Inside the Dreamscape
The ground beneath Kael's bare feet was a mirror of obsidian ,smooth, black, yet riddled with hairline cracks that glowed with a smoldering orange, as if the entire realm hovered above a submerged inferno. He stood in silence, chest rising and falling, his muscles trembling with strain. Sweat mixed with blood on his skin, forming rivulets that traced the sharp angles of his bruised body.
Across from him stood himself , the Emperor Dragon version of himself, ageless, towering, and terrifying. His humanoid form shimmered like a mirage, cloaked in black robes etched with flowing purple runes that whispered in a language older than time. Behind him, spectral wings formed from storm clouds arched wide, unfurled like a tapestry of power.
Neither moved. Not yet. Not until the echo of the last blow faded.
Then it began again.
Kael dashed forward, low and fast. His fists cut through the air like tempered blades. The dragon didn't flinch; he caught Kael's first strike with a single palm. The impact thundered like a gong. Kael pivoted, striking with his elbow toward the ribs. Blocked again. He spun and retaliated with a sweeping leg kick that could cleave a tree.
Caught. Thrown.
Kael slammed into the cracked obsidian, sending spiderweb fractures in every direction. He groaned, rolled to his feet, and charged again.
Jab. Cross. Palm thrust. Knee strike. Each move more refined, more controlled. He no longer relied on brute force but the essence of motion itself. His body, though battered, moved with fluidity. Yet the Emperor Dragon countered every move with ease. Grace.
Time blurred. Minutes bled into hours.
Kael struck with a rising knee....parried. Spun into a reverse elbow....deflected. Caught a punch to the jaw. Blood sprayed. He spat, eyes burning. Although it felt like an inescapable loop, he could see it now, the stance, the power between each attack, he was getting the hang of the feeling and although it seemed like a training he knew that the moment he faltered was the moment he dies.
"You won't win with brute stubbornness," the Emperor Dragon finally spoke, voice calm, almost disappointed.
Kael didn't answer. His silence was defiance.
More exchanges. Bones cracked. Knuckles bled. Yet Kael adapted. He began anticipating. His steps flowed better. His strikes found narrow openings.
Then came the pause.
The Emperor Dragon Kael held his hand as he could still feel the slight vibration of an attack that Kael managed to connect to his shoulder after what seemed like days of fighting and bleeding. This was the first time Kael's attack managed to connect.
"Impressive," he said, studying Kael like a craftsman inspecting flawed steel. "You've sharpened yourself. You're beginning to resemble something worthy of memory."
Kael panted. "Is that why you're holding back?"
The Dragon's gaze sharpened. "I've only been using 2% of my strength."
Kael's heart skipped. His pupils dilated.
"Now," the Dragon continued, raising a single finger, "let's try 10."
A violent pulse shook the realm. The obsidian ground shattered open, revealing rivers of molten fire beneath.
Before Kael could make a stance he felt two solid hits to his spinal cord , his insides rattled violently but he spun around to welcome the attacks but only to meet a palm strike slammed into his face sending him bounce on the river of flames beneath the shattered obsidian floor.
.....Kael's body bounced off the floor as chunks of flesh were slowly being ripped off his being by the tribulation lightning.....
While on the surface right outside the volcano, six figures with figures that emanated power stood opposite a single frail looking figure. The volcanic winds howled around her. Elara stood alone, flames wreathed around her body like a blazing armor. Her hazel eyes gleamed with wrath as she faced the six Demi-Gods, each emanating an aura that twisted space itself.
"You're making a mistake," one of them warned, twirling a blade etched in cosmic light.
"No," Elara hissed. "The mistake was thinking I'd let you near him."
She lunged. A spear of flame tore from her palm. The nearest Demi-God blocked it with a shield of crystal frost,but the shield melted upon contact.
Another charged, blade swinging. She ducked, flames coiling around her arms like serpents. She slammed her fists into the ground, and a wave of fire exploded outward, warping the air.
The grass, the stone, even the laws of space—burned. Distorted.
They tried surrounding her. She laughed. "Come closer. Let's see how well you fare in a furnace."
Although she was really scared within her heart because just about a week ago she was just an ordinary student, but she now stood against six Demi-Gods—beings with skin thick enough to abandon pride and gang up on one opponent.
'shameless!'. She spat within. But on her face was the biggest grin she had ever made in her life. She was enjoying this... the thrill of it all...she loved it.
One tried to flank. She spun, grabbing his ankle mid-air. Flames burst from her grip, cooking flesh beneath divine skin. He screamed, retreating.
"She's drawing power from the Emperor's flames!"
"She can't sustain it!"
"Then why are you backing away, coward?"
Their insults echoed, but Elara didn't falter. Every breath she took turned to fire. Every heartbeat fed her rage. She slammed her palms together and a wall of searing flame burst to life, blocking the path to the crater.
"You want him? Burn for it." She said as she charged into their midst once again.
Kael lay face-down, blood spilling into the shattered cracks of the obsidian plain. The Emperor Dragon stood above him, no malice in his eyes ,only indifference.
"You're too slow. Too predictable."
A stomp came crashing down.
Kael rolled.
The obsidian shattered where he'd been.
He coughed blood and spat, eyes glowing red. "You still bleed... like anyone else."
Chains unraveled from Kael's forearms—black, jagged, laced with runes.
"Chains of Azazel," the Dragon murmured, finally intrigued.
Kael surged forward with determination and defiance written all over his face. The chains flew forward but grabbed nothing. But he didn't pause for a second, he spun and the chains howled in the air going towards the direction he had felt a slight fluctuation but they missed.
...Caught.
...Grazed.
Finally one wrapped around the Dragon's arm.
He pulled.
Kael resisted.
Another flurry. This time Kael defended. Barely. A foot nearly took his head...but he ducked. A fist struck his ribs...he absorbed and countered. The pain sharpened him.
Every movement now was precise. Every dodge a near-death brush.
His body broke.
Reformed.
Broke again.
And still he stood.
The Emperor Dragon's eyes shimmered with golden flames.
"You're still not enough."
Kael wiped blood from his eyes. He said nothing but took a simple stance , he stood straight like a spear with arms wide spread and chains latched and curled around them to the shoulder. His appearance was nothing but horrifying to look upon, blood dripped from every single part of him, his chest was bare with fist size holes dug on it. His muscles were tensed that each vein bulged and the wings on his back seemed to have lost a significant amount of feathers. But there was not even a single ounce of pain or fear written on his being, he stood like a statue, cold gaze , sharp eyes and firm stance.
The Dragon smiled.
And unleashed power Kael couldn't fathom.
Kael met it head-on.