The black-green sun tore through the void like a collapsing star, its destructive pull warped the very fabric of space, growing larger in Adrian's vision with every heartbeat, an end rushing toward him faster than thought.
His mana reserves flickered empty. No strength left to manifest even a sliver of Source.
Far away, hidden deep within the void, a Stellar Stage being stirred. His essence flickered once, alarm flashing across his face.
"If Adrian dies… the Emperor will have my head."
He began to move, space folding around him in preparation—
But before he could intervene, a voice cut through the chaos.
"My, my… looks like you've forgotten who I am, in your madness, Veythar."
Kaelith stepped forward, her presence cold and radiant, pushing Adrian back behind her with one hand. Her essence flared outward, dual streams of fire and ice coiling around her form.
Veythar, his body half-destroyed and leaking essence, turned. His lone remaining eye widened the moment it landed on her.
He hadn't even noticed her presence before, too consumed by vengeance, too blinded by his hatred.
Recognition struck him. The Duskbane Matriarch! A name whispered across battlefields.
He realized his mistake, that overwhelming dual-essence aura. She was the last person he wanted to see.
Even in his peak, he wouldn't have dared face her alone. And now, half his body gone, essence burning out, he understood what he had done.
"You wretched—"
His words died in his throat, literally. His neck and remaining body disintegrated mid-sentence, the sound fading into nothing as ash scattered across stars.
Kaelith's hand moved gracefully, almost lazily.
Adrian watched, eyes wide, as both fire and ice essence flowed from her fingertips.
The two opposing elements coiled together, neither cancelling the other, burning and freezing as one. They spiraled forward in perfect harmony, a dance of contradiction made real.
The collision hit the black-green sun head-on, and the monstrous energy crumbled. The destructive sphere unraveled into dust, its power erased without a ripple.
The void fell silent.
Adrian could feel her fire essence, it was stronger than his fire essence! And she… she also wielded two essences.
He thought Veythar could have been unique, but this meant there were lots of things about the galaxy that were hidden. Mysteries layered upon mysteries.
His jaw clenched. His mana reserves were empty. The Source form had vanished, leaving his body shaking and heavy.
He couldn't even raise his hand anymore, every cell in his body screamed in pain. Blood still floated around him in crystallized droplets.
If Kaelith hadn't stepped in, he would've died. That planet below, filled with innocent lives who didn't even know of the galaxy's chaos, would've been annihilated.
His Source Seed pulsed weakly inside him, a low rhythm echoing in his mind. It almost felt like it was saying that it could not save him every time.
He knew it was right.
He looked down at his trembling hand. The truth stung, he was powerful, yes, but he lacked what truly mattered, control, mastery, and experience.
Tharion had shown him that once. Now, Veythar had carved the lesson into him permanently.
After the fight with Tharion, he thought his Source form could substitute mastery.
But he had been foolish to think that his Source Form could substitute years of experience.
It was strength, yes, but also a crutch, one that could fail him at any moment. One that drained him dry and left him vulnerable.
He needed more. Real training. Real battles. He needed to earn his mastery.
Far in the distance, the Stellar being who had been watching retreated silently into the darkness. There was nothing more to be done.
Kaelith turned back to Adrian, her expression unreadable. "Your ship's destroyed. Come aboard my warship. We'll speak once you've recovered."
Adrian nodded. He followed her wordlessly, exhaustion dragging at every step.
Varik appeared at his side, face pale but relieved. "My lord…"
"I'm fine." Adrian's voice came out rough.
They crossed through the void toward Kaelith's flagship.
Inside her flagship's command chamber, it was filled with mana, powered by a formation using towering mana crystals. In the void, where mana didn't exist naturally, using mana crystals was the only way to replenish it.
Adrian felt his depleted reserves respond immediately, drawing in ambient mana like a drowning man gulping air.
Kaelith gestured to a seat. "Sit. You look half-dead."
Adrian sat cross-legged, drawing in mana, filling his channels slowly.
Varik stood nearby, silent but watchful.
Adrian's mana reserves had grown large these days, and this was his first time exhausting them completely. To fully recover his mana, it took him more than twenty minutes.
The ambient energy from Kaelith's formation crystals flowed into him slowly, filling the hollow channels carved through his body.
Then, pressing his hand to his chest, Adrian murmured softly, "Breath of Life."
A soft green radiance spread from his palm, seeping through his wounds. The regeneration was rapid, seamless, powered by his newly comprehended basic galactic Life Concept.
Cuts sealed themselves. Bruised ribs straightened. Even the crystallized blood still clinging to his skin dissolved under the emerald glow.
Kaelith watched in silence, eyebrows slightly raised. She had been about to summon healers, but now she stopped.
"You wield life essence too?" she asked at last. "First space, then that unidentified essence… and now life."
Her voice was calm, but her eyes betrayed faint astonishment.
She folded her arms, her tone halfway between disbelief and admiration. "You're truly an anomaly, Adrian."
Adrian lowered his hand, the green light fading. He flexed his fingers, testing the healed flesh.
She walked closer, her voice low. "Even dual-essence wielders are rare enough. But you," her eyes scanned him carefully, "your life force feels barely fifty. Someone who's lived just half a century has already comprehended three essences?"
Identifying a person's age with just their life force is not accurate, but it can give an estimate.
Varik stood shocked beside Adrian, because he knew Adrian also had fire essence. That makes Adrian have four essences!
Varik was getting too much shock these days. His mouth opened slightly, then closed. He rubbed his forehead, muttering something under his breath.
Kaelith's gaze hardened slightly. "I've seen monsters in the front lines, humans and aliens both, but I've never seen anyone comprehend three essences this early."
She leaned back, her tone shifting. Less awe, more warning. "But Adrian… just having three essences doesn't make you invincible."
Adrian met her eyes. He said nothing, waiting.
Her eyes met his directly. "I observed your fight. When you were in that transformed form, you fought like a veteran, almost perfect. But the moment that form faded…" she paused, "it was like watching a child swing a sword he doesn't know how to hold."
Adrian's jaw tightened.
He said nothing. He didn't need to. He knew she was right.
"That essence of yours, whatever it is, it's powerful. Stronger than any affinity I've felt. But strength isn't about having a better affinity."
She gestured with her hand, the faint traces of flame and frost coiling around her wrist. They danced together, neither consuming the other. Perfect balance.
"A master can kill with a stone if they know how to use it. Power is meaningless without mastery."
Adrian stayed silent for a moment, then nodded.
His Source Seed pulsed faintly in his chest, almost in agreement. Raw power without control was just chaos waiting to collapse.
He needed to master what he had, to fight with them as naturally as breathing, without relying on the Source to carry him.
He needed to grow to a point where even without using his source essence, he could stand against these veterans.