Scene: Depths of Dominion – Six Months Later
The dungeon quaked in silence.
Its corridors, once echoing with monstrous roars and arcane pressure, now lay eerily still—save for the labored breathing of two young warriors and the watchful gaze of their master.
Crimson ichor dripped from Mira's daggers, evaporating in waves of heat against the rune-scorched floor. Finn stood behind her, his twin blades lowered but still crackling with aftershocks of magic discharge. Around them, the shattered remains of the dungeon boss—a three-headed wyrm fused with enchanted stone and voidsteel—crumbled into gleaming dust.
Alter stood at the edge of the circular chamber, arms folded. His cloak rippled gently from the residual force of the final clash.
The teens had done it.
Without him lifting a single finger.
They had cleared a Level 135 Mythic-class Dungeon… alone.
"Did…" Finn's voice cracked. "Did we actually just win?"
Mira flopped onto the ground with a wheeze. "Master didn't step in. I think we did."
Alter, still silent, slowly walked forward. He crouched beside the fractured core of the boss. His hand hovered over the pulsing remnants of energy as a golden system prompt blinked into existence:
SYSTEM ALERT
You have cleared the Dungeon: Dominion Spire – Extreme Mode
Rewards Calculated…
High-Level Divine Blessing of Space granted to:
→ Alter
→ Finn
→ Mira
Blessings will now be tailored to combat advancement and affinity expansion.
[High-Level Blessing – Element: Space]
→ Alter
Effect 1: Unlocks Space Magic Affinity.
Effect 2: Increases spatial spell potency and reduces casting delay.
Effect 3: Spatial dissonance barrier activates when HP drops below 15% (1x/day).
Effect 4: Unlocks exclusive skill compatibility: Dimensional Slash.
→ Finn
Effect 1: Grants access to Spatial Displacement Footwork.
Effect 2: Allows short-range blink-step (up to 3 meters, 5 sec cooldown).
Effect 3: Physical attacks apply spatial fracture (10% armor bypass).
Effect 4: Skill compatibility: Warp Fang Drive (locked).
→ Mira
Effect 1: Unlocks Spatial Momentum Control (amplifies inertia of thrown attacks).
Effect 2: Adds brief phasing to evasive movements (0.5s intangibility).
Effect 3: Enemies struck by criticals suffer distortion (reduces movement speed).
Effect 4: Skill compatibility: Echo Step Mirage (locked).
Mira gasped as the threads of space coiled gently around her daggers, shimmering like distant stars. Finn blinked several times—literally—as he vanished and reappeared a few feet ahead involuntarily.
"I… teleported?" he said, stunned.
"You blinked," Alter said coolly, eyes focused on the system screen only he could see.
System: Space Magic Affinity Unlocked.
Skill Unsealed: Dimensional Slash – First Form: Line Sever
You may now evolve Dimensional Slash by layering spatial anchors and momentum.
Next Milestone: "Second Form: Spiral Rend" – Unlocked upon successful use of Line Sever 100 times.
Alter exhaled.
So it had finally returned.
The long-lost edge that once cut through entire realms—the Dimensional Slash.
But now, with the blessing's power coursing through him, he didn't just wield the concept of space.
He owned it.
He turned toward the teens. "Stand up."
Mira groaned. "But I just fell over…"
Finn was still trying to figure out how not to blink accidentally.
Alter raised an eyebrow.
Mira sighed, "Yes, Master…"
Finn followed, "Yes, Master…"
They gathered their strength, shoulders squared. Behind them, the dungeon's final core shattered into motes of silver light. Outside, the sun broke through the stormy clouds above the ruined spire.
The world was changing again.
And this time, space itself was no longer a boundary.
Scene: After the Space Blessing – A Camp Beneath the Stars
The trio sat around a crackling fire beneath the open night sky, the embers rising gently like distant stars ascending into the heavens. The air was crisp, and the moon hung low, illuminating the clearing with a gentle silver glow.
Mira poked the fire with a stick, her expression uncharacteristically quiet.
"…I miss going into dungeons with Blazebloom," she said suddenly.
Finn looked up from sharpening his daggers. "Yeah. It's…weird without him."
Alter remained seated on a log nearby, arms crossed. "You both know why he can't."
The teens nodded. They remembered the divine warning. Blazebloom, already possessing 13 lesser divine blessings, had been forbidden from receiving more. His rapid evolution had marked him as a potential anomaly. One step further, and the balance of the world might shatter.
