Cosmic Gym, Gravity Hell—now slightly less hellish...
The chamber still pulsed with that deep, low hum. That universal heartbeat of pressure.
But something had shifted—no, someone had. Then another. Then all of them.
One by one, they did the impossible.
They Hollow Stepped.
Not ran, not teleported, not even phased.
They sank, with intent.
They ceased to push, and instead invited the gravity in.
Like the way a swimmer embraces the ocean instead of fighting it—
They gave in… and in return, the gravity let them go.
---
Jack was the first to move again. His eyes were like storms now, focused and chaotic.
He Hollow Stepped—and appeared behind his original position…
…upside down.
> Jack:
"Okay, okay… not where I wanted to land, but hey—I'm alive."
Henry vanished mid-scream and reappeared lodged halfway into a wall.
> Henry (muffled):
"Did I just… shadow hug a boulder?!"
Sonia did it gracefully—stepping in a circular motion midair like a dance, but ended up fifteen feet above the ground and promptly fell on Kennedy.
> Kennedy (groaning):
"You call that a landing? I call it a lawsuit."
Yyvone blinked, reappeared right where she started, and blinked again—
only this time, her left foot ended up in a dimension slightly to the left.
> Yyvone (deadpan):
"So… does this mean I failed or… am I a pioneer now?"
Ian phased straight through the training platform and popped out in a lower chamber filled with hyper-aging moss.
> Ian (yelling from below):
"My arm hair just turned thirty!"
Charles disappeared completely… and reappeared in Kainen's personal tea room, knocking over a ceramic cup and a cosmic map.
> Charles (standing still):
"I regret everything."
Osei Hollow Stepped six times in a row—he just couldn't stop. Each jump more unstable than the last. Eventually, he phased into midair, fell, bounced, and landed in the lotus position by pure accident.
> Osei (smiling calmly):
"I meant to do that."
---
The Masters watched. And they lost it.
Kainen was wheezing so hard he dropped his staff and leaned on a training pillar for dear life.
> Kainen:
"You should've seen Valitor…
That boy landed in an active volcano by accident and screamed,
'Is this part of the lesson?!'"
Con was doubled over, hand slapping his thigh.
> Con:
"Jack said he was gonna 'land like a god' and ended up like an inverted pancake."
Aprexion, the ever-stoic Ruth Bomb, lifted an eyebrow—then smirked.
A subtle twitch of joy from the man who usually trained with rage and riddles.
> Aprexion:
"Progress. Chaotic, terrible, oddly shaped progress."
Hela floated above them, arms crossed, but even her lips twitched.
> Hela (calmly):
"Alright, alright, let's not scar their pride.
They did step through the Hollow.
Now we teach them how to… stick the landing."
---
Jack (catching his breath):
> "Okay, uh, question—how do you choose the direction?
I almost Hollow Stepped into someone's dream just now."
Kainen (still grinning):
> "You want control? Then you need focus. You don't just move your body…
You have to move your intention."
Sonia:
> "Intention? I thought it was about syncing with gravity?"
Con (nodding):
> "It is, but now you're not just syncing—you're steering. Think of Hollow Step as a canoe. Gravity is the water. You're the idiot with the paddle."
Yyvone (arms crossed):
> "So you're saying… this training isn't done?"
Hela:
> "Child, you've only entered the Hollow. Now you learn how to dance with it."
Kennedy:
> "Can I just crawl with it first? Maybe take it out for coffee before the dancing?"
**Everyone laughed—**even Aprexion let out something between a chuckle and a battle cry.
---
Then suddenly, silence.
Not the heavy kind.
The reflective kind.
They all looked at each other… bruised, humiliated, but awakened.
There was something incredible about this phase of training.
No glory. No ranks. Just pain, confusion, and learning how to exist beyond limits.
---
> Kainen (serious now):
"What you did today… was impossible yesterday.
And tomorrow, it'll be your warm-up.
That's how you grow. That's what it means to master Avia."
> Con:
"Or, as I like to say…
if your face isn't in the dirt at least once a week,
you're not training hard enough."
---
And so, they all took a break.
Laid out on the floor. Some laughing. Some groaning. Some dreaming.
But each of them had just taken their first true step into becoming something more.
---
Scene: The Domain of Traxis — "The Fracture Hall"
Dark violet stormclouds circled a blackened spire twisted in arcs of broken logic and raw power. Time hiccupped here. Language crawled across walls. Ideas echoed before they were spoken.
Klexis stood on a hovering shard of earth, suspended over a bottomless paradox.
His dual hammers pulsed at his sides, mutated by Deviant Affinity—bladed, jagged, beautiful in their new chaos.
