silence after battle was always the heaviest.
It wasn't the kind of silence filled with peace —
it was the kind that hummed with dread, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Max stood among the ruins of Azarath's Heart, cloak torn, frostfire smoldering along his arms.
The First Door — Aria's Door — now pulsed quietly at his back, open yet not empty.
Her Phantom — a silhouette of living flame — floated behind him like a guardian spirit.
But the Oblivion King would not stay wounded forever.
And Max could feel it in his bones:
the next time the darkness came, it would come to finish what it started.
He needed more.
The Second Door called to him.
A wall of sheer, mountainous stone — Sylas's Door — towering higher than any fortress wall, rimmed with veins of silver ore.
Max approached, each step feeling heavier.
Not from fear.
From expectation.
He reached out.
The stone was cool, rough under his fingertips.
A voice, deep and steady, echoed in his mind:
"Strength is not in force alone. It is in standing when others fall."
Sylas's final lesson.
Max pressed his palm flat against the stone.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then the Door split open with a thunderous crack.
The power that hit him this time was not fire.
It was weight.
Pressure.
Like the whole of a mountain collapsing onto his shoulders.
Max dropped to one knee, teeth gritted.
His body screamed under the invisible burden.
Bones threatened to snap.
Organs trembled.
But he didn't yield.
Endure it. Adapt to it. Make it yours.
Bit by bit, he forced himself to rise.
Sweat poured down his face.
His heartbeat slowed, strengthened.
And then — the burden eased.
Another Phantom stood before him:
A titan of stone and steel, Sylas's towering form etched in shifting granite.
It bowed silently.
New Ability Acquired:
Phantom of Stone: Sylas's Spirit
(Summon Stone Phantom for defense and siege attacks.)
Titan's Endurance
(Temporarily multiplies defense and durability by x3. Immunity to minor magic.)
Max rose fully, feeling the change.
His skin — though still human — now carried a faint shimmer, like the beginning of an armor unseen.
He flexed his fingers.
The earth itself responded — tiny vibrations, like the world acknowledging his command.
Two Doors opened.
Two powers claimed.
And he wasn't done yet.
The Third Door shimmered next —
Luna's Door — pale and translucent as wind itself, almost invisible if you weren't looking.
Max stepped forward without hesitation.
This time, the Door did not resist.
It melted open like mist.
The power inside was different:
Not heavy.
Not burning.
It was speed.
Agility.
Wind wrapped around him, lifting him off his feet for a moment.
He floated, weightless, like a leaf on a storm.
Luna's voice laughed in his ear:
"Dance, little brother. Make the wind your ally."
He grinned despite himself — a brief flash of the boy he used to be.
The Phantom that appeared was light itself:
A figure of flowing winds and silver hair, spinning around him protectively.
New Ability Acquired:
Phantom of Wind: Luna's Spirit
(Summon Wind Phantom for speed and mobility enhancements.)
Wraithstep
(Instantaneously move short distances without crossing physical space. "Blink" teleport.)
Max landed softly, crouching in the ruins.
Three Phantoms circled him now — fire, stone, and wind — silent, powerful, waiting for his command.
And Max?
He barely recognized himself anymore.
The weak boy who shivered behind his friends was gone.
In his place stood a new creature:
a survivor tempered by loss, forged by borrowed power, armed with absolute determination.
The Keeper of the Seven Doors.
But before he could plan his next move, the ground trembled violently.
A roar — deep, guttural, and wrong — echoed across the ruins.
Max rose slowly, turning toward the sound.
In the distance, dragging itself across the shattered horizon, came a creature unlike anything he had seen before:
A Corrupted Beast, formed from the souls of those devoured by the Oblivion King — a nightmare stitched from bones, darkness, and screams.
It had no eyes.
No mouth.
Only endless hunger.
And it was coming straight for him.
Max summoned his frostfire.
The Phantoms gathered at his back.
No running.
No hiding.
It was time to test his new strength.
[End of Chapter 3]