A deep hum reverberated through Shawn's consciousness, an eerie vibration that distorted the endless void surrounding him. He stood at the center of his mindscape—a vast expanse of flickering lights and unseen currents, a realm of thought and essence. Before him loomed Jarvine, the soul fragment of a being far beyond his current power.
"Impressive," Jarvine mused, his translucent form rippling with a force unseen. "You've grasped more than I expected. But tell me, child, do you truly believe you can stand against me with such feeble control?"
Shawn clenched his fists, feeling the rush of energy coursing through his veins. He had spent a year mastering the first part of the inheritance—Sound Perception—and now, his vision was sharper than ever. Yet, facing a being who wielded both sound and air was something else entirely.
With a flick of his wrist, Jarvine struck first. A spiraling wave of compressed air shot forward, slicing through the void like a blade.
Shawn leaped back, his instincts screaming. He gathered his own energy, whipping the air around him into motion, forming a cyclone barrier to slow the attack. The blade of wind collided against it, shattering into chaotic wisps that spiraled away harmlessly.
Jarvine chuckled. "Clever. But let's see how long you last."
He clapped his hands, and a shockwave of sound blasted outward. The sheer force of the compressed vibrations sent Shawn skidding back, his mental form flickering under the strain. It felt as though his very essence was trembling apart.
'Damn… Sound is even deadlier than I thought,' Shawn grimaced, gritting his teeth as he adjusted his stance.
Elaris watched from beyond the golden chains, tears welling in her eyes. She pressed against the barrier that kept her locked out, her hands trembling. "Shawn, please… you have to hold on!"
Shawn didn't respond. He couldn't afford to.
With a twist of his fingers, he redirected the swirling air around him, condensing it into razor-sharp air blades. With a sweep of his arm, he sent them flying at Jarvine, the whistling projectiles carving through the void.
Jarvine sidestepped, his form blurring like a mirage.
"Predictable."
Before Shawn could react, Jarvine vanished.
His senses screamed. He turned—too late.
A fist, condensed with the sheer power of air pressure, slammed into his gut. Boom! The impact was devastating. Shawn's entire body bent inward from the force, and he was sent spiraling through the mindscape. Pain surged through his soul, raw and unfiltered.
He barely managed to stabilize himself before another attack came. A wave of vibrating sonic spears materialized out of nowhere, all aimed straight for him. Thinking fast, he spun the air around him into a spiraling vortex, bending the trajectory of the deadly spears.
A few still grazed him, carving into his essence, burning like liquid fire.
But Shawn adapted.
He shut his eyes and focused. Silent sound. Echolocation. He let the vibrations tell him everything—the way Jarvine moved, the currents of energy shifting in the space.
His mind sharpened, and in an instant, he counterattacked.
Channeling the wind, he sent a surge of chaotic air bursting out in all directions. It wasn't an elegant attack—no, it was a gamble. Unrefined, unstable, yet fast.
And it worked. For a moment, Jarvine faltered.
Shawn surged forward, twisting his body mid-air and delivering a powerful strike infused with air pressure. It connected. Boom! Jarvine's form wavered, his essence scattering slightly.
Shawn grinned. "Not bad, huh?"
Jarvine let out a low chuckle, his form stabilizing almost immediately. He dusted off his shoulder, his face unreadable. "I suppose you've earned some praise, but…" His tone darkened. "You misunderstand something."
A pulse of power erupted from Jarvine's body.
The air around him solidified, pressing down on Shawn with overwhelming force. His limbs froze. His breath hitched.
Then, Jarvine appeared right in front of him.
"I was just testing you."
Shawn's pupils shrank. He had no time to react.
Jarvine slammed his palm into Shawn's chest. A crushing force surged through him, paralyzing every fiber of his soul. Agony unlike anything he had ever felt tore through him as his entire being was locked in place.
Shawn gasped, his vision going dark.
Jarvine's smirk deepened as he whispered, "Now, let's end this."