The massive iron doors of The Fracture Hall opened with no sound. None was needed.
Inside stood Traxis, the War Forger, seven feet tall and sculpted in scars. His armor seemed grown from shattered battlefields. His voice? Heavy like guilt.
---
> Traxis:
"Klexis… my son."
Klexis didn't kneel. Didn't speak. Just stared.
> Traxis (smiling faintly):
"Good. The silence means you've finally shed the Airien leash."
(He stepped down from his throne—its arms made from broken Avian spears.)
"You've grown into the discomfort. That's what strength is."
> Klexis (quietly):
"I'm not sure what I've grown into. But it doesn't feel like peace."
> Traxis:
"Peace?"
(He laughed. It sounded like a battlefield weeping.)
"They fed you obedience, painted it as peace. Told you to be 'unique'… but only if your Affinity made sense to their system. You were born with an Impact Affinity—and still had to prove it was enough."
> Klexis:
"They did accept me."
> Traxis:
"Out of pity."
Klexis flinched. A memory of Ian flashed in his mind.
How Ian used to spar with him every dusk.
How Merina once told him: "You hit hard, but your heart hits harder."
> Klexis (biting his lip):
"Merina… she believed in me. I believed in her.
And Ian—he never treated me like I was less."
> Traxis:
"And yet… did they stop the whispers behind your back?
Did they erase the fear in your chest when you heard the name Elexis?
Your own people thought you'd fall. You were a prophecy waiting to go bad."
Klexis clenched his fists.
> Traxis:
"But here… here, you are not prophecy.
You are choice.
Your pain matters now."
> Klexis:
"Even if it burns everything?"
> Traxis:
(eyes glowing)
"Especially if it burns everything. Because from ashes, we build truth."
---
The chamber shifted. Dozens of corrupted Airiens emerged from the shadows—former knights, rogues, Paragons-turned-phantoms. Their bodies glitched with broken Affinities. Their eyes shone with misplaced clarity.
They chanted his name.
"Klexis...Klexis...Klexis…"
> Traxis (turning to them):
"They followed me because they finally saw it—the lie of Centron.
The lie of order. Of hierarchy. Of worth.
The Forger throne never belonged to Centron.
It belonged to freedom.
And now we take it back."
> Klexis:
"You said we'd visit family…"
> Traxis (grinning):
"Yes. And not with gifts.
With truth. With fire.
We'll shatter Airious, and from the debris, rebuild a world where no one apologizes for being too much."
---
Klexis walked to the edge of the hall. Looked out at the vortex beyond.
> Klexis (whispering):
"I wish I'd convinced her enough…
I wish I told Ian what I was becoming.
I wish…"
He stopped.
Then tightened his grip on his hammers.
> Klexis (louder now):
"Wishing belongs to the past.
I walk the path I see now—not the one they carved for me."
> Traxis (placing a gauntlet on his shoulder):
"Then let's carve new history."
---
As the spire rumbled, war horns sounded from the Free Abyss.
The march to Airious had begun.
The Clarity War was awakening.
And Klexis, conflicted, corrupted, clearer than ever, stood at the edge of destiny...
Right between revenge and redemption.
---
Flashback: The Dawn of Traxis
The air in the Emerald Spire of Airien Academy was thick with swirling Avian pressure—new initiates training, sparks of raw energy colliding mid-air, and chants of mastery echoing from the mountaintops. The ancient trees surrounding the spire whispered secrets of generations past.
In the center court, young Traxis, clad in obsidian-trimmed silver robes, stood bruised but unbowed. His knuckles bled from overuse. His breath—measured but labored. He had just completed five perfect cycles of Avian Punch, followed by a chain of Flash Instincts. And yet, his face held frustration, not pride.
Across from him, the legendary Kainen stood—tall, composed, radiating calm like a walking gravity well.
---
> Kainen (smiling faintly):
"You've already mastered what takes some Airiens decades, Traxis. You really plan to learn Swap Transposition today too?"
> Traxis (wiping his mouth):
"I don't want to wait for tomorrow, Master. I see the cracks in combat. The spaces no one fills. I want to build new weapons of thought. Psychological warfare... fighting without fighting."
> Kainen:
"That is the thinking of a Forger. But remember... even new weapons must be wielded with humility. Power without self-awareness is just loud weakness."
> Traxis (smirking):
"I'm aware, Master. I'm just not afraid of the noise."
---
Kainen chuckled softly. He liked that spark. Too much, perhaps.
He placed a small floating Avian Crystal between them. It hummed with potential—alive with concepts waiting to be adopted.
