Beneath his feet was not solid ground, but water. Not a pond or lake, but a perfectly still, mirror-like surface that reflected nothing. His heart hammered wildly as he jumped back, expecting to fall through and drown. Yet his feet stayed firm, standing on the water as if it were stone.

The emptiness stretched endlessly. No horizon, no sky, no sun. Just a boundless expanse of glassy water and gray mist.

"Where am I?" Auren's voice was barely a whisper, yet it echoed strangely, swallowed by the void. "Ryvek? Ryvek, are you here?"

Only silence answered, cold and unyielding.

Step by cautious step, Auren moved forward, the water beneath him firm and unchanging. His breath caught in his throat as a deep voice shattered the stillness-a voice so heavy and commanding it seemed to shake the very surface of the water.

"Welcome, Unwritten One."

A shadowed giant's face materialized from the gray fog, eyes glowing with ancient knowledge and power. The immense figure loomed, its voice booming and full of authority.

Auren's knees buckled, and he dropped to the watery floor, trembling as his eyes locked onto the enormous shadow.

"W-who are you?" His voice trembled.

"I am your Affinity-your mental form, your emotions, your very essence," the shadow said. "I am everything you are."

"A-affinity?" Auren whispered, confusion mixing with fear.

The giant nodded slowly. "Yes. It is your power. The source of your strength and your spirit."

"Are you going to hurt me?" Auren's voice cracked, fear warring with curiosity.

"As your mental self, your death would mean mine. I exist only as long as you do," the figure replied solemnly.

Relief washed over Auren, and he let out a shaky breath.

"Why am I here? What is this place?" he asked, standing shakily.

"This is your world, your dimension," the shadow answered. "Here, you control everything. You can create, change, and grow. Anything you learn here, you carry back to the Overworld."

Auren's eyes brightened with a spark of hope and ambition. "So I can master my Fate and Time abilities here?"

"Yes," the shadow smiled faintly. "But you must learn to believe in yourself first."

"How do I return? And when I return, how do I come back here?" Auren questioned.

"You leave as you imagine," the shadow explained. "To return to the Overworld, sleep and think of this place. To come back, do the same."

The water ceased trembling as Auren's own body steadied.

"It's time for you to go. Noon has already come in the Overworld," the shadow said.

Auren blinked, the void dissolving into light.

He woke with a start, his lungs filling with fresh air. Ryvek was still asleep beside him, his chest rising and falling in steady rhythm.

Auren frowned. "He should be working already." The air smelled strange-something metallic, heavy.

He stood from the hay bed and gently shook Ryvek's shoulder, but the older man was deep in slumber. A small smile flickered across Auren's face. "Guess he overworked himself yesterday."

Peering through the window, Auren's breath caught. The village outside was a nightmare-ruined homes with gnarled roots bursting through walls, vines twisting like serpents, and villagers pierced cruelly by enormous, wooden spikes hanging in the air.

His knees buckled, and he slid to the ground in shock and fear.

Crawling back to Ryvek's bed, he looked at the green thread glowing faintly from Ryvek's back-their lifeline. "Is that why he's still alive?" Relief and worry mixed in his chest.

Without hesitation, Auren slapped Ryvek lightly but with a pulse of power. Ryvek jerked awake, sitting up instantly, ready to scold-but faltered when he saw Auren's pale, terrified face.

"What's wrong?" Ryvek asked softly.

Auren pointed silently to the window.

Ryvek's face went cold as he stood and approached the window, eyes wide with disbelief.

Without a word, he scooped Auren onto his back and hurried downstairs.

Auren clung tightly as Ryvek moved swiftly through the dimly lit workshop. But instead of heading for the exit, Ryvek opened a trapdoor hidden beneath a rug-a secret even a keen eye might miss-and descended a long ladder into darkness.

At the bottom, they entered a massive armory-walls lined with swords, axes, daggers, and armor sets. The smell of metal and leather filled the air, mixing with dust and faint smoke.

"Alright," Ryvek said, setting Auren down gently. "Get off my back. You're too big for me to carry all the time."

Auren nodded, wide-eyed, and took in the weapons with a mix of awe and hesitation.

Ryvek pulled on a chestplate and shoulder armor-simple but sturdy-and gripped a heavy waraxe, its blade gleaming dully.

"You're still too young to wield a weapon properly," Ryvek warned, eyeing Auren's small sword.

Auren met Ryvek's gaze fiercely, unafraid.

"Fine," Ryvek grunted, smirking.

Auren took off his brown coat and donned a leather chestplate and shoulder guards.

Ryvek handed him a scarf. "This was my father's. Take it."

Auren wrapped the scarf around his neck, feeling the weight of history and protection.

"Ready to leave?" Ryvek asked, taking Auren's hand.

Auren nodded silently, determination sparking in his eyes.

Together, they ran through the tunnel. The narrow walls closed in, damp and cold, until they reached a sturdy door.

Ryvek pushed it open.

A fresh breeze greeted them as they stepped into the forest's edge.

