(Opening Scene: Zane, crowned in shadow and radiating dark purple energy, stands before the towering energy construct. The arena is silent, the other applicants and instructors watching in stunned awe.)
The energy construct, sensing a shift in power, hesitated. It took a step back, its energy blade wavering slightly. Zane felt a surge of power coursing through him, unlike anything he had experienced before. The familiar cold darkness felt amplified, focused. It was as if the brush with death had unlocked a new, terrifying potential.
He raised the Null Blade, and this time, instead of its usual solid form, it began to fracture. But these weren't the controlled Void Fragments he had learned to wield. The blade shattered into countless shards of pure shadow, far more numerous and intense than before. They pulsed with the same dark purple energy that emanated from his eyes, a deadly swarm of obsidian fragments.
With a snap of his fingers, Zane unleashed the swarm. The fragments flew towards the energy construct with impossible speed, a chaotic torrent of sharpened darkness. The simulation, designed to withstand even the most potent elemental attacks, stood no chance.
The fragments tore through the energy construct, its form dissolving into fractured light. The arena, designed to contain the simulated battles, began to crack and tremble under the force of Zane's attack.
Instructors scrambled to activate a teleportation barrier, whisking the other applicants out of the arena to prevent collateral damage. Astrid, her face a mask of awe and concern, was among those teleported away, her gaze fixed on Zane.
In moments, the simulation was obliterated. The energy construct was gone, the arena was damaged, and Zane stood amidst the dissipating shadows, the dark purple light fading from his eyes. The surge of power had vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving him drained and weak. He swayed, then collapsed, falling into unconsciousness.
Astrid, along with Zephyr, immediately teleported back into the arena, rushing to his side. The instructors watched, their faces a mixture of shock and a dawning realization of the immense, and potentially dangerous, power they had just witnessed.
(End of Chapter