> Kainen:
"To Swap Transpose, you must become what you wish to switch into. Don't just look at the object. Merge with it. Know its shape. Its place. Imagine your spirit and its presence being indistinguishable. Then… switch."
Traxis closed his eyes. Focused on a nearby training spear resting in a stone holder.
His body tensed. His breathing slowed. The Avian liquid inside him twisted…
He pulsed forward—SNAP!
And crashed sideways into the wall.
---
> Kainen (walking over, amused):
"You became the stone next to the spear, not the spear."
> Traxis (groaning):
"I was close."
> Kainen:
"Close is a great sign. That means your instincts are ahead of your control. Good failure, Traxis. That's the best kind."
> Traxis:
"Then I must be excellent—I fail spectacularly."
Kainen burst out laughing, helping him up.
> Kainen (placing a hand on his shoulder):
"You remind me of myself. But sharper. And a little more reckless."
(He paused.)
"I won't lie… I see more in you than in most of my own blood. You're not just a student to me, Traxis. You're family."
---
Those words… burned deep into Traxis's heart.
And unknowingly… so did the bias.
Time passed. Traxis rose quickly—mastering Hollow Step, building hybrid forms of Avian Combat, even designing a combat theory based on fear-triggered resonance. He gave it a name:
> "Fear Echo."
"If you can make the enemy believe they've already lost, they will. Even if you never strike."
But the council... wasn't ready.
They called it dishonorable.
Said it lacked Airien essence.
Some even whispered:
> "Traxis fights like he's trying to outthink Centron himself…"
He was mocked. Labeled a deviant thinker. A dangerous innovator.
And Kainen…?
He tried to defend him. But the higher ups whispered that Kainen's favoritism had blinded him.
They stripped Traxis of his advancement.
---
> Kainen (on the mountain cliffs, confronting Traxis):
"They didn't reject you, Traxis. They rejected change. But we can wait. In time, they'll come around."
> Traxis (looking at his own reflection in a cracked pool):
"What if time isn't what we need?
What if we need to break the hourglass?
Shake the whole system till they remember why we fight?"
> Kainen:
"This is your pride talking. Don't mistake hurt for destiny. You're stronger than your wound."
> Traxis:
"No… I'm shaped by it.
And if Airious won't evolve… I'll evolve without it."
> Kainen (quietly):
"Don't walk this path, son…"
> Traxis (turning away):
"I already have."
---
And so… he left.
And went to a secluded planet where he saw something.... dangerous
Scene: The Return of Traxis – From Beasts to Banter
A grey-blue planet orbited silently just beyond the Veil Nebula—a place untouched by civilization. No shrines, no codes, no Order. Just chaos. And predators.
Traxis sat on a jagged throne made of Crawl Pryer bones, his cloak tattered but his eyes sharper than ever. Around him, dozens of the once-monstrous creatures knelt in eerie silence—obedient, twitching at his command.
His fingers danced mid-air, drawing invisible symbols in the air—psychic glyphs of Fear Echo. Their minds were now blueprints. Their instincts rewired.
> Traxis (quietly, to himself):
"I was right. Fear... is the fastest sculptor."
He stood, his stance stronger. More grounded. A grin crept across his face.
> Traxis:
"I think this counts as a win."
Suddenly, a memory flickered in his mind.
The old training field. Kainen's voice.
> Kainen (echoing):
"Don't just see the object. Become it. Switch into its identity. Trade presence."
He exhaled slowly.
A nearby rock hovered in place.
He focused.
POP!
In an instant—he vanished from where he stood—and appeared on top of the rock. He had finally Swap Transposed.
He chuckled. Then laughed. Then roared into the wind.
> Traxis:
"Ohhh, Kainen. You old Avian geezer—I DID IT."
---
Scene Shift: Airious, the Gate of Vows
The massive golden gate shimmered as Traxis stepped through it. His armor newly forged, now pulsing with quiet menace, lined with symbols etched from Crawl Pryer bone. But his face… was human again. Almost humbled.
He walked into a familiar cottage. The scent of soulberry stew hit him first.
> Legia (from inside):
"You better not be who I think it is…"
He grinned and braced himself.
Suddenly, Legia stormed out of the kitchen, flame-colored hair flying behind her, rolling pin in one hand. A divine being in an apron.
> Legia (pulling his ear with cosmic precision):
"Where have you been, huh?! Seven years, Trax. SEVEN. You didn't call, didn't astral-projection message—nothing!"
