That night, Saruto tossed and turned in his bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, his mind replaying the words of the Queen of Hell and the events in the Kingdom of Light. Each time he tried to close his eyes, her voice echoed in his mind: "You must choose only one..."
He sighed heavily, rose resolutely from his bed, and decided to unburden himself through training.
He entered the Time Chamber, a place whose secrets were known only to his family. There, where time seemed to double, he began to unleash his aura, throwing blows, breathing heavily, and shouting into the void as if confronting the ghosts of his own decisions. Every movement was an explosion of his rage, every drop of sweat a reflection of the burden weighing him down.
But suddenly, amidst the echo of his breath and the crash of his blows, a familiar figure materialized before him. A man in noble robes appeared, his features imposing, his eyes gleaming.
He spoke in a quiet but firm voice:
"What are you doing here, Saruto?"
Saruto froze, his heart pounding.
"Ethan… what are you doing here?"
Ethan, the First Founder's servant, smiled.
"It's you. What are you doing here at this hour?"
Saruto knelt down, sighed, and began to recount his encounter with the Queen of Hell and Light, and his conversation with Lucien. He held nothing back, as if he had finally found an unbiased ear.
Ethan listened silently, then said in a decisive tone,
"So… you want to help Lucien train?"
Saruto nodded. "Yes. But he's not family. I can't bring him into the Time Chamber for training. I've thought long and hard and haven't found a solution."
Ethan shook his head slowly.
"I'm sorry… he can't enter the Time Chamber. But… there's something else."
Saruto looked up expectantly. "What do you mean?"
Ethan approached, his eyes glowing mysteriously.
"There's an ancient skill called Warrior Realm Formation."
Saruto's eyes widened. "Warrior Realm? What is it?"
Ethan smiled enigmaticly, then extended his hand, conjuring a vast spherical space around them. A tremendous black energy enveloped them as if they were in the heart of a blazing star.
"It's a skill that allows you to create your own world," he said in a deep voice. "You surround yourself with black lion energy in the form of a giant sphere… then precisely compress that energy into the center. If you fail, you will harm yourself, perhaps even lose your life."
Saruto's heart trembled, but his eyes flashed with determination. "And can I master it?"
"It's the same skill the Three Founders used when you visited them in that state of total concentration," Ethan replied. "However, their skill was far more advanced, for they refined it into entire worlds." It's also like a time chamber; even time seems to drag here.
As he spoke, the scene around them shifted, and an imaginary world took shape… vast lands, a blazing sky, and howling winds, as if they were in a separate universe. Ethan raised his hand, and everything vanished, returning them to the time chamber.
Then, looking directly into Saruto's eyes, he said,
"So, what do you think of this skill?"
Without hesitation, the spark in his eyes returned, Saruto replied,
"It's exactly what I need… Thank you, Ethan."
Ethan smiled proudly, then gestured for him to prepare.
"Then, let's begin your training. I'll supervise you myself. But remember… this skill isn't easy. Any small mistake could kill you."
Saruto began his training. He raised his hands and gathered his dark energy, a massive sphere slowly forming in the air, undulating and turbulent like a beast refusing to be restrained. He pressed it with all his might toward the center, just as Ethan had taught him, but the minute he needed to find his balance betrayed him… and suddenly, the sphere exploded.
The room shook violently, and the blast recoiled into Saruto's body. His chest was ripped open, and blood gushed from his mouth as he staggered backward. His body convulsed, his veins bulging, as if his heart were about to stop.
But the Time Chamber did what was impossible anywhere else. Its walls emitted a faint light that healed his mangled body, restored his breath, and prevented him from dying. He opened his eyes moments later, his face pale, his breathing ragged. Ethan said sternly,
"You failed."
Saruto gritted his teeth, stood up, and tried again. Another sphere formed, and he pressed it with greater precision… but the pressure betrayed him once more.
This time, his insides were ripped open, and pain pierced him like spears until he screamed as he writhed on the floor. His heart nearly burst, but the Time Chamber healed him at the last moment.
"Don't rush it!" Ethan said sternly. "If you don't control the precision, you'll die."
But Saruto, his eyes blazing, replied as he rose again, "Even if it costs me my life… I won't stop."
He tried a third, a fourth, a fifth time… and each time he collapsed, writhing in pain until he lost consciousness, then rose again with stubborn determination. By early morning, his body was covered in internal bruises, his lips smeared with blood, his clothes stained with sweat and blood. Yet he remained standing, trying, as if pain had become his fuel. Finally, Ethan raised his hand and stopped him. "That's enough. It's morning."
He looked at Saruto with a stern gaze, but one that held a hint of admiration. "If you continue at this pace, you'll destroy yourself before you succeed. But I haven't seen such tenacity since the days of the original founder. Now get ready to go to the Academy." This training will continue… but not today."
Saruto sat on the floor, panting, his eyes half-closed with exhaustion, but he whispered hoarsely,
"I will succeed… even if I fail a thousand times."
A small smile touched Ethan's lips, then he vanished like a fading shadow, leaving the young heir to gather his strength for another day on his long journey. In a row at the front, the heirs gathered in the spacious hall. Sunlight streamed through the high windows, illuminating the rows of seats where everyone sat in neat lines. But Saruto was different this time; his face was pale, his eyes heavy with dark circles, and his movements unusually slow.
A few heirs began whispering amongst themselves:
"He looks exhausted. What happened to him?"
"Was he up all night?"
But no one dared ask directly.
Lucien, who was sitting beside him, turned to him with his sharp blue eyes and said in a low voice,
"What's wrong, Saruto? Did you sleep last night, or were you up all night?"
Saruto slowly raised his head and replied with a faint smile that masked his weariness, "I only slept a little... Don't worry."
Lucien shook his head unconvinced, but didn't press further. As soon as the professor began the lesson, explaining new principles of aura manipulation on a broader scale, Saroto's eyelids grew heavier. He couldn't resist the exhaustion that had accumulated from his grueling training in the Time Chamber.
In the middle of the hall, while everyone was paying close attention, Saroto closed his eyes without realizing it, and slumped his heavy body onto the table, falling into a deep sleep as if he hadn't slept in days.
The professor paused for a moment and looked at him, then smiled enigmatically without comment, while some of the heirs chuckled lightly, thinking him lazy or indifferent.
But Lucien continued to look at him intently, pondering the secret his friend was hiding.