Leon raised an eyebrow, blood trailing from his chin. "Another lesson?"
The elder nodded slowly, the obsidian staff in his hand tapping once against the stone floor, echoing like a heartbeat.
"You have already unlocked the Fourth Layer—Absolute Return," he said, his voice low and heavy with significance. "But what you wield is only its surface. What lies beyond is not written in our scrolls. It is the forgotten refinement, the silent resonance buried in blood and instinct."
Leon narrowed his eyes. "You're saying there's more?"
The elder stepped closer, placing a clawed hand gently on Leon's shoulder.
"There is a Fifth—the Forbidden Layer: True Resonance. A state where body, pulse, and trauma echo not outward, but inward—folded into perfection. It cannot be taught. Only felt. And only by those who've died and stood up anyway."
The silence that followed was weighty.
Leon exhaled, heart still racing from the Fleshglass battle. "Where do I find it?"
