The pain arrived all at once. Atheline’s body locked in place as though every muscle had suddenly forgotten how to move.
His vision blurred, then whitened. A torrent of ancient Aether exploded through every meridian in his body with overwhelming violence.
He crashed onto one knee, one hand slamming against the cold stone floor to stop himself from collapsing completely. The impact echoed throughout the silent chamber.
A strangled groan escaped his lips.
This was unlike any breakthrough he had ever experienced. It wasn’t simply painful; it felt as though something buried deep within him was being forced awake.
"Atheline!"
Lilith appeared beside him instantly. Dark Aether surged from her body, forming countless protective barriers around the two of them.
Her first thought was that they had triggered another trap. Her perception spread throughout the chamber but found n
The cave remained completely still. The spiders hadn’t returned, the whispers had vanished, and even the floating orb was gone.
Only Atheline’s body radiated an overwhelming pressure that continued rising with every passing second.
His breathing became ragged. Every heartbeat sent another wave of unbearable agony through his body.
His meridians felt as though molten metal had been poured directly into them. Aether rushed through channels that had never carried such power before. Tiny cracks began appearing beneath his hand as uncontrolled energy leaked into the stone floor.
Lilith knelt beside him.
"What is happening?"
He tried to answer, but only a pained gasp escaped.
Then, he heard it, within his soul.
[Seal recognized.]
[Beginning authorization.]
Before Atheline could comprehend the meaning, another wave of power erupted inside him.
Something shattered deep inside of him. Invisible chains wrapped around his core suddenly fractured. Golden cracks spread across them before one link after another exploded into countless fragments of light.
The pressure inside his body instantly multiplied. His Wind Aether, which had remained calm for years, erupted like a hurricane. Lightning answered, then water, earth, fire, and ice.
Every elemental affinity he possessed surged violently, filling his meridians until it felt as though his body would tear itself apart.
Lilith’s eyes widened. She had never witnessed Aether behave like this. Normally, a breakthrough gathered power from the surrounding world. This was the complete opposite.
The power came from within him, as though a vast ocean hidden inside his body had finally broken through a dam.
The chamber trembled, dust drifting from the ceiling. The very air distorted around Atheline.
His power began climbing.
SSS Class.
It lasted only a heartbeat. The invisible wall separating SSS Class from the Mystic Realm crumbled without resistance. A violent shockwave burst from his body.
Lilith instinctively raised another barrier. The pressure swept across the chamber before crashing harmlessly into the walls.
It started with early Mystic Realm; there was no pause or a chance to stabilize. His power continued ascending relentlessly.
Atheline clenched his teeth so hard he tasted blood. Every instinct told him to stop, to force the power back and slow the breakthrough.
He couldn’t.
The torrent ignored his will entirely. It flowed according to rules older than the kingdoms, older than recorded history. He wasn’t guiding it but enduring it.
Another invisible seal shattered. The sound echoed only within his consciousness.
[Second Restriction Removed.]
His body arched violently. Power flooded his limbs, his muscles strengthened, his bones vibrated, and even his senses sharpened dramatically.
He could hear tiny grains of dust falling through the chamber. He could feel every current of air brushing against his skin.
He could even perceive the slow pulse of ancient Aether sleeping within the surrounding stone. Everything became astonishingly clear.
The pressure continued climbing. Middle Mystic, late Mystic, then peak Mystic. Only then did it stop. The violent torrent that had threatened to destroy him gradually calmed.
The hurricane became a breeze, and the blazing inferno settled into quiet embers. Silence slowly returned.
Atheline remained kneeling, sweat dripping steadily from his face onto the stone floor. His clothes clung to his body, soaked through. Every muscle trembled from exhaustion.
For several long moments, he simply breathed.
He was alive.
Lilith finally released the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding.
"...You did it."
Atheline let out a tired laugh.
"I wasn’t sure I would."
He slowly stood. His legs wavered briefly before steadying. The moment he fully straightened, his eyes widened. Everything felt different.
The cave no longer seemed dark; his perception extended naturally in every direction, and he could sense the flow of Aether hidden within the mountain itself.
He could distinguish the lingering traces left behind by creatures that had walked these tunnels centuries ago. The world had become infinitely more vivid.
He slowly clenched one hand. Wind gathered instinctively around his fingers. Unlike before, there was no effort. The element obeyed as naturally as breathing.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"So this... is Peak Mystic."
Lilith nodded.
"The difference is obvious."
She studied him carefully.
"Your aura... It’s completely transformed."
Atheline closed his eyes. His consciousness descended toward his core. He wanted to understand what had changed.
The moment he looked, he froze. His core had grown considerably larger. The six elemental lights he had always possessed revolved peacefully around its center. They appeared brighter than ever before.
Yet, there was something else.
Deep within the center of his core, another light flickered. It remained faint, almost invisible. Unlike the other six, it possessed no recognizable color. Sometimes it appeared silver, then transparent, then every color at once before fading again.
It struggled to emerge; again and again. Each attempt ended the same way. Invisible chains wrapped around it, forcing it back into silence.
Atheline frowned.
"What..."
He concentrated. The mysterious light pulsed once more, completely different from every element he already possessed. For a brief instant, he felt as though reality itself bent slightly around it, then the chains tightened.
The light disappeared.
His eyes opened.
Lilith immediately noticed his expression.
"What is it?"
"I don’t know."
He shook his head slowly.
"I think..." He hesitated. "...there’s another element inside my core."
Her eyes widened.
"Another?"
He nodded.
"It tried to awaken, but something is preventing it."
He described the strange light and the chains suppressing it. Lilith listened thoughtfully before answering.
"If the orb truly removed the seals, it may not have removed all of them."
Atheline considered her words. It made sense. Whatever had happened was incomplete. The power increase had succeeded, but the awakening had not.
He smiled helplessly.
"I suppose I was being greedy."
Lilith raised an eyebrow.
"You’ve just crossed directly from SSS Class to Peak Mystic. You survived something that should have torn your body apart, and you’re disappointed because you didn’t awaken another element?"
He laughed.
"When you put it that way... It does sound unreasonable."
He looked down at his hands once more. Power coursed calmly through every meridian; there was no instability, damage, or lingering pain.
Against all expectations... His body had endured the impossible leap. Whatever the orb had entrusted to him, it hadn’t simply increased his strength. It had restored something that should never have been sealed.
Atheline slowly looked toward the now-empty space where the orb had once floated. He bowed his head in silent gratitude.
"I don’t know who left that behind. Whether it was the Supreme Sovereign or someone else, but..." He closed his hand gently. "I won’t waste the gift."
Lilith smiled faintly.
"Good."
She glanced toward the tunnel leading back through the ancient cave.
"Because I have a feeling... our journey is only just beginning."