"I know," Mira sighed. "Still doesn't mean I can't miss him…"
Alter didn't answer immediately. His eyes were fixed on a faint glowing interface only he could see—his skill store. Now that he had reached Level 221, and with over 2 million skill points amassed through endless training, combat, and breakthroughs, he was searching.
Searching for the next piece to improve them.
"Your levels have grown well," he finally said. "Finn…you're now Level 203. Mira…Level 202."
Mira blinked. "Wait—already?!"
"You leveled up from that boss," Alter reminded her. "Space magic resonance is no joke. That blessing was high-level."
Finn nodded slowly. "So…what now, Master?"
Alter scrolled through a list of advanced and hybrid skills, his eyes narrowing with interest.
"…Now," he said with quiet certainty, "we find a way to turn your progress into something gods should fear."
Scene: A Calm Before the Storm – Guild Hall Antics
Two days before hell would begin again.
Alter had given them a rare gift: one full day of rest.
Finn and Mira practically sprinted into Aetherreach's Adventurer's Guild Hall, wolf pelts fluttering behind them like proud banners. The doors swung open as they entered, drawing immediate attention. A few adventurers looked up from their tankards or quest boards with recognition.
"Oi! Black Fang and White Fang!" a burly axe-wielder called out from the side. "Heard you two cleared that shard dungeon alone. High-level blessing too, wasn't it?"
Mira smiled sheepishly. "That's right!"
Finn adjusted his pelt, attempting to act aloof and cool. "It was... adequate."
Another familiar group approached—The Galehounds, a mid-tier adventuring party known for their speed and wind-based tactics. Their leader, a lanky rogue named Rennar, waved as he stepped over.
"Look who it is. The Wolves without their Master," he grinned. "What, out for a break from doom training?"
Mira nodded, stretching dramatically. "We got a free day. Starting tomorrow... it's back to being hammered like iron."
Rennar chuckled. "Sounds brutal. You two wanna tag along on a light dungeon run? We're clearing Windglass Caverns—should be easy for your level."
Finn glanced at Mira, who was already shaking her head.
"We appreciate it," Finn said politely, "but we can't afford to lose focus. Master is planning a new training regimen."
Mira added with a groan, "Twenty new skills. Twenty. Each with their own stances, variations, follow-ups, magical resonance points—ugh, I can already feel my soul leaving."
One of the Galehounds blinked. "That's... excessive."
Finn muttered, "That is our normal."
"Once we complete the training," Mira said with a smile, "we'll join you guys for a real dungeon run. Until then—we survive."
The Galehounds gave them a few playful salutes, impressed by their resolve.
The teens spent the rest of the afternoon chatting, snacking, and trading stories in the guild like regular adventurers, enjoying the brief warmth of camaraderie. For just a little while, they weren't the team of wolves under the gaze of legends and gods.
But even then… the shadow of Alter's training loomed like a mountain waiting to be climbed.
Scene: Wolves in the Forge – The Training of Twenty
The morning sun had barely crested the horizon when Alter stood at the edge of the training cliffs just beyond Aetherreach, arms crossed, the wind stirring his cloak of dire wolf fur.
Finn and Mira stood opposite him—awake, armored, rifles strapped across their backs, already regretting life.
"Twenty new skills," Alter said plainly. "Each with a purpose. Each designed to either keep you alive... or finish what needs to be finished."
He raised a finger.
"Mira. You'll be focusing on Blink—a core mobility technique. Your goal is instinctual evasion. The moment an attack is about to land, you vanish. Not after, not with a delay. Before."
Mira nodded, eyes glinting with anticipation.
Alter continued, "Finn. You'll train with two advanced variations of Blink—Blink Step and Rebound Blink. Timing, range, and directional awareness. You'll be warping through traps, behind enemies, and redirecting mid-air. You mess up? You die."
Finn gulped, then nodded seriously.
Alter gestured toward their rifles. "Your ranged combat skills will now be refined. These new abilities integrate directly into your rifles' firing systems—tied to your mana channels."
He projected four glowing icons mid-air:
Power Shot – heavy-charged rifle round empowered by mana.
Quick Charge – sharply reduces cooldown between shots.
Homing Shot – energy round that arcs mid-flight to track targets.
Scatter Shot – rifle bursts a cone-shaped volley at close range.
