Rain swept across Manhattan that night, washing the city in silver. From a high-rise rooftop, Ethan stood still, his coat whipping in the wind as he stared down at the glowing skyline. The energy beneath the city pulsed faintly through his senses, stronger than ever. The second seal had been broken. Two more remained.
He closed his eyes. Within his core, the flow of Qi was restless, surging like waves against an invisible shore. Ever since touching the Zero Core, his cultivation had accelerated beyond reason. His meridians had expanded, his spiritual sea deepened. But the power was unstable—foreign and wild, as if the world itself resisted his intrusion.
[Status Update: Qi Resonance 42% stabilized.]
[Body Reinforcement: Stage 2 complete.]
[Warning: External observation detected.]
Ethan's eyes snapped open. Across the rooftops, a figure stood cloaked in shadow. A flicker of light revealed a woman—tall, composed, her gaze sharp as a blade. She stepped forward, her boots silent despite the rain.
"So it's true," she said. "You're the one who awakened the resonance."
Ethan's voice was calm. "You've been following me."
"I've been watching you," she corrected. "You tampered with something you shouldn't have."
He studied her aura—steady, powerful, and unlike any human he'd sensed before. It was faint, but he recognized it. Qi—not natural, but refined, ancient. "You're not military," he said slowly. "Who are you?"
"My name is Lyra. I serve the Custodians of the Veil. We've been guarding the seals since before your kind learned to walk upright."
Ethan tilted his head. "The Veil—so it's real."
"More real than you can imagine," she said. "And you've already broken two seals. Do you even know what you've unleashed?"
He crossed his arms. "The world's returning to balance. Qi was part of this universe long before your guardians decided to bury it."
Lyra's expression hardened. "It was sealed for a reason. The last time mortals tried to harness it, they tore the fabric between realms. Thousands of worlds collapsed into dust."
Ethan's gaze didn't waver. "Then maybe it's time to finish what they started."
For a moment, only the sound of rain filled the silence. Then Lyra sighed softly. "You sound like him."
"Who?"
"The first cultivator," she said quietly. "The one who defied the gods."
The words sent a ripple of unease through him. "You mean the Guardian?"
Lyra's eyes flickered. "So he's already reached you. Then it's worse than I thought."
Before he could speak again, the air shimmered around them. Ethan felt the pressure immediately—dense, oppressive, ancient. A rift split open in the sky above the skyline, threads of golden light leaking from the tear. Lyra turned sharply toward it.
"They're coming," she whispered.
Through the rip, dark figures began to emerge—spectral beings woven from fragmented Qi. Their bodies flickered like smoke, and their voices echoed through the storm.
"The seal weakens. The world remembers."
Ethan's Qi flared instinctively, wrapping around his arms like molten light. Lyra drew a curved blade that shimmered with runes, her stance fluid. "You take the left," she ordered. "I'll handle the upper flank."
Ethan smirked faintly. "Giving orders already?"
"Move!"
The first of the entities lunged toward them, its form stretching unnaturally as it screamed. Ethan shot forward, his fist glowing as Qi condensed into a pulse of raw energy. The impact tore through the creature, scattering its form into mist. But more followed—dozens, maybe hundreds.
Lyra moved like lightning, her blade carving arcs of light through the air. Every strike left trails of blue fire. Ethan matched her pace, his Qi shaping into barriers and bursts of concentrated force. The rooftop trembled under the onslaught.
One of the specters latched onto him, its form melting into his shadow. Pain lanced through his body as his vision blurred.
[Spiritual Contamination Detected.]
[Countermeasure: Internal Purge Protocol activated.]
Ethan roared, his Qi surging outward in a wave of gold. The shadow disintegrated instantly. The storm intensified, thunder cracking above them.
"They're not attacking us," Lyra shouted over the wind. "They're drawn to the resonance inside you!"
Ethan's expression darkened. "Then I'll give them what they want."
He closed his eyes and reached inward. The Qi within him spiraled violently, merging with the rhythm of the rain. He opened his palm, and a golden sphere formed—pulsing, alive. When he released it, the energy erupted like a second sun, tearing through the storm. The blast illuminated the night, consuming the spectral swarm in one devastating wave.
