Dawn had barely touched the academy towers, but Zein was already in the training yard, alone, sweating, exhaling smoke with every breath.
He was testing the limits of his power.
—"Fireball"… "Flames"… —he muttered, channeling both at once.
Two distinct cores vibrated within him. Two fire essences, seemingly incompatible. But at their gravitational center, the Nexus had left a mark: Unstable Singularity.
Zein closed his eyes. And let the two abilities clash.
The internal collision was brutal. His chest burned as if it housed a star. The air trembled. The ground cracked.
And then… the fusion.
[Compatible abilities detected.]
[Fusion initiated.]
[Processing… Fusion complete.]
New ability acquired: Absolute Flame
A self-aware fiery manifestation, capable of consuming both physical matter and vital energy.
Zein dropped to his knees, gasping. In front of him floated a black flame with a golden core.
—This… isn't ordinary fire. It's pure hunger.
Zein raised his hand. The Absolute Flame floated to his palm without burning him, as if it recognized him as its master.
He hurled it at a rock twenty meters away… and the stone didn't just disintegrate. It ceased to exist. No dust, no smoke. Just emptiness.
—This could erase even magical defenses… —he whispered—. A perfect weapon against the Abyssal entities.
But the core in his chest didn't stop.
[Warning: Adaptive Absorption System evolving.]
[Singularity level reached: 2.]
Adaptive Absorption: Version 2.0 unlocked.
Maximum simultaneous abilities: 5
New feature: Compatibility analysis and automatic fusion.
Zein smiled, exhaling a small golden flame.
—Now we're playing for real.
Later, in the academy's strategy hall, Elaine waited for him beside a holographic crystal.
—Another sleepless night?
—I technically slept… while fusing flames inside my soul. It counts as rest.
Elaine studied him. There was something different. Not just in his energy, but in his eyes. More focused. More… inhuman.
—Are you okay?
Zein hesitated… but nodded.
—Stronger. And that's what matters now.
Elaine didn't fully believe him. But she didn't press.
At that moment, a magical alert echoed throughout the complex.
[Instability detected in the southern sector of the Helgen Forest.]
[Unknown entity emerging from interdimensional node.]
Zein and Elaine looked at each other.
—Another node —they said in unison.
Elaine gripped her staff.
—Let's go.
Zein nodded. But in his mind, one line persisted:
[Each absorbed ability alters your essence.]
And now, three resided within him. One more, and his soul might no longer be his.
But there was no time for fear. The end of the world waited for no one.
As they stepped through the portal into the forest, a shadow watched them from the highest tower of the academy. A hooded figure, with eyes like inverted lightning.
—The fusion has begun —it whispered.
Beside it, a dark mirror showed Zein, engulfed in the Absolute Flame.
—One of the reborn… the first to awaken.
It reached toward the mirror.
—Soon, you will awaken fully. And when you do, you will know the t
ruth of why you were remade.
The figure faded like mist.
And the game… was just beginning.