"You'll master all four. While dodging, sprinting, and countering enemies."
Mira muttered, "So we're becoming mobile artillery platforms…"
"Artillery that survives," Alter corrected, voice deadly serious.
He stepped to the side, revealing a lineup of crystalline alloy dummies lined with enchantments. "Next—Defense Penetration Arts. Eleven distinct skills. Some are direct strikes, others use momentum, ricochet, or compressed mana blades. You'll learn all of them. The faster you break through defensive hide, the longer you live."
Finn raised a brow. "Do we test them on those?"
Alter's smirk answered everything.
"And finally—support magic." He held up two rune-etched scrolls. "You'll each learn:
Regen – a passive healing-over-time ward you can cast on yourself or others.
Radiant Wave – an AOE burst of healing for nearby allies.
"No healer will be around when you're bleeding out in a collapsing dungeon," Alter said flatly. "So become your own."
The teens stood in silence, eyes wide.
"Understood, Master," they both said in unison.
Alter pointed toward the obstacle course—now updated with elemental traps, spring-loaded turrets, and illusionary enemies.
"Then begin."
Scene: Wolves in the Fire – Trial by Skill and Scar
The dawn mist had barely faded when the shrill snap of a trapwire echoed across the cliffs.
"AGH—MIRA, LEFT!"
Finn dove forward, a scatter shot exploding behind him in a burst of magical shrapnel. A hidden turret snapped around to fire—click—but Mira blinked just in time, reappearing three feet above the trap's arc and releasing a homing shot that curved beautifully into its core.
The turret exploded. Trap two disabled.
Trap three triggered instantly.
Without warning, the ground beneath them glowed red—heat glyphs. The moment either teen touched them, the temperature would spike and ignite their boots.
"JUMP!" Mira shouted, already mid-air. Her Blink cast halfway through her leap, letting her bypass the next flame trap entirely.
Finn landed and immediately rolled into a crouch. His rifle hummed.
Power Shot—Boom!
The illusionary beast charging him dissolved into pixels of light—only for another to spawn right behind it.
"Switch—AOE heal!" he barked.
Mira, already breathing hard, extended her hand mid-sprint. A soft blue pulse radiated outward—Radiant Wave—soothing his burns and sealing the minor fractures along his arm.
Behind them, Alter stood like a silent god of punishment. His arms folded. His eyes narrow.
"No hesitation. Again."
They groaned, already sweating and bruised, but obeyed without a word. The Extreme Hell Mode Obstacle Course lived up to its name:
Traps that struck from multiple angles.
Pressure plates that summoned illusionary enemies immune to standard attacks.
Moving glyph mines that required perfect Blink Step execution to dodge.
Heavily armored targets—only penetrable using one of the eleven new piercing skills.
For hours, the teens ran, shot, bled, and screamed.
The damage was real. The pain—unrelenting. Alter had laced every test with unpredictable elements. A wrong shot? Retaliation trap. Mistimed blink? Fall into a pit of mana-sapping thorns.
By midday, they were casting Regen on themselves without even thinking. Their bodies moved on reflex, their minds sharpened like tempered steel.
Nightfall
The flames of their campfire flickered quietly.
Finn was slumped over a log, his rifle leaning against it. His hands trembled, mana nearly depleted. Mira sat beside him, face pale, lips moving slowly as she recited the incantation for Radiant Wave again and again. The spell flickered out weakly.
"I think I healed a bug," she murmured.
"You healed my sanity," Finn groaned. "That counts."
They both collapsed onto their bedrolls moments later, asleep mid-breath, spell scrolls and glowing runes littered around them.
Elsewhere – On a Cliff Overlooking the Valley
Alter stood alone under the moonlight.
His breaths were steady, deliberate.
His stance—rooted in stillness.
Then, a whisper through the wind—crack.
He vanished.
The Demon God Killing Martial Arts – 14 Strikes.
His form blurred between stones, tracing lines of invisible devastation. Grass split at the seams. A nearby cliff bore a new scar—so finely carved it shimmered under the stars.
Each strike was cleaner. Faster. Closer to transcending mortal limits.
But his eyes… remained filled with sorrow.
"They're growing. Faster than I ever did…" he thought. "But this world won't care how far they've come. I have to prepare them for something greater than any dungeon…"
He exhaled, placing one hand on the hilt of Astral Requiem, sheathed upon his back.
