Lucien hovered in the open expanse of Nax, his gaze calm yet piercing as the swirling, fractured energy of the metaphysical plane rippled around him. The multiverse of his making shimmered like a reflection in a broken mirror, the laws of reality bending only slightly under his observation. Beside him, Kaelitharion remained silent, letting Lucien's attention guide the moment.
Yet it wasn't the multiverse itself that drew Lucien's focus—it was something else. A presence, subtle but undeniable, pulsed just beyond the edge of perception. Something alive, ancient, and aware, lingering at the border of existence.
Lucien narrowed his abyssal eyes, letting them extend beyond ordinary perception. Even in this plane, most beings would have collapsed under the raw sensory input, but Lucien's awareness stretched past normal comprehension. The watcher's form was indistinct, like a shadow crawling across the edges of light and time, yet Lucien could feel it watching everything—him, the academy, Hoshigami's trial, even the unseen strings of potential futures.
"Ah… there you are," Lucien whispered, his voice calm but carrying a subtle, dangerous undertone. "I've been expecting… something like you."
Kaelitharion tilted his head, curious. "You expected it? From… that?"
Lucien's lips curled into a faint, arrogant smirk. "I didn't expect, Kaelith. I knew. Nothing of this magnitude could exist without me sensing it. Whoever—or whatever—that is, is beyond ordinary comprehension. It's old… old enough to remember the first laws before the metaphysical plane had formed, and clever enough to hide itself while observing."
The watcher stirred, a ripple passing through reality as if it had heard him. Shadows elongated and bent unnaturally, flickering with colors that should not exist. Then, slowly, the presence began condensing into a humanoid form. Blue hair with a single vivid red strand at the front, a suit that molded seamlessly to a body that seemed too perfect, too balanced, yet radiated raw menace.
Lucien's smirk deepened. "Well… this is new. Finally, someone—or something—interested enough to leave their corner and step into the light. Come closer. I do enjoy meeting my peers."
The figure laughed—a sound both playful and dark, echoing across the expanse. "Peers?" it said, voice rich, teasing, and dripping arrogance. "I think you overestimate yourself, Sole Exception."
Lucien raised a brow. "Sole Exception is correct. But go on… explain why you're here."
The figure floated closer, graceful, almost teasing in their movements. "The name is Kaelix Dravenn. I'm… let's say… favored by this plane itself. I've observed your meddling with the World Tree, with Nax, with the multiverses you've been stretching. Fascinating. Bold. But reckless."
Lucien chuckled, unfazed. "Reckless? I'm building a reality, shaping existence itself. I think you'll find… what I do isn't reckless. It's inevitable."
Kaelix's eyes gleamed, the red streak catching the reflections of fractured stars and metaphysical energy. "I like your confidence. Most beings never survive the edge of the metaphysical plane long enough to learn that confidence. You… might be different."
Lucien's smirk widened, hands folded behind his back. "Might? I assure you, I am. Now, are we here to observe? Or… to test?"
Kaelix tilted their head, amused, stepping closer until they were within a hair's breadth of Lucien, yet not touching. "I prefer tests. Demonstrations bore me, and I do enjoy watching talent… grow under pressure. But, make no mistake, I'm not here to play games. I'm here to see if you're… worthy."
Lucien's smile deepened into something almost predatory, cold and confident. "Worthy? Worthy of what? The metaphysical plane is mine. Every corner. Every hidden law. But… I am curious." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "You've been beyond the Primordial Void, beyond what even I can casually walk through. The metaphysical plane is… fragile compared to what you've experienced. Am I right?"
Kaelix's smirk flickered into something darker, more amused than offended. "Fragile, yes… but still impressive for someone like you. You have potential, but let's not pretend this plane is entirely yours yet. You've stretched the World Tree's branches far beyond the Primordial Void… but there are laws even I haven't fully explored here. Ones that the plane itself protects."
Lucien's eyes gleamed with delight. "Finally… someone with a sense of humor. Tell me, Kaelix… since you've been here, have you tested anyone else? Anyone as… persistent as me?"
Kaelix tilted their head, red streak glinting sharply. "I've tested beings. Many. Some even claimed omnipotence. None reached your level of awareness. You… are interesting. Dangerous. But… I like dangerous."
Lucien's laugh echoed across Nax, rumbling like a small, controlled shockwave. "Interesting and dangerous? That's usually me describing others. You're lucky I enjoy conversation before combat."
Kaelix's grin was wicked, their aura shifting subtly as if teasing the limits of Lucien's perception. "Ah… so you do enjoy a little chaos. Perfect. Then let's not waste time, shall we?"
Lucien's eyes shimmered, his aura flaring subtly, a barely perceptible display of power calibrated not to destroy but to test. "Calm down, Kaelix. If I wanted to, this entire planet—your shadow included—would be rearranged into nothingness. But I don't. I prefer… interaction."
Kaelix tilted back slightly, studying him like a predator evaluating prey. "Interaction. You do understand me. Good. I've traveled far beyond the metaphysical plane. I've watched the multiverses of beings you haven't even conceptualized. And yet… here I am. Entertained by you."
Lucien leaned forward, his grin widening. "Then let's entertain each other. You've come to test me… but I'm the owner of this reality. Not just this plane, Kaelix. Every branch, every law I've planted here answers to me. And yet… I welcome a challenge."
Kaelix laughed again, a dark, melodic sound that bounced between the stars and the fractured energy around Nax. "So be it. Let's see whose dominion is truly absolute. You? Or me?"
Lucien's smirk turned almost feral. "Let's find out."
And with that, a subtle tremor ran through the metaphysical plane—soft, almost imperceptible, but enough to show that the watcher beyond the veil of reality had now fully engaged.
Above them, the fractured sky of Nax pulsed with possibility, a silent promise that their interaction would reshape not just the metaphysical plane, but the new voids, universes, and laws that Lucien had painstakingly created.
Lucien's abyssal eyes gleamed, reflecting infinity itself. "Let's make this… interesting."
Kaelix tilted their head with a grin, readying themselves. "Oh, it will be. Trust me, Sole Exception."
And as the distance between them collapsed, the first whispers of a cataclysmic, yet exquisitely beautiful duel began to echo across the new void.