The hall was silent.
Not because the battle had stopped, but because every crystal, every rune, and even the air itself seemed to reverently bow to the aura Eris released.
Seven lights rotated around him—each one representing a fragment of the Clan of Seven:
Gold for Aegor
Purple for Veyra
Blue for Tarnis
Brown for Khoren
Green for Altheon
Silver for Zephros
Red for Kaelion
Together, they created a blazing corona around his body, forming a sphere of harmonized energy that hummed with ancient power.
Kaelion stepped forward, stunned.
"This isn't possible… Not this soon."
Eris stood still, breathing heavily.
"What… what is this?"
Kaelion circled him slowly, analyzing the phenomenon.
"This is the Sevenfold Core.
It means the life-seeds are not awakening one after the other…
They are synchronizing."
Eris didn't fully understand, but he felt it—like seven instincts whispering at once.
Aegor taught him to brace
Tarnis told him to move
Veyra urged him to vanish
Khoren made him hold steady
Altheon told him to breathe
Zephros tugged him toward the unseen angles of space
Kaelion guided him to direct all of these impulses into battle flow
Their voices weren't loud, but they were present—echoes embedded in his soul.
Eris exhaled, and the lights spiraled down, forming a single glowing mark on his chest, shaped like a seven-pointed crest.
Kaelion folded his arms.
"You just jumped five levels of training. But raw power is nothing without control."
He lifted his hand and the battlefield shifted again—the sky darkening, the ground flattening into a vast plain of marble.
A statue emerged from the floor—an ancient stone warrior with a cracked mask and a massive double-bladed spear.
Eris frowned. "What's that?"
Kaelion's tone lowered.
"A trial construct.
Replica of the entity that killed three members of the Clan of Seven."
The statue's eyes flared with red light.
It moved.
It moved.
Eris's stomach tightened. "Wait—why am I fighting something like this now?!"
Kaelion responded sternly.
"Because if your Sevenfold Core awakened early, then your destiny is accelerating too.
You must adapt."
The construct raised its spear.
Eris stepped back instinctively.
Kaelion gave a single command:
"Survive for one minute."
The construct lunged.
Eris threw himself sideways as the spear crashed into the ground, splitting it open. Energy pulsed out in a shockwave, hurling him backward. He rolled, barely catching himself.
The construct turned again—mechanical yet terrifyingly fast.
Eris raised his palm and summoned Aegor's barrier.
The spear smashed into it, cracks spreading instantly.
Eris grunted, pushing back with all his strength.
The barrier shattered and he flipped away just in time.
But Tarnis's speed activated—Eris's body moved faster than his fear, helping him avoid a killing strike.
The statue swung again.
Eris ducked.
Zephros's spatial instinct flickered, and Eris blink-stepped a few meters to the left—his first time using that ability instinctively.
Kaelion's eyebrows rose.
"Good. But don't rely on instinct alone!"
The construct raised both arms and slammed the spear down.
Eris crossed his arms.
Green light wrapped him—Altheon's energy healing the minor wounds instantly.
He charged forward.
Khoren's strength flared through him as he punched the construct's knee joint.
CRACK.
The ancient stone buckled.
Kaelion's eyes widened slightly.
The statue roared and spun the spear at blinding speed.
Eris jumped back—and Veyra's ability triggered, cloaking him in a shadowy blur, making the construct lose track of him for a moment.
Kaelion shouted:
"Time! One minute survived!"
Eris collapsed to one knee, trembling and sweating.
The construct froze instantly and returned to its dormant pose.
Kaelion approached him slowly.
"You did what only two members of the original Clan could do—survive that trial on the first attempt."
Eris looked up, chest heaving.
"So… what now?"
Kaelion extended his hand.
"Now, you rest.
Because tomorrow… we begin refining the Sevenfold Core."
Eris accepted his grip, standing shakily.
Kaelion added in a low voice:
"Eris… you are growing faster than prophecy predicted.
Fate is changing.
And something… something ancient is watching you."
Eris felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"What's watching me?"
Kaelion didn't answer.
He only looked toward the ceiling, where for a split second—
—a single glowing red slit, like the eye of a demon,
blinked and vanished.