The wind stirred again. A faint vibration pulsed through the sheath.
It was almost time.
Scene: Return of the Infernal Mentor – Training Day, Bear Edition
The sun crept over the canyon rim, casting golden light across the obstacle course. Finn and Mira were already crawling across a spike-lined trench while dodging flame glyphs and ricocheting mana bolts, their faces dripping with sweat, mana reserves thin.
Mira panted, "I swear the traps learn. That one definitely had vengeance in its core rune."
"Stop talking and cast regen before we lose another eyebrow!" Finn growled.
Then came the sound.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The ground trembled rhythmically, each step like a low drumbeat from the mountains beyond.
Finn blinked. Mira paused mid-heal.
"…No way."
A large shadow lumbered into view through the shimmering heat haze. Golden mane waving like fire, runes aglow, thirteen celestial orbs orbiting lazily around his head.
Blazebloom.
Only… he was smiling.
"GRRAAAHHH! I HAVE RETURNED!!" the celestial bear roared proudly, flexing with sparkles erupting from his tattoos.
"Blazebloom?!" Mira shouted in shock, ducking just before a trap arrow nearly took her head off.
The bear stomped into the training grounds like a royal beast entering his arena. "I have slain fifty-six monsters this week. Armored. Fast. Clever. Some wore pants. But none could withstand these!"
He flexed again.
Alter appeared beside him in an instant, expression unreadable.
"Good. You're joining their training."
Blazebloom's golden fur visibly dimmed. "…What?"
"You've progressed too quickly without refinement," Alter said flatly, pointing to the smoldering obstacle course. "You're strong, but undisciplined. You'll train with them now. From start to finish."
The bear blinked, slowly turning to look at the trench full of spikes.
Then at Mira, who was upside-down and stuck to a wall rune trap.
Then at Finn, who waved with a bloody hand. "We have snacks."
Blazebloom opened his mouth to object—
But Alter was already dragging him to the course's starting point by his tail.
Training Begins – Triple Hell Mode Activated
Blazebloom's first trap? A rotating glyph puzzle that required him to blink through tight rune windows at the right moment.
He got stuck halfway and screamed as the glyph zapped his rear. "WHO DESIGNS THIS EVIL?!"
Second trap: Reflex jump tiles—Mira nailed them with precision, Finn glided over using wind pulses.
Blazebloom fell three times and landed face-first into enchanted mud. "MY FUR! THIS IS WAR!"
Third challenge: A line of dummy enemies that required synchronized penetration attacks. Mira and Finn carved through them like seasoned warriors.
Blazebloom roared and punched one so hard it flew… only to hit a mirrored wall and ricochet into his face.
Boom.
He landed in the dirt, twitching, as the teens high-fived behind him.
Later That Night – Campfire Recovery
Blazebloom sat in silence, fur singed and orbs flickering like embarrassed fireflies. Mira wrapped a bandage around his paw while humming.
"I didn't know celestial bears could cry," she whispered.
"I wasn't crying," Blazebloom mumbled. "It was just… intense spiritual dew… leaking from my face."
Alter sipped tea beside the fire.
"Good first day."
Blazebloom groaned. Finn handed him a roasted root skewer.
"To the first of many, buddy."
The bear took it, eyes hollow. "This is worse than fighting a lava wyvern while blindfolded."
"But it's making you stronger," Alter said calmly. "And tomorrow's course is worse."
The bear dropped the skewer.
Scene: Day Two – Wolfmaster's Wrath, Bear's Despair
By the time dawn broke across the training canyon, the Trio—and one traumatized celestial bear—were already drenched in sweat.
Mira staggered toward a mana well, casting Regen with shaking hands. "My legs feel like pudding."
Finn collapsed beside her, holding up a smoking rifle. "I think this was supposed to be a rest week…"
Blazebloom was sprawled over a boulder, thirteen orbiting orbs flickering like dying candles. "What kind of evil needs this many traps?!"
Then a sudden silence.
A stillness fell across the canyon.
Mira blinked. "Wait… where's Master?"
A whisper—just behind them—
"Too slow."
Before anyone could react, Alter dropped into their midst like a falling blade, his eyes calm… and utterly unreadable.
Blazebloom shrieked and leapt ten feet into the air. "NOT AGAIN!"
Day Two Training – "Expect the Unexpected"
Unlike yesterday, Alter was now an active element in the course.