When the light faded, silence fell. The rain slowed to a drizzle. Only the faint hum of residual energy remained.
Lyra lowered her blade, her breathing steady but heavy. "That was reckless. You could have torn the veil apart."
Ethan wiped blood from his lip, his expression unreadable. "But it worked."
She stared at him for a long moment. "You don't understand what you're carrying. That energy isn't yours. It's the key to the gate."
He frowned. "Gate?"
"The Ascension Gate," she said quietly. "The bridge between mortal and divine. When the Qi vanished, it sealed the gods away from this world. You're breaking the locks one by one."
Ethan turned toward the skyline. "Then what happens when all four seals are broken?"
Lyra hesitated. "The gods return. And they won't be merciful."
He looked over his shoulder at her. "Then maybe it's time someone reminded them that mortals can fight back."
Her eyes softened, something unreadable passing across her face. "You really are like him."
"Who?"
"The Guardian," she whispered. "He once said the same thing before he vanished into the void."
Ethan turned away, rain dripping from his hair. "Then maybe I'll finish his work."
Lyra's voice was quieter now. "You'll need guidance. The next seal isn't in this world—it lies beyond the threshold, buried within time itself. You'll need someone who understands how to reach it."
He smirked faintly. "You volunteering?"
She sheathed her blade. "I'm ensuring you don't destroy reality. Don't mistake that for friendship."
Before he could reply, a bright flash illuminated the clouds above. A sleek aircraft broke through the storm—marked with the SSR insignia. Ethan cursed under his breath.
"They tracked you," Lyra said.
"No," Ethan corrected. "They tracked you."
The aircraft's searchlights swept across the rooftop. Armed soldiers rappelled down, shouting orders. Ethan grabbed Lyra's wrist. "We're leaving."
Before she could protest, his Qi exploded outward. Golden light enveloped them, bending the rain, twisting space. The world rippled—and in an instant, they vanished.
They reappeared miles away, atop a deserted pier. The water below was black and silent, reflecting the faint glow of Ethan's Qi. Lyra pulled her arm free, glaring at him. "You used a spatial shift. Do you have any idea how unstable that is without a fixed anchor?"
"It worked, didn't it?" he said, sitting down on a wooden beam. His face was pale, his breathing uneven. The technique had drained nearly all his remaining energy.
Lyra studied him for a moment. "You're burning your life force to move faster. That's not cultivation—that's suicide."
"I've died once already," he said quietly. "What's another risk?"
Her expression softened, just slightly. "You weren't born here, were you?"
He didn't answer. The silence between them stretched until the wind carried the scent of the sea. Finally, Lyra sat beside him, her voice barely above a whisper. "The Guardian told me a soul from another world would come. A reborn flame to ignite the dead universe. I didn't believe him."
Ethan looked at her, surprised. "He said that?"
She nodded. "But he also warned me. The one who awakens the seals will either save this world… or end it."
Ethan stared out at the dark horizon, the rain falling softly around them. "Then I guess I'd better make sure it's the first option."
Lyra gave a faint smile. "You're either brave or foolish."
"Maybe both," he said, standing slowly. "Where's the next seal?"
She hesitated. "Hidden in a place outside time—a battlefield frozen in the echoes of war. The humans call it the Temporal Rift. But you'll need power far greater than what you have now to enter it."
Ethan's Qi flickered faintly in his hand. "Then I'll cultivate until I can."
She rose beside him, her cloak whipping in the wind. "I'll hold you to that, cultivator."
He looked at her with quiet determination. "Ethan. My name is Ethan Ward."
Lyra met his gaze. "Then, Ethan Ward… welcome to the real war."
Thunder rumbled in the distance. The storm over Manhattan began to swirl again, faint streaks of gold threading through the clouds. Far away, deep beneath the ocean, something ancient stirred—responding to the awakening of the second seal.
And in the silent depths of his mind, the Guardian's voice returned once more. The third seal awaits within time's shadow. But beware, child of another world. Every seal you break awakens not only power… but consequence.
Ethan opened his eyes, the faint glow of Qi dancing in them. "Then I'll bear the consequences."
The storm grew louder, the waves crashing violently below. The path ahead was set, and the next step would lead him beyond the reach of mortals—into the battlefield where time itself had forgotten to move.
To be continued.