He raised his hand, forming a blade of pure sonic destruction—one that could cleave a soul in half.
Elaris screamed, struggling against her chains. "NO!"
Shawn's mind wavered, drowning in pain. His soul flickered, on the verge of collapse.
And just as the blade descended toward him—
Shawn's consciousness trembled as the blade of sound and air was about to cleave his soul in half. His weakened form, battered from the battle against Jarvine, lay powerless as he watched the incoming strike. A surge of emotions flooded his being—despair, frustration, and an undeniable sense of helplessness. He had fought with everything he had, yet it was still not enough.
But just as the blade was about to descend, the space around them distorted.
A violent surge of green energy erupted like a raging tempest, shattering the oppressive force that pinned Shawn down. A silhouette appeared before him, glowing with an ethereal green hue, her presence exuding overwhelming power. Elaris had arrived.
Jarvine's eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible! What is this presence?!"
His confusion turned to horror as he watched his blade dissolve into nothingness the moment it touched Elaris' glowing fingers. The disintegration spread along the weapon's length, consuming it entirely before vanishing like mist in the morning sun.
Elaris turned her gaze towards Jarvine, her usually serene expression twisted in sheer fury. "You dare attempt to take his soul? You are but a mere remnant of what once was. Before me, you hold no power."
Jarvine snarled, regaining his composure, though his instincts screamed at him to flee. "You are nothing but a lingering artifact! Do not assume you can—"
Before he could finish, Elaris vanished from sight. In an instant, she reappeared inches from him, her palm striking his chest. A shockwave burst forth, sending Jarvine hurtling backward, his form cracking from the sheer impact.
Jarvine roared in fury, stabilizing himself midair. "You underestimate me! I am a soul fragment of an ancient being! I will not fall so easily!"
He conjured massive torrents of sound, weaving them into razor-sharp crescents that tore through the void of Shawn's consciousness. The air itself vibrated under his assault, waves of destruction distorting reality.
Elaris stood unfazed. She lifted a single finger, drawing a delicate rune in the air. In an instant, the sound crescents shattered as if they were nothing more than fragile glass. The fragments dissolved into harmless echoes before dissipating completely.
Jarvine gritted his teeth. He lashed out again, twisting the very essence of air and sound into a chaotic storm. "DIE!"
Elaris simply raised her hand. A shimmering barrier of green light expanded from her palm, absorbing the entire attack effortlessly. Then, in the blink of an eye, she appeared beside him and drove her hand through his chest.
A scream of agony erupted from Jarvine as his soul form began to destabilize. His body flickered, the energy within him unraveling at an alarming rate.
"No! This cannot be happening! I am meant for ascension!"
Elaris' eyes glowed brighter. With a mere thought, tendrils of green energy erupted from her body, enveloping Jarvine entirely. His form writhed violently as his very existence began to unravel. He struggled, screaming in desperation, but there was no escape. The energy consumed him, reducing his being to scattered particles of soul energy. With one final wail, he was annihilated, leaving behind nothing but silence.
With the battle over, Elaris turned to Shawn's soul. He was fragile, his essence dim and flickering, on the verge of collapsing. Without hesitation, she wrapped him in her green aura, pouring energy into his dwindling spirit. His essence stabilized, pulsing with newfound vitality.
Yet, just as his consciousness was about to recover, something strange happened.
Shawn's form suddenly stiffened. His breath hitched as an invisible force pulled him inward. His vision blurred, and his surroundings twisted. Before he could react, he found himself standing in an entirely different space.
A vast, endless expanse of red stretched before him, its color reminiscent of molten lava. The air was thick, pulsating with an unknown force. It was neither hot nor cold, but something beyond comprehension.
At the farthest end of the crimson void, a lone figure floated in midair.
Shawn's eyes widened in shock.
It was him.
Or at least… something that looked exactly like him.
"Where am I? Who are you? What am I here for? And why do you look like me?" Were the questions Shawn asked the figure before him.