone was the reckless boy who once swung wildly with unstable Aether. In his place stood someone precise,fast, controlled, and deadly.
His body had matured, lean muscle built through years of relentless training. His movements were fluid, each step purposeful.
In his hand a blade.
Not just Aether anymore.
A real sword.
Its edge gleamed faintly, reinforced with a thin layer of Aether that flowed seamlessly along the metal.
Lucien exhaled.
Aether surged.
His Aether blade formed over the physical one and they perfectly aligned.
No flicker.
No instability.
It extended the weapon's reach, sharpening it beyond normal limits.
"Again," he muttered to himself.
He moved.
Faster.
His feet barely touched the ground as he closed distance, striking a reinforced training dummy.
The impact echoed.
The dummy cracked.
Lucien stepped back, breathing steady.
His durability had grown just as much as his speed. His body no longer faltered under strain. He could push harder, longer, without breaking.
Behind him, a voice spoke.
"You've finally stopped swinging like an idiot."
Lucien smirked.
"Careful, Riven. I might take that personally."
Riven stood nearby, hands in his pockets, completely relaxed.
He hadn't changed much physically—still lazy-looking, still unimpressed—but the space around him felt… heavy and Different.
"You're faster," Riven said. "But speed isn't everything."
Lucien rolled his shoulders.
"Then show me something better."
Riven sighed.
"…You're annoying."
But he stepped forward.
The moment he did the air shifted.
Kael, standing at a distance, noticed it immediately.
Gravity field controlled output.
Riven raised a hand slightly.
Lucien moved first.
Fast.
Faster than he had ever been before.
But halfway through his movement his body slowed.
Like he was being dragged down.
Lucien's eyes widened slightly.
"What?!"
Riven didn't move.
Didn't need to.
"Gravity isn't something you dodge," he said lazily. "It's something you endure."
He clenched his fingers slightly.
Lucien dropped to one knee.
The pressure increased.
Not crushing—but overwhelming.
Lucien gritted his teeth, Aether flaring around him as he pushed against it.
Then Riven released it.
Just like that.
Lucien exhaled sharply, standing back up.
"…Yeah. That's broken."
Riven smirked.
"I know."
From the far side of the training area
Kael watched.
Older now.
Taller.
But still calm and composed.
His grey eyes held the same cold intelligence but deeper now. Sharper. Refined through years of experience and survival.
At his side
A sword.
Simple in appearance, but well-crafted. A physical weapon, not created from Aether.
But around him…
Something invisible moved.
Lucien glanced at him.
"You just gonna stand there, or are you finally joining?"
Kael stepped forward.
"Attack me."
Lucien grinned.
"Gladly."
He moved instantly faster than before, blade cutting clean toward Kael's side.
And then
It stopped.
Not blocked.
Not parried.
Stopped.
A faint ripple appeared in the air.
Kael hadn't moved.
Lucien frowned.
"What was that?"
Kael spoke calmly.
"Automatic defense."
His fragments were no longer visible unless he chose them to be.
They existed around him at all times.
Responding to intent.
Not thought.
Not delay.
Pure reaction.
Lucien attacked again.
Faster.
Stronger.
This time
The barrier cracked slightly.
Kael stepped back once.
"Enough," he said.
Lucien lowered his blade, smirking.
"…So it can be broken."
Kael nodded.
"Yes."
Then his eyes sharpened slightly.
"But not easily."
A shadow moved behind them.
Nyx appeared without sound.
Older now.
Seventeen.
Her presence was even harder to detect than before. She didn't just blend into shadows anymore
She became them.
At her side a dagger.
Slim. Dark. Perfect for close combat.
Lucien glanced at her.
"Still creeping around like that?"
Nyx didn't respond.
She simply moved.
In an instant
She was behind him.
Blade at his neck.
Lucien froze.
Then smirked.
"…Yeah. Still annoying."
She pulled back.
Kael watched closely.
Her control has deepened, she no longer wastes movement.
A loud impact echoed from the far side of the training ground.
Serah stood there, cracking her knuckles.
Her arms were wrapped in reinforced gauntlets tight, Aether-infused bindings that covered her fists and forearms.
"Are you all done playing?" she asked.
Lucien grinned.
"Come show us something then."
Serah didn't need to be told twice.
Aether surged through her body.
Her muscles tightened not growing larger, but denser.
Reinforced.
She moved
Fast.
Far faster than her build suggested.
Her fist slammed into the ground.
The impact cracked the reinforced floor.
Lucien whistled.
"Okay, that's not fair."
Serah smirked slightly.
"That's only one ability."
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
Regeneration and reinforcement.
Serah rolled her shoulder.
"You break me," she said, "i will just regenarate."
Then she looked at Lucien.
"You try."
Lucien grinned.
"Oh, I will."
The temperature dropped.
Slightly.
But noticeably.
Elias stepped into the training area.
Twenty-five now.
But the same presence remained.
Calm.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
Frost formed lightly along the ground where he walked.
Lucien sighed.
"Here comes the real problem."
Elias ignored him.
"Group spar," he said.
Everyone straightened slightly.
Even Riven.
That alone said enough.
They moved together.
No hesitation.
Lucien rushed first fast, precise.
Nyx disappeared into shadow.
Kael's barrier formed instantly.
Riven's gravity field expanded.
Serah surged forward with raw power.
Elias didn't move.
Until they reached him.
Then
Everything changed.
Ice spread across the ground in an instant.
Lucien slipped—but adjusted mid-step, striking anyway.
Elias raised a hand.
Frost formed.
Blocked.
Nyx struck from behind
Elias turned slightly.
A thin wall of ice intercepted her dagger.
Kael's fragments surged forward
Elias froze the air itself, slowing them just enough.
Riven increased the gravity
The ice cracked
But didn't break.
Serah closed in
Her fist collided with Elias's defense.
The impact shattered part of it.
But
Not enough.
Elias moved.
Fast.
Faster than all of them.
A single motion
And Lucien was knocked back.
Another
Nyx forced away.
Kael's barrier shattered partially under pressure.
Riven smirked slightly.
"Still the strongest."
Elias stood still again.
Untouched.
Silence settled.
Heavy breathing.
Controlled exhaustion.
Lucien sat down, laughing slightly.
"…Yeah. Still can't beat him."
Riven shrugged.
"Not yet."
Kael stepped forward slightly, analyzing.
Then spoke.
"The rankings remains unchanged."
Lucien glanced at him.
"You really gonna say it like that?"
Kael ignored him.
"Elias," he said first.
No argument.
Then
"Riven."
Riven smirked.
"Obviously."
Kael continued.
"Myself."
Lucien nodded slightly.
"Yeah, I'll give you that."
"Lucien."
Lucien shrugged.
"I'm getting there."
"…Nyx."
Nyx didn't react.
"Serah."
Serah rolled her eyes.
"Ranking doesn't matter."
Kael looked at her.
"It does in some situations."
Elias stepped forward slightly.
"You've all improved."
That alone was rare praise.
Lucien stood.
"So what's next?"
Elias looked at each of them.
One by one.
Then said
"We stop training…"
A pause.
"…and start hunting properly."
The air shifted.
Something bigger was coming.
And this time
They were ready.