Raven stared at Pralaya's retreating figure, her expression indifferent. Her eyes lacked even the faintest glint of interest. Without a word, she turned away, as though she had already forgotten he existed. Astrid watched her sister leave, silently.
The door creaked open as Pralaya entered his room. He collapsed onto the bed, the warmth of it wrapping around him like a gentle embrace. He lay there, staring at the ceiling, Michael's words echoing in his mind—"Arun will prepare you before the Red Blood Moon." He also remembered something else Michael had said… about a soul space.
Do I really have something like that? he wondered. He raised his hand—and his karmic energy began to leak out.
Pralaya's eyes widened. His karmic energy, once a translucent hue, had darkened. Now it pulsed with deep shades of violet and black.
That's new, he muttered.
He focused the energy into his palm, compressing it until it formed a sphere—a dark, swirling orb that reminded him of the black hole within his soul space. Acting on instinct, he altered its form again. The sphere liquefied, coating his entire hand in darkness.
He leapt out of bed, startled. Then a thought crossed his mind: I wonder… can I shape this darkness?
Closing his eyes, he focused. Slowly, the darkness began to shift. It wriggled, bent, hardened—and eventually formed into a crude sword made entirely of darkness.
When Pralaya opened his eyes, he stared in disbelief. It wasn't perfect, jagged at the edges and barely balanced, but it was a sword nonetheless.
He smiled.
A second later, his knees buckled. Exhausted, he collapsed back onto the bed. His vision blurred, and within moments, sleep claimed him.
Pralaya awoke on a hard, cold surface.
Groggy and confused, he sat up and looked around. He was in a massive clearing, surrounded by tall grass and silent trees.
Where am I? How did I get here?
He spotted Arun sitting atop a boulder, staring at him calmly. Pralaya stood and made his way over.
"How did I get here?" he asked.
Arun didn't reply at first. He just stared at him with disappointment.
"I carried you here from your room," he finally said. "And you didn't sense a thing. Not when I entered. Not when I moved you. Nothing."
Pralaya stayed silent.
"You may have talent, Pralaya," Arun continued, "but talent without hard work is nothing more than wasted potential."
He stepped closer. "I was going to teach you how to wield a sword. But clearly, we need to start from the basics—sensing your environment. It's not a skill or an ability. It's something all Śūnyavāda learn once they reach the second cycle of the Mortal Core."
He handed Pralaya a white blindfold and a pair of earplugs.
"What are these for?" Pralaya asked.
"You rely too much on your senses," Arun said. "During this training, I'm taking them away. You need to feel the karmic energy around you. Everything—living or not—emits some form of it. Learn to sense that, and even if your eyes are gouged out or your ears sealed shut, you'll still be able to see the world."
He smirked. "Master it, and you might even be able to predict your opponent's next move. It's like… seeing a few seconds into the future."
Seeing into the future? Pralaya couldn't believe it.
Still, he put on the blindfold and earplugs. Darkness and silence swallowed him whole.
"Oh, I forgot to mention," Arun said casually. "I'll be throwing stones at you—infused with karmic energy. They'll hurt a lot more than normal ones. You're not allowed to block them with your own energy. Just sense them and dodge."
"Wait—what?!"
A stone smashed into his chest before he could finish. The impact knocked him back into a nearby tree. Pain exploded through his ribs.
"Clear your mind," Arun said calmly. "Focus on the karmic flow around you."
Pralaya struggled to stand. Another stone struck his leg, and he dropped to one knee in agony. He grit his teeth and pushed past the pain. As he rose, a third stone cracked against his forehead. The world tilted. He nearly passed out but clenched his jaw and steadied himself.
Concentrate, he told himself. Stop flailing. Focus.
He took a deep breath. Suddenly, the world shifted. In his mind, he drifted in a vast black sea—silent, endless. No sight. No sound. Only the ripples of energy flowing through it.
Arun noticed the change. He smiled faintly.
He's beginning to get it.
This time, Arun infused a stone with even more karmic force. He hurled it toward Pralaya's head.
Pralaya, lost in the void-sea, felt a disturbance. A ripple in the void-sea. His body moved on instinct. He tilted his head—just enough.
The stone whooshed past.
Pralaya grinned. "Did you see that? I did it!"
A second later, another stone slammed into his chest.
"Never let your guard down," Arun said, chuckling. "Still… I'm impressed. Let's keep going."
---
They trained for hours. Stone after stone. Blow after blow. Pralaya got hit far more than he dodged, but slowly—steadily—he improved.
Eventually, Arun called it. "That's enough for today."
Pralaya, aching all over, removed the blindfold and earplugs. His body was covered in bruises, a patchwork of pain and progress.
Arun clapped him on the back. "Go take a warm bath, kid. I'm sure you'll find your way back."
Pralaya scowled. "How? I don't even know where I am!"
Arun grinned. "Think of it as part of your training."
Pralaya clenched his fists but said nothing. He turned to leave, but then paused.
"Wait. There's something I want to show you."
He released his karmic energy. The darkness flowed over his right hand like liquid ink. Arun's eyes narrowed.
"I discovered this last night," Pralaya said. "I think I can coat objects with it too."
He walked to a nearby tree and placed his hand on its trunk. The darkness spread. Slowly, the tree was consumed—its bark, leaves, and branches turning pitch black.
Pralaya turned back, beaming. "Cool, right?"
Arun didn't answer at first. He forced a smile and ruffled Pralaya's hair.
"Impressive," he said softly. "But don't show this to anyone. Not yet. Keep it to yourself."
Pralaya blinked, confused. "Okay…"
"Now go. Don't get lost."
Pralaya disappeared into the woods.
Arun turned back to the tree.
As he reached out, the tree dissolved into black mist and vanished.
His eyes narrowed.
Summoning a small flame, Arun burned the ground where the tree had stood.