But then, without warning, thick roots burst up from the ground behind them, sealing the tunnel entrance with a living wall of wood and vines.

The forest seemed to hold its breath.

A voice cut through the silence-cold, mocking, familiar.

"I was waiting for you." A pale skinned, messy haired man came from the forest. Auren knew who he was as soon as he saw him.

"Y-You!" auren yelled out.

"Yes, me." The so called guide spoke out, "I guess I haven't introduced myself properly yet, Im virion." 

The moment Virion stepped through the forest's shadow, the air thickened with a strange energy. His pale face looked like death itself had breathed on it-skin almost translucent, eyes hollow and sharp as daggers. A slight breeze rustled the leaves, but the feeling wasn't peaceful; it was a warning.

"You think you can just walk out of here?" Virion's voice was cold, a blade cutting through the quiet. "This place belongs to the plants now. You have no right."

Ryvek didn't flinch. He planted his feet firmly in the earth, gripping his waraxe with a steady hand, though blood dripped from fresh cuts on his arms and face. His eyes burned with fierce protectiveness, and the lines of worry were etched deep in his brow.

"You'll have to go through me first," Ryvek growled, stepping in front of Auren. "This boy's under my protection."

Virion's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Protection? From me? You're a fool."

Before Ryvek could respond, he raised his waraxe high and slammed it into the ground with all his strength.

The earth beneath them trembled and cracked. Jagged stone cones erupted violently from the soil, forming a cage around Virion. The spikes rose fast and sharp, surrounding the pale man like a prison of granite.

Virion sneered, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "Stone Affinity, huh? Such a raw, simple power."

With a furious roar, Virion stretched out his hands. The roots at his feet writhed violently, glowing green with energy. They twisted and surged upward like snakes, shattering the stone cage with bone-cracking force. The ground exploded, sending shards of rock and dirt flying in every direction.

The roots weren't done. They lashed out at Ryvek and Auren, aiming to ensnare and pierce them.

Ryvek's instincts took over. He raised a thick wall of stone from the earth, the jagged surface rough and unyielding. The roots slammed against the barrier, twisting and writhing but failing to break through immediately.

"Hold steady!" Ryvek shouted, sweat and blood mingling on his skin.

He planted his foot against the stone wall and kicked it with all his might.

The wall surged forward like a battering ram, hurtling toward Virion with tremendous force.

Virion leapt backward just in time, using giant leaves like wings to glide through the air. The leaves shimmered with a sickly green light, rustling softly as he flew.

From above, he threw a deadly hail of razor-sharp leaves. They cut through the air like thrown knives, their edges gleaming as they sliced toward Ryvek.

Ryvek grunted as the first few leaves struck his arm, tearing skin and drawing blood. The pain was sharp but didn't slow him down.

"Argh!" Ryvek yelled, lifting his waraxe in a powerful arc.

At that moment, the ground beneath Ryvek burst open. A stone pillar exploded upward, launching him into the air with violent force.

While soaring, Ryvek swung his waraxe with all his remaining strength.

The blade met flesh with a sickening slash. Virion screamed as his arm was cut clean off, blood spraying from the wound.

The severed arm thrashed for a moment before falling to the ground.

Virion staggered, shocked and furious.

He lashed out with the remaining roots, sharper and faster than before, piercing Ryvek's back with cruel precision.

The pain was fierce, but Ryvek gritted his teeth and stayed on his feet.

Both fighters panted heavily, sweat mixing with blood as they stared each other down.

Ryvek roared and charged forward again, waraxe raised high.

But just before he could strike, a hand grabbed his shoulder.

It was Auren.

His eyes shone with a brilliant, unnatural white light-like pure energy glowing from within.

"Don't," Ryvek warned, voice thick with pain.

But Auren ignored him.

With a speed that blurred the air, Auren closed the distance between himself and Virion.

From Virion's perspective, Auren was a boy-small, harmless-pointing a finger.

Suddenly, before Virion could react, Auren was there, grabbing his head with a strength no child should have.

With terrifying force, Auren slammed Virion's skull into the cracked ground.

The impact shook the earth. Cracks spiderwebbed from the spot where Virion hit.

Virion howled in pain, his life thread-the glowing green line running from his back-flaring red and snapping like a broken cord.

"Pathetic," Auren said coldly, his voice low but filled with power.

Ryvek stepped forward, stunned, watching as Auren's eyes flashed with blinding white light-an endless, burning void of energy.

"Auren," Ryvek called softly, trying to reach the boy beneath the power.

"Auren!" he repeated louder.

The white light faded.

Auren's emerald green eyes returned, calm but distant.

"Did I beat him?" Auren asked quietly.

Ryvek smiled, trying to hide his relief.

"Yes. You did."

Ryvek's heavy breaths came in shallow bursts. The thin cuts and bruises scattered across his arms and face throbbed sharply with every movement. Yet, even as exhaustion tugged at his muscles, his gaze remained steady-sharp and resolute.

"Oi, boy," Ryvek said, his voice rough bu