The scene became obscure, swallowed by a haze of swirling smoke that drifted lazily through the air, thick enough to distort the atmosphere itself. Through that murky veil, Asher's figure slowly emerged. His previously flawless skin was now marred by soot and dirt, breaking the usual perfection that clung to him.

Sweat drenched his entire body, coating him in a sheen of dampness that made his clothes cling tightly to his form. His once whitish-grey trousers had darkened, stained nearly black, and his hair, normally smooth and pristine, followed the same unfortunate trend, matted and dusty from the chaos.

Asher lifted a hand to cover his nose, instinctively trying to prevent more of the smoke from entering his lungs. He had no real trouble holding his breath; in fact, although he had never tested the limit, he was confident he could go at least ten minutes without breathing if he tried.

'How is someone meant to survive a fucking meteor?' he thought, frustration and disbelief mixing within him. 'Is this supposed to be balance and movement training?' His mind questioned, but his senses remained sharper than ever. Even through the debris, through the suffocating heat, he knew the attack hadn't ended. The earth below him almost felt like it bore a personal grudge.

As the smoke finally thinned, the ruined field came back into view, and the sight was nothing short of catastrophic. The meteor had transformed the entire terrain into a hellish landscape that resembled an active volcano. Lava bubbled beneath fractured earth, glowing orange and red like molten veins.

Patches of the sand had melted into jagged sheets of glass that glinted eerily under the shifting light. Asher took in the whole scene without any change in expression, but internally his thoughts raced. He wondered what this place intended to throw at him next.

'At least I'm not injured… although I might die of dehydration and carbon monoxide poisoning,' he mused dryly. But even that small measure of sarcasm vanished as his brows furrowed. With his affinity for space, attuned to every slight distortion, he could feel it, something was coming.

The moment that sensation solidified, the solid ground beneath his feet disappeared. The searing heat vanished as well, ripped away as though reality itself had changed its mind. The charred, red-black world dissolved, replaced instantly by a vast expanse of blue and white. A startling weightlessness gripped him, and he felt 'light', too light. The wind lashed against his skin, neither harsh nor gentle, but unmistakably real.

A split second later, Asher's senses snapped fully into place. His purple eyes widened as he looked around. 'I'm in the sky?' he thought, though the question was rhetorical. There was no denying it.

Before a second thought could form, gravity reclaimed him, and his body plummeted downward as though 'the killer' overseeing this course had finally granted permission for nature to take effect. Asher's form tore through the air at maddening speed. A quick sweep of his gaze revealed it, around him were chunks of molten earth, scorched fragments of terrain, and even pieces of the beam poles that had been struck by the meteor.

'The field was flipped… like reverse gravity,' he thought. He didn't need anyone to explain it. The intention was clear: this place wanted him to fall to his death unless he used his abilities. His eyes sharpened, his mind honed into razor-sharp focus, and without hesitation he shifted his body mid-fall, steering himself toward one of the falling molten chunks. His hands and feet latched onto it with practiced instinct.

But the moment he did, the sky seemed to tremble violently. Without warning, blazing fire arrows materialized at his sides. Their bodies were bright orange, radiating intense heat, merciless, lethal, and unforgiving. In an instant, they tore through the air with a vicious swishing sound, leaving trails of crimson light and scorching heat behind them.

Asher didn't bother thinking or speaking. He moved immediately. His form became a blur as he pushed off the chunk of molten earth, diving toward another falling object. The pull of gravity, once his enemy, now became his weapon. He understood the logic: if he reached the ground, the fire arrows would likely vanish. That alone became his new target.

From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the floating countdown timer that had been following him relentlessly since the ordeal began. 'Three more minutes,' he noted.

A deafening explosion erupted behind him as the fire arrows slammed into the object he had just abandoned. The resulting shockwave blasted through the sky, propelling Asher downward even faster. He let the monstrous force aid his descent, turning himself into a phantom streaking through the air as he leaped from one chunk of debris to another, until his foot found a long piece of the fallen burnt beam pole.

Through his Omni Perception, he sensed another fire arrow closing in at frightening speed. He reacted instantly, leaping backward with the effortless grace of an Olympic high-jumper. His body twisted fluidly in midair, landing on yet another platform. He didn't dare remain still. The moment he moved, another eruption followed behind him.

The sky, if it had a mind of its own, almost seemed to click its tongue in annoyance, unsure whether it was chasing a human or some ancient, godlike feline. But Asher didn't stop. Not for a breath. Not for a heartbeat. The fire arrows gave chase, and he answered with sharper dodges. Explosions followed one after another, and he used every shockwave he could to propel himself where he needed to go.

The sky became a grand stage for a deadly game of cat and mouse. Asher used everything he could find, fallen stones, fractured beams, molten chunks, to redirect, dodge, and maneuver. Although his speed increased, he knew his true goal was to 'slow his descent', not accelerate it. If he hit the ground too hard, he would become nothing more than a splattered mess.

'The ground is in view,' he thought as the earth rapidly expanded below. But the damage from the meteor had left patches covered in bubbling lava, landing blindly was not an option. His eyes narrowed. He twisted his body midair, selecting a safe landing point and adjusting his descent path, even as the fire arrows continued their relentless pursuit.

'Almost there.' His thoughts sharpened as he neared the ground. A few meters away from safety, Asher abruptly changed direction, using the falling debris to ascend slightly, reducing the momentum that gravity had forced onto him. He knew he couldn't cancel it entirely, but he didn't need to. Just enough to keep himself from breaking upon landing.

The field, sensing his plan, tried to counter. The fire arrows became swifter, hotter, deadlier, but it was too late. Asher had already achieved what he needed. He no longer required the debris. He let himself fall again, this time with a confident grin on his face. Only one chunk of earth remained close to him, everything else had been obliterated.

'Safe,' he thought.

But the trial wasn't done.

His eyes widened as the safe spot he had chosen began changing into lava in real time. He had no time to complain. He had a single second left.

His body moved through pure instinct, primal, fierce, unthinking. His foot found the last remaining chunk of beam pole beside him. He pushed off with explosive force, tearing sideways through the air. The shockwave of a fire arrow destroying the beam pole beside him boosted him even faster. He shot past the spreading lava trap, escaping its perfect ambush by a hair's breadth.

His body twisted gracefully midair, every movement controlled with immaculate finesse. And then, finally, he landed. Perfectly. Effortlessly. Almost insultingly smooth, considering the murderous chaos he had just survived.

The timer snapped to zero.

The survival course was over.

Through it all, he remained completely uninjured. Covered in soot, yes, but still undeniably charming, calm, and composed, as though the entire sequence of trials had merely been another passing inconvenience.

________

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Received a sad/bad news today... Super gift to cheer me up?

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