The morning training with Orion continued for hours.
Saksham was exhausted.
His breathing had become heavy, and sweat covered his forehead.
But Orion showed no signs of stopping.
"Again," Orion said calmly.
Saksham groaned slightly but raised his hands once more.
A sphere of light appeared above his right palm.
Darkness gathered above his left.
The two elements slowly began circling each other.
Orion watched closely.
"Don't force the balance," he instructed.
"Let them move naturally."
Saksham focused deeply.
The two spheres rotated faster.
At first they clashed slightly, pushing against each other.
But slowly…
their movement became smoother.
More stable.
Inside his mind, the system appeared again.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Training Progress Updated
Balance Stability: 78%
Saksham clenched his teeth.
"Almost…"
Suddenly the two energies vibrated violently.
The balance almost collapsed.
But this time—
Saksham didn't panic.
He relaxed his control slightly.
The light slowed down.
The darkness stopped expanding.
And then—
perfect balance returned.
The two elements moved together like a single system.
Orion nodded approvingly.
"Good."
At that exact moment, the system flashed brightly.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Skill Level Up
Balance Control → Level 4
New Ability Available
Partial Element Fusion
Saksham's eyes widened.
"Partial fusion?"
He slowly brought the two spheres closer together.
Light and darkness touched.
Instead of exploding—
they merged slightly.
A thin layer of silver energy appeared between them.
It pulsed with incredible power.
Orion's expression changed for the first time.
"Interesting…"
Saksham looked down at the strange energy.
"This feels… different."
The silver energy was stronger than both elements individually.
But it was unstable.
After a few seconds—
the fusion broke apart.
The light and darkness separated again.
Saksham exhaled slowly.
"That was intense…"
Inside his mind, the system updated again.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Hidden Skill Progress
Element Fusion
Current Unlock Progress: 65%
Orion crossed his arms.
"You're progressing faster than I expected."
Saksham looked up.
"Is that good?"
Orion nodded.
"Yes."
"But it also means your enemies will notice you sooner."
Just then—
a palace guard ran toward the training field.
"Prince Saksham!"
Both of them turned.
The guard bowed quickly.
"A message from Captain Leon."
Saksham frowned.
"What happened?"
The guard hesitated before answering.
"The scouting mission returned last night."
"And the king has called an emergency meeting."
Orion immediately understood.
"That means the situation in the mountains is worse than expected."
Saksham's expression became serious.
"The Void Cult…"
The guard nodded.
"Yes."
"They have confirmed the enemy presence."
"And according to the report…"
"The cult is preparing another ritual."
Far away in the underground temple—
the cult leader stood before the massive dark crystal again.
The Void Guardian slowly opened its glowing red eyes behind him.
The cult leader smiled.
"The next phase begins tonight."
To be continued…