Not supervising.
Not advising.
Attacking.
And he came without warning.
Phase One: The Gauntlet
As Mira blinked through a corridor of dart traps, a phantom blade slashed at her from the shadows—Alter's afterimage. She barely parried with her dagger, eyes wide.
"Y-You're part of the traps now?!"
From the ceiling: "Correct."
She screamed and blinked forward into the next trap, groaning.
Phase Two: Rifle Range
Finn took aim down a tight corridor lined with kinetic dummies. He activated Homing Shot, tagging three targets.
Suddenly, CLANG—Alter's dagger deflected the bullets mid-air.
Finn reeled back. "How did he—?!"
Alter was already behind him.
"You're not shooting to kill. Again."
Finn swallowed hard and obeyed.
Phase Three: Bear Trap (Literally)
Blazebloom charged through a flame pillar trial, his orbs glowing hot as he roared. "I've got this one—"
A pressure struck him from above.
Alter dropkicked him from the clouds.
The celestial bear plowed into the dirt, face buried like a pancake.
"M-Master," he wheezed. "Why…"
"Because enemies don't wait their turn."
Evening – The Fires of Recovery
That night, four figures laid flat around a modest campfire.
Finn's eyes twitched whenever someone said "again."
Mira was half-asleep with her hand still glowing from her last heal spell.
Blazebloom's orbs spun like they had seen the end of time itself. "I have never known pain like this. Not even when I fought the Twin Pyre Tigers of Therak'zul…"
Alter calmly stirred the soup pot.
"Tomorrow's worse," he said flatly.
All three groaned in unison.
"…Master, why do you do this to us?" Mira muttered, one eye half-open.
Alter looked up, quietly. "Because one day, you'll need to survive a fight against something even worse than me."
Finn blinked. "Worse than you?"
"Much worse."
Blazebloom let out a long, sorrowful growl. "I hate how believable that sounds."
Scene: Divine Realm – Calm Before the Cosmic Storm
The skies of the upper firmament shimmered with cascading aurora threads as celestial servants fluttered between cloud-palaces and starlight halls. Within the Palace of Radiant Accord, deep in the heart of the divine realm, Solien Astridane—War God of Eternal Light—finally reclined upon his silver-throned dais.
The throne room was quiet. No tremors in the tapestry of fate. No divine messengers crashing through the stained-glass skylights. No cries of "THE BEAR IS ASCENDING AGAIN."
Just… silence.
Serene, golden silence.
Solien's six wings relaxed behind him as he accepted a floating report scroll from a kneeling attendant. His expression remained neutral, but the relief in his voice was unmistakable.
"The trio in wolf pelts have... not broken anything this week?"
The messenger—same one who had narrowly avoided being elephant-god stomped last time—nodded, face pale but alive. "Yes, Your Radiance. They are currently undergoing mortal-tier training exercises. No divine energy fluctuations. No celestial evolution surges. The celestial bear—Blazebloom—has remained outside of all dungeon activity."
Solien closed his eyes and leaned back slightly, letting out the quietest sigh in all the cosmos.
"So peace… truly returns to the realms, if only for a moment."
Elsewhere in the Room…
A trio of divine attendants were sipping stardust tea off to the side, murmuring.
"The last time His Radiance looked this relaxed was before the Phoenix Incident."
"I heard the bear was spotted headbutting a thunder wyrm in the wilds."
"They're finally normal. How long do you think it'll last?"
"…Three days. Max."
Solien's Thoughts – A Moment of Peace
He glanced toward the central hall, where constellations shifted in a grand map of the mortal realm. Each star marked a divine anomaly. Today, none blinked red.
"No blessings revoked. No gods offended. No realms collapsed. Just… training. Normal, mortal training."
He dared a faint smile beneath his veiled helm.
"Perhaps," he mused aloud, "they've learned restraint."
Seraphina's Arrival
Just then, a soft pulse of cosmic resonance echoed through the chamber as Starborn Seraphina shimmered into existence beside him. Her divine aura flickered briefly, cautious.
"Did I miss anything?" she asked, as if fearing yet another bear-induced cataclysm.
Solien shook his head. "For once... no. They are training. Eating. Sleeping."
A pause.
"...They even skipped the divine spring this week."
Seraphina blinked. Her mouth opened slightly, then closed. Her voice came out almost reverent.