> Traxis (wincing):
"Ow ow ow okay okay okay—this is Avian abuse—"
> Legia (grinning as she twisted):
"Don't start. If you ever flirt with the dark side again, I swear I'll punch the good so deep into your soul it'll reflect in your beard!"
> Traxis (laughing, then pausing):
"…You missed me?"
> Legia (sighs):
"Shut up and sit down. You stink. Dinner's almost ready."
---
Suddenly... a portal fizzed open nearby.
In stepped a very familiar voice.
> Elexis (mock gasping):
"What's that I smell? Is it... failure? Or is it just you?"
Traxis rolled his eyes as Elexis swaggered into the cottage, arms crossed, wearing his usual smug grin and a cloak too dramatic for indoor use.
> Elexis (mocking):
"So let me get this straight—you went off to tame mindless monsters, whisper fear poetry into their brains, swap souls with rocks... and now you want stew?"
> Traxis:
"Yes. I also killed their king. And made his crown into a napkin holder."
> Elexis (grinning):
"You always were dramatic."
> Legia (handing them both bowls):
"You two can mock each other later. Right now, eat. Then train. Then mock. In that order."
> Elexis (sipping soup):
"You're lucky she loves you, man. If I went off the grid that long, Victoria would've reverse-punched my existence into a sock drawer."
> Traxis (smiling softly):
"I missed this. I missed Airious. I thought I had to leave it to prove I could help it. But maybe... I just had to stop trying to prove anything at all."
> Elexis (raising his spoon):
"To broken ideas, crawling monsters, and wives who punch good into you."
They clinked spoons like ancient warriors.
> Legia:
"Cheers. And next time, Traxis? Try proving your theories *without becoming a space hermit, hmm?"
The echoing halls of the Airien Training Grounds stood the same, etched in golden trim and breathing with Avian energy. The same place where rookies bled, cried, grew—and became legends.
Traxis stood in the wide corridor, the light from the Orb of Continuity gleaming against the ivory columns. The moment he stepped through the gateway, the air itself shimmered with familiarity. And there he was…
Kainen.
The old master—still firm in posture, though his beard now held more silver than storm. His staff leaned against the wall beside him, forgotten for a moment.
The second their eyes met, Kainen dropped the staff and rushed him.
> Kainen (gruffly):
"You arrogant, wandering, gifted fool."
He pulled Traxis into a bear hug that nearly shattered a rib.
> Kainen (voice cracking):
"You're back."
> Traxis (smirking):
"Well...someone has to keep the training halls dramatic."
They stood there in silence for a breath. Then Traxis stepped back and said with a hint of mischief:
> Traxis:
"I learned it."
> Kainen:
"Learned what?"
> Traxis:
"Swap Transposition. And perfected something else. Remember that theoretical move I wouldn't shut up about—Fear Echo? The one that weaponizes doubt itself?"
> Kainen (narrowing eyes):
"The one you said could convince someone they've already lost?"
> Traxis (grinning):
"Yeah. I used it. On the Crawl Pryers."
Kainen's eyebrows climbed so high they nearly touched his hairline.
> Kainen:
"Crawl Pryers?"
> Traxis (nonchalantly):
"One of the most dangerous predators in the cosmos, yeah."
> Kainen:
"…You fought one?"
> Traxis:
"I fought a planet full. Convinced them their own instincts were a lie. Rewired their fears. Took down their king. Made them my pets. And I didn't even need a leash."
> Kainen (staring):
"…I am both proud and mildly horrified."
Traxis shrugged, the grin never fading.
> Traxis:
"Good. That's how you know it worked."
---
Moments later — the Main Courtyard of Hallowed Returns
The golden gates parted. The other Airien Knights had been informed. And they were already waiting. The sun of Airious cast long shadows as one by one, they stepped forward.
Hela—still cloaked in mystic runes, arms crossed, face unreadable. Until her lips curved slightly.
> Hela:
"You're late. I was starting to forget what your madness looked like."
> Traxis (smirking):
"Don't worry. I brought enough madness to repaint the whole realm."
She chuckled.
Ractor, the Shield Giant of the North Spiral, walked forward. His fists were as big as boulders, but his voice was warm.
> Ractor:
"You look thinner. Did the beasts go on a diet?"
> Traxis:
"Nah. They tried to eat me. I convinced them I tasted like disappointment."
Ractor laughed like thunder.
Then came Con—wise, slow-spoken, and glowing with serene power. He placed a single hand on Traxis's shoulder.
> Con:
"It's good you returned, not because we doubted your strength… but because we missed your presence."
> Traxis (softly):
"Thank you, old friend."
And finally… Aprexion. The Ruth Bomb himself. Always stern. Always distant. The kind of man whose smiles had to file a permit first.
