The impact from the gateway transition was deafening, though only to Zoran. While he did not break a single bone or receive any external injuries, a deep, jarring ache resonated through his muscles and skeleton from the sheer violence of the crash landing.
In Zoran's head, Rage laughed, the sound a resonant, echoing boom.
"Ha ha ha ha, ohh my days!" Rage roared. "Kid, you got yourself crashing like a fool. Oh my… you have really made my day, AHHH HAHAAHA!"
Still wincing, Zoran tried to push himself up. Rage's constant, mocking laughter made the simple task feel like fighting through tar. With an annoying scowl painting his face, Zoran bit back, "Okay, that's enough. Let's get serious."
He spat a mouthful of dirt and pine needles onto the mossy earth.
"I crash-landed in an unknown place, and I'm not even sure it's Terra, because of how the gateway acted."
Finally forcing himself off the splintered boulder he'd slammed into, Zoran pushed upright and took a moment to look around.
The change hit him instantly. He finally felt the gravitational difference—he felt light, almost buoyant, as if his Aether-dense body was too heavy for this gentle world.
Around him stood colossal trees, ancient oaks and pines whose canopies seemed to kiss the sky. The sky itself was no longer the oppressive, bruised purple of the Void or the harsh gold of the Divine Realm.
It was a soft, shifting blue, marbled with a slow flow of greyish clouds. The air was crisp, clean, and carried the scent of rain and wet earth.
This very environment broke the stoicism he had carried for seven years. The familiar wind, the smell of home—it washed over him. He felt a burning pressure behind his eyes, the long-held grief and yearning for Terra rising up like a tidal wave. As a man, a Prince, he fought it down, hardening his resolve.
Finally, he thought, his jaw tight. I'm home. And I'm ready to take back what was taken.
***
After admiring the long-missed environment, Zoran decided to check for threats. He focused his intent on the massive oak tree closest to him, intending to leap to a high branch to survey the surrounding forest.
He crouched low, mentally bracing to unleash the power necessary to clear the towering canopy. He jumped with the force he would have used back in the Divine Realm.
The result was a terrifying shock.
WHOOSH!
Instead of landing on the branch, he shot past the canopy in a blurring streak, clearing the towering oak by twenty feet. He was suddenly airborne, floating above the forest roof, the wind whipping his hair and coat.
Panicked, Zoran twisted in the air and grabbed desperately for the thick, ancient branches below him, finally snagging a large limb and swinging down with a jarring thump.
He clung there, heart hammering, staring at the ground a terrifying distance below.
Is this even meant to happen? he thought, his disbelief echoing louder than his fear.
"Well, dumbass," Rage's voice, now amused rather than mocking, immediately answered the question.
"The gravitational difference between Terra and the Divine Realm we just came from is about five times. You're built for the Divine weight class. Here, you're natural stronger, faster, and hit harder than anything this planet has seen in centuries."
In shock, Zoran finally allowed his senses to fully register the gravitational change. He felt the sheer, raw, physical power coiling in his limbs—a strength he had grown accustomed to suppressing.
This realization suddenly explained how he walked away from smashing into a boulder without a scratch.
A rush of pride, warm and intoxicating, filled his chest. A small, genuine smile touched his face. I am probably the strongest person physical on this planet.
The moment the thought solidified, Rage's voice cut in, sharp and dismissive.
"Just because you're a little bit strong physically does not mean you are strong. The enemy has Aether and the tech to match. With the right augmentation, anyone can replicate your experience in this world. Physical strength is merely a foundation, Prince. Don't be a brute."
The last word felt like a physical slap, instantly leaving Zoran sore and humbled. Right. Business.
Zoran dropped silently from the tree branch and landed on the forest floor, the ground barely whispering under his feet. He immediately expanded his King's Aura, pushing his Aether out to feel the pulse of the surrounding environment and search for potential enemies—a standard reflex drilled into him by Commander Voran.
That's when the new, profound shock hit him.
Before entering the portal, Zoran could effortlessly stretch his Aether-sense to a fifty-kilometer radius. Now, the sphere of influence felt shrunken, choked, struggling to reach even twenty kilometers. It had been reduced by more than half, and the energy itself felt thin and sluggish.
The tug-of-war struggle inside the dimensional gateway had done more than just cause a painful landing; it had severely taxed and sealed the vast majority of his Aether core, leaving him with only a fraction of its former power.
Zoran's eyes widened, his expression twisting into shock and confusion. "What the hell happened to all the Aether in my core?" he whispered, the sound raw.
To him, this felt no different than being crippled. The sudden thought of having to start the grinding process of cultivation all over again—all the memories of pain and endless training—made him physically ill.
Ignoring the fear, he checked the environment again. The radius might be small, but it was pristine. Confident that no active threats were in his immediate vicinity, he slid into a cross-legged position against the base of the oak. He had to regain his strength, and quickly.
He sighed, the sound escaping him heavy with resignation. Terra held a much smaller amount of natural Aether in the air compared to the Divine Realm, meaning it would take exponentially longer to cultivate the quantity he needed.
Focus, he commanded himself.
He first sensed the dense, pure remnants of Aether in his core, the last vestiges of his time in the Divine Realm. Next, he expanded his senses, using his own Aether as a subtle attractant to pull in the wispy, localized energy around him—from the damp air, the moss, and the deep-rooted plants. It was not as pure, but it was clean and workable. Slowly, surely, he began to gather the essence of Terra.
Zoran sat motionless in the heart of the forest, a perfect statue. The woods, seemingly untouched by the Legion's taint, grew accustomed to his stillness. Small, timid forest creatures—field mice, a foraging hare, and a family of shrews—began to move around him. A brightly-colored bird even landed on a low branch above, occasionally sniffing the gold embroidery on Zoran's shoulder, trying to categorize the strange, silent new rock in their domain.
He found a rare, profound peace in the concentration. The pain of the crash and the fear of his weakened core receded as he focused on the slow, painstaking process of drawing energy.
Three hours passed. The sun shifted, and the shadows grew long.
In all that time, he had only managed to collect a meager tenth of his previously available Aether. It was a depressing pace, but he was home, and this was the work required. He was completely focused, his mind locked onto the ebb and flow of the elemental energy around him.
Then, the cultivation was violently interrupted.
It was sound that was profoundly and loud almost like a monsters roar:
GBRRR... GBRRR...