"Is this… tranquility?"
The two stood in silence, basking in a reality that had not yet been bent, exploded, or stomped upon.
Closing Moment – A Warning Ignored
High above the palace, in the tapestry of stars, one faint speck flickered ever so subtly—barely noticeable. A dim red pulse.
It was far.
Weak.
Dormant.
But still there.
The mark of a dormant god-beast soul—growing ever stronger.
But for now… the divine realm exhaled.
And peace—thin, fragile, and luminous—stretched across the heavens.
Scene: Training Grounds – Flames, Fangs, and Flying Feet
Day three.
The hell mode obstacle course had somehow gotten worse.
Mira rolled to the side just in time as a flaming log—painted with Blazebloom's paw print—exploded behind her. "WHY IS IT ON FIRE NOW?!"
"I don't know!" Finn shouted, backflipping through a line of swinging spikes while channeling Scatter Shot mid-air. "I think Blazebloom added those when we weren't looking!"
"Blazebloom!" Mira yelled accusingly from across the course.
The celestial bear, now humanoid and heavily muscled with glowing blue tattoos and golden fur, gave her a thumbs-up while juggling three exploding logs with his bare hands.
"Motivation!" he roared proudly, catching a spiked hammer in mid-flight and hurling it like a discus. "Master said maximum threat means maximum growth!"
Master Alter – Watching From the Shadows
Hidden within a dense pine outcrop, Alter crouched low in his brown wolf pelt, arms folded, eyes narrowed. He had become more than a teacher—he was now a shadowy arbiter of doom, appearing from nowhere to attack without warning.
A flick of motion.
BLINK.
Alter appeared beside Finn and punched the air—the shockwave sent the boy flying into a wall of soft moss Alter had "coincidentally" planted.
"Too slow," Alter muttered. "Predict me."
Seconds later, he vanished again.
Mira's Counter
"REGEN!" Mira yelled, casting mid-sprint as she launched over a spinning buzzsaw trap. She fired Homing Shot, hitting five wooden targets—each one erupting in blue light.
She turned—only to find Alter already behind her.
Her eyes widened.
A smirk tugged at Alter's lips. "Nice execution. But don't forget—"
SLASH!
He fake-swung Astral Requiem without activating it. The wind pressure alone knocked her on her rear.
"—combat includes the unexpected."
Evening Training – The Nightfall Drills
That night, Mira and Finn both collapsed into a patch of enchanted grass, barely breathing, mana nearly dry.
"Master's lost his mind," Finn groaned, face buried in the dirt.
"Yeah," Mira panted. "I think I saw my own soul today. It waved goodbye."
Blazebloom dropped down beside them, now shirtless, golden tattoos glowing faintly.
"I threw fire at a lightning wraith… and it kissed me," he muttered solemnly.
"Wait, really?" Mira blinked.
"No. It exploded," he grinned.
Alter – Midnight Focus
Under the silver moon, Alter stood alone at the edge of the clearing.
[Demon God Killing Martial Arts – 14 Strikes]
He exhaled.
Then blurred forward, body flowing like a dragon through a river of stars. Each strike was precise, deliberate, devastating. The trees ahead were shredded—not by blades, but by pressure alone.
He stopped on the fourteenth strike, panting.
"Not enough," he whispered. "I need more precision. More speed. More control."
His gaze lifted to the sky—toward where the divine realm sat unseen.
A memory flickered—Seraphina, the warning, Val'Zaruun's beam.
"Before the next storm comes… they must be ready."
Scene: Training Camp – Bond of Firelight and Ash
Night fell gently over the highlands. The air was crisp, stars vivid against the velvet sky. A soft wind rustled through the trees, carrying the scent of pine and distant streams. In the heart of the clearing, a fire crackled—warm and steady.
The trio sat around it, legs stretched out, wrapped in their signature wolf pelts. Blazebloom sat just behind them in his humanoid form, arms crossed behind his head, leaning against a boulder. The 13 golden spheres orbiting above him shimmered gently like moons.
Alter sat on the opposite side of the fire, sharpening one of Finn's daggers with deliberate care.
Mira was the first to break the silence.
"Master… be honest. You really enjoy watching us suffer during training, don't you?"
Alter didn't even look up. "Define 'enjoy.'"
Finn grunted. "That's a yes."
Blazebloom chuckled, "He even hums sometimes when setting traps. I've heard it."