He walked up to Traxis. His cloak fluttered once. His arms folded.
> Aprexion:
"Did you bring back more theories?"
> Traxis:
"I brought back proof."
> Aprexion (grinning slightly):
"Good. I was tired of arguing with your shadows."
They all stood there for a moment. The Airien Knights reunited.
Then Con spoke, stepping forward with quiet reverence:
> Con:
"You've walked into the abyss, Traxis, and come back whole. That is no small thing. We do not ask you to be the same. But are you ready to stand with us again?"
> Traxis (placing his hand to his heart):
"I never stopped."
---
The skies of Airious shifted with calm winds. Above the spiral gardens, where the stars peeked through even in daylight, a small quiet home rested atop the Tree of Origin, where only the high-ranking Airiens lived—and where love, legacy, and hard conversations often collided.
Traxis walked up the winding path of floating leaves, each one moving when his Avian energy touched it. The door was already open—Elegia had sensed him. Of course she did.
She stood by the balcony, wrapped in soft amber robes, a soft breeze dancing through her silver-and-auburn hair. Her presence wasn't thunder—it was gravity itself. She didn't turn when he entered. She just waited.
> Traxis (quietly):
"I'm sorry I left."
Her shoulders lifted with a breath, then dropped. Still, she said nothing.
> Traxis:
"I wasn't angry... or lost. I was just tired of being the same. You know me, Elegia—I can't just repeat what's been done. I needed to feel something new."
She turned now. Her eyes, glowing like the twin moons, met his. There was no judgment—just that piercing, disarming clarity she always had.
> Elegia:
"You think you were tired of being the same? Traxis... you're you. You've never been the same two days in a row. You blink and reinvent yourself. That's your chaos. That's your gift."
> Traxis (softly):
"Then why did I feel like I was fading?"
> Elegia (walking toward him):
"Because when you chase something different long enough... you forget what made you real in the first place."
She reached up, touched his chest with her palm. Her voice dropped.
> Elegia:
"Avia has endless possibilities. But people want to shape those possibilities into something safe. Every time someone creates a new technique, the world waits to see if it's the next great evolution... or a disaster waiting to happen."
> Traxis (nodding):
"I know."
> Elegia:
"Swap Transposition—you know who created it?"
> Traxis (chuckling):
"Yeah. Kate the Fox."
> Elegia:
"Exactly. A trickster, a rebel, a master of redirection. People laughed at her at first. Said it was a 'cheat code.' Now? It's one of the most essential techniques since..."
> Both (in unison):
"Hollow Step."
They shared a smile. Then a laugh. And then… a silence.
But the silence was short-lived.
Because Elegia stepped closer—her eyes glowing, fierce and fiery.
> Elegia (gaze piercing):
"Tell me the truth, Traxis. Did you think about it? Really think about it? The Corruption. The path of Titanius. The… Free Abyss."
Traxis stiffened. His jaw clenched.
> Traxis:
"I thought about it. But I didn't."
> Elegia (firmly):
"You almost did."
> Traxis (shaking his head):
"No. No I didn't. I just—needed to test myself. See if I could walk to the edge and return. And I did. Because of you. Because of what we built."
Her hand relaxed. Her intensity faded into something warmer—warmer than any Avian fire.
> Elegia (softly):
"Good."
She stepped into his arms. Rested her forehead against his.
> Elegia:
"Because I still love you. Chaos and all."
> Traxis (whispering):
"I love you too. All of you. Even the scary philosopher part."
They stood there for a moment, holding each other, time slowing—until—
> ???:
"Uhhh... am I... interrupting?"
A smaller voice. Young. Curious.
They turned to see Klexis—their son—standing at the entrance, clutching a training staff three times too big for him. His hair was wild, his eyes wide like a starfield, and he had the crooked smile of someone who just eavesdropped too successfully.
> Elegia (smirking):
"You're always interrupting."
> Klexis (grinning):
"I know. Dad... are you really back this time?"
Traxis knelt, arms open.
> Traxis:
"I'm back. And I brought new tricks."
Klexis ran into the hug like a comet.
> Klexis:
"Cool! 'Cause I told everyone at the Academy that my dad beat a planet of monsters using fear alone, and they said that was 'over-exaggeration.'"
> Traxis (laughing):
"Tell them next time I'll bring proof. Maybe a leash or two."
> Elegia (sighing with a smirk):
"You're corrupting him already."
> Traxis (grinning):
"Technically… inspiring. That's what I do."
Scene ends with the three of them walking back inside—family, flawed and fierce, preparing for what's to come.