The black wave had engulfed Alpha, Aiden, and Haco. A deathly silence reigned over the entire city. Only the sounds of the dark beast's breathing and the black wave could be heard. The black wave emitted a very concentrated sound, as if one were placing their hands over their ears, trying to listen to the surrounding noise.
The beast began to approach the black wave where Alpha and the two Pupils were engulfed. Suddenly, a scream echoed:
"Aaaaaaghhhhh!!"
An orange glow shone inside the black wave. Suddenly, a pillar of fire erupted, rising dozens of meters high, dispersing the black wave.
One could see Aiden in the remnants of the dissipating black wave. He was breathing heavily, his eyes were a light orange, always with that small glow in the center of his pupils that moved in sync with the movements of his head. His medium-length hair, reaching the lobes of his ears, was a flame orange, with a gradual yellow gradient towards the bottom. This was the typical hair color of the Blaze family, originating from the Southern continent: Azrath.
The fire was present around him and everywhere in his surroundings. After such an intense display of power, blood was flowing from his eyes. It was the backlash of excessive power usage, especially for a Pupils of the Glow rank.
The black wave has the ability to absorb and restrict power. Aiden was only able to survive thanks to the relic, which allowed him to buy some time. Without it, he would probably already be dead.
The peace didn't last. The dark beast opened its mouth, and darkness began to gather in front of it, forming a sphere. Aiden thought he had a moment of respite, but who, in this world, would let their enemy take the time to gather energy to get themselves killed? Even a beast devoid of conscious thought could understand that.
The beast exhaled, and the sphere of darkness transformed into a beam, speeding toward Aiden before exploding. The earth, trees, and remaining houses were thrown into the air by the shockwave of the sphere. It was the power of a dark beast from the black wave.
Everything was over... or almost.
Suddenly, the dark beast felt something on its body. It looked down and saw hundreds of scarlet red threads attached to it. It looked around.
To its right, standing on the ruins of the houses, a man with white hair and scarlet red eyes, a magnificent glow shimmering in his gaze. It was Alpha, a Pupils of the Brilliance rank.
Haco stood right behind him, not understanding the situation. Only Aiden knew that Alpha was a Pupils, but what shocked him even more were his scarlet red pupils.
Since the dawn of time, the Pupils have always been superior beings, surpassing the logic of the world far more than the beasts, which were devoid of human logic.
The Pupils have different colored pupils, each using a unique power. The most common among the Pupils are the elementals. Blue pupils use water and ice, green pupils use earth and vegetation, orange pupils use fire, while gray pupils use lightning and wind.
There are also special pupils that stand out for their rare powers. Silver pupils use light, black pupils use darkness, golden pupils use time, and finally, purple pupils use spirits.
Although the pupils use the power of the glow, this brilliance in their eyes, it all depends on how they are used: technique, concentration, repetition of movements, activation of the glow, control of it... Many factors must be taken into account to master these pupils and hope to reach a higher rank, although this is extremely rare.
But why was Haco shocked to see the red pupils? Because they were considered a legend. Anyone who has learned about the four continents knows that special pupils are rare, but Alphas are considered a forgotten manuscript. Only those who have witnessed these pupils could tell stories about them.
Alpha made his eyes shine, and the beast began to howl. It turneds toward him, opening its mouth, ready to unleash the dark sphere again. Alpha slightly raised his right hand, and several threads detached from the beast, forming a dazzling red scarlet sphere. He raised his finger, and it moved toward the beast's belly before quickly sucking in its entire body with incredible speed and utter silence.
The dark beast of the black wave was now dead.
He had killed the beast in less than 5 seconds, simply by raising his finger. That was the power of a Brilliance rank.
Aiden had survived and was watching the scene with his eyes wide open. Haco was still in shock. The Brilliance rank was one level above the Glow rank, but the difference between the two was astronomical. While Aiden could cause an explosion and let fire accumulate in the city, if Alpha had used this technique on the city, he would have razed the entire city of the northern continent.