Mira mock gasped. "He hums? Like a villain before unleashing a secret final phase?"
Alter smirked faintly, still sharpening. "...You all survived."
"Barely," Finn muttered. "I think my ribs are plotting against me."
Mira leaned her head back against Blazebloom's arm. "You know, I kinda miss how easy things used to be. Just wake up, eat, and run from slavers."
Finn shot her a look. "Easy? We almost died every week back then."
"I said kinda," she teased, flicking a pebble at him.
The fire popped and sent a small ember dancing into the night.
Then Mira turned serious, glancing at Alter.
"Master… do you think we'll ever be strong enough to stand beside you? I mean, truly stand with you. In the kinds of battles you've fought… the kind that leave worlds broken."
Finn looked up too, his expression more thoughtful than usual.
Blazebloom stayed quiet, for once.
Alter finally stopped sharpening.
The firelight reflected in his eyes as he stared into it, memories flickering behind them—of Lira, of Kaela, of gods and losses that never left.
"The path to stand beside me… isn't easy. But you're already walking it. Every bruise, every fall, every time you choose to get back up—those are your steps forward."
He glanced at each of them.
"One day, you won't just stand beside me. You'll surpass the man I used to be."
There was a long pause.
Then Blazebloom gave a sage nod. "He's right. I already surpassed the bear I used to be. I can talk now."
Mira laughed, and Finn rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, and now we can't shut you up."
They all broke into easy, heartfelt laughter—real this time, not forced by exhaustion or battle. For the first time in a long while, the fire felt like a safe place rather than a checkpoint between battles.
That night, they didn't train.
They told stories.
They laughed.
And when they finally fell asleep under the stars, it was with a bond forged stronger than steel.
Scene: Midnight Ash – A Warning and a Gift
The fire had died to glowing embers, casting long, shifting shadows across the camp. Mira curled under her cloak, mumbling softly in her sleep. Finn leaned against Blazebloom's armored leg, still in his humanoid form, chest rising steadily. The celestial bear remained unmoving beneath the canopy, his thirteen divine spheres pulsing faintly.
Alter sat alone, eyes turned skyward.
A stillness settled in.
Then—a rift split the night like a quiet scream. Lightless and soundless, it peeled open just above the fire. A silver-cloaked figure emerged with steps like whispers of time: a Divine Messenger, this time somber, cloaked in starlit robes without his usual flair.
He spoke immediately, voice low and clear.
"Alter. I come bearing both warning… and gift."
Alter rose to his feet without alarm, but the tension in his eyes said everything. "Talk."
The messenger extended his hand, conjuring a vision of cracked mountains and bleeding skies—black rifts glowing with runes, shadows spilling into the realm.
"The Demon Realms stir. They have breached the veil and now hide within this world. A mass invasion draws near."
Alter's eyes narrowed. "And the divine realm?"
"Bound by pacts. Direct interference will invite war with the Demon Gods. The balance must not break."
The weight of those words lingered.
"Mortals will decide this battle. Your former Twelve Commanders have been contacted. They prepare even now."
Alter glanced over his shoulder. Finn slept near Mira, both still as the grave. They had no idea of what storm was coming.
"Then I'll prepare them. We'll be ready."
But the divine messenger raised a second hand, this one glowing with Solien's light—golden threads woven into the air itself. A subtle warmth spread across the field.
"Solien has granted your disciples a boon. These two—Finn and Mira—are gifted with the Blessing of the Radiant Sovereign."
A soft pulse of light descended like drifting feathers, absorbed into the chests of the sleeping teens.
"Their level caps have been raised to 500. A rare honor… rarely given."
Alter's brows lifted. "He's serious."
"They will need it. Without such growth, none will survive what is coming."
Alter watched the glow fade, then looked down at Finn and Mira—still unaware, still resting like children before the storm.
"I'll train them. Break them if I have to. They'll be ready."
The messenger nodded once.
"Then know this. If Blazebloom crosses the threshold and gains Creator Authority, we must intervene. It is not cruelty. It is necessity. You understand why."
Alter didn't speak. He simply looked away, jaw tight.
"We leave the world to you, Mortalbinder."
And like smoke caught by wind, the divine messenger vanished.
Alter sat again at the dying fire, letting the moment pass. Then, with a sigh, he whispered:
"500, huh… You two better brace yourselves."