Chapter 06 - The First Battle
925 Words
The laughter from the darkness echoed through the depths of Hell.
Far away, beside the river in Green Hollow, Selene stood motionless.
Fear told her to run.
Reason told her to ignore the voice.
Yet her heart only asked one question:
"Can I see Aren again?"
The crimson eye within the darkness slowly blinked.
Almost as if it already knew her answer.
Meanwhile...
Beyond time and space.
Within Eternis.
Aren still stared at the place where the Void Beast had vanished.
The battle had lasted only seconds.
Yet it had completely changed his understanding of reality.
That creature could have destroyed entire worlds.
And Lyra had erased it with a single attack.
The warriors gradually returned to their duties.
The crisis had ended.
At least for now.
Aren looked at Lyra.
"If you're that strong..."
He hesitated.
"Why do you need me?"
It was a question he had been carrying since the beginning.
Lyra remained silent for several moments.
Then she looked toward the endless stars.
"Because power is not enough."
Aren frowned.
The answer sounded familiar.
She had said something similar before.
"The Void evolves."
Lyra explained.
"It learns."
"It adapts."
"It grows stronger after every battle."
Her voice became colder.
"Even I cannot defeat it forever."
Aren felt a chill.
For the first time, uncertainty appeared in Lyra's expression.
Not fear.
But concern.
The concern of someone carrying an impossible burden.
Then she turned toward him.
"Come."
"Where?"
"Training."
Aren immediately froze.
"Training?"
A small smile appeared on Lyra's face.
"Did you think becoming my companion would be easy?"
Several minutes later...
Aren regretted every decision he had ever made.
BOOM!
His body slammed into the crystal floor.
Pain exploded throughout his entire body.
He groaned.
"I think my ribs are broken."
"They are."
Lyra calmly replied.
Aren stared at her.
"What?"
The goddess waved her hand.
Golden light surrounded him.
Instantly the pain vanished.
His ribs healed completely.
Aren sat up.
"This is unfair."
Lyra tilted her head.
"How?"
"You break my bones."
"Then heal them."
"Then break them again."
She thought for a moment.
"That does sound unfair."
Aren nearly fell over.
For the next several hours, the training continued.
And by training...
Aren meant getting thrown across Eternis repeatedly.
The gap between them was unimaginable.
She moved faster than he could see.
Stronger than he could comprehend.
Every attack defeated him instantly.
Eventually Aren collapsed onto the ground.
Breathing heavily.
"I was a farmer three days ago."
Lyra sat beside him.
"And now?"
"I'm a flying target."
For the first time, the goddess laughed.
A genuine laugh.
Soft and beautiful.
Aren blinked.
It was the first time he had seen her smile like that.
The laughter disappeared quickly.
But something had changed.
The distance between them felt slightly smaller.
Not goddess and mortal.
Not yet.
But perhaps mentor and student.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
Then months.
Time flowed differently within Eternis.
Aren trained constantly.
Swordsmanship.
Magic.
Combat.
Survival.
Strategy.
Everything.
At first he failed endlessly.
Then he failed slightly less.
Then he occasionally succeeded.
Little by little, he improved.
One day, after another exhausting session, Aren sat on a balcony overlooking countless stars.
The view reminded him of home.
And that made him miss it even more.
"You are thinking about them again."
Lyra appeared beside him.
Aren nodded.
"My family."
The words felt heavy.
"I wonder what they're doing."
Far away...
In Green Hollow...
His father continued working in the fields.
His mother still prepared meals every evening.
His sister still complained about chores.
And every night...
They left an empty seat at the dinner table.
Waiting.
Hoping.
Praying.
Back in Eternis, Aren looked down.
"I didn't even say goodbye."
Lyra remained silent.
She understood that pain better than anyone.
After a while, Aren smiled weakly.
"When this is over..."
He looked toward the stars.
"I'm going home."
Something strange flickered in Lyra's eyes.
A brief emotion.
Gone almost instantly.
"Yes."
Her voice was quiet.
"You should."
That answer surprised him.
For some reason, he expected her to say something else.
But she simply stared into the endless cosmos.
Alone.
As if she already knew something he didn't.
Suddenly—
A loud alarm echoed through Eternis.
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
Every warrior immediately stopped moving.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Aren stood up.
"What happened?"
For the first time since he arrived...
Lyra looked genuinely serious.
"A breach."
The goddess's golden eyes narrowed.
"A large one."
The stars ahead began turning black.
One after another.
Entire constellations vanished.
Dark cracks spread through reality itself.
Then a warrior appeared.
Kneeling before Lyra.
His face was pale.
Terrified.
"Lady Lyra."
"We have confirmed it."
His voice trembled.
"The Void Generals have returned."
Silence fell.
Even the air seemed heavier.
Aren looked around.
Every warrior in Eternis appeared nervous.
Some even afraid.
"Void Generals?"
He asked quietly.
Lyra slowly drew a golden sword from thin air.
The blade radiated enough power to split worlds.
Then she answered.
"The strongest servants of the Void."
The distant darkness suddenly exploded.
Reality shattered.
Stars died.
Worlds vanished.
And from the c***k stepped three figures.
Humanoid.
Tall.
Wrapped in darkness.
Each carrying enough power to make the previous Void Beast seem insignificant.
For the first time since arriving in Eternis...
Aren felt true terror.
And for the first time...
Lyra spoke words he never expected to hear.
"Aren."
Her gaze remained fixed on the approaching enemies.
"Stay behind me."
Because even she understood one thing.
The battle about to begin...
Would be unlike anything he had ever seen.
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