Vivian looked at his father.

At this point, his body was injured to the brink, and his breath came out in rough, raspy gasps as he tried to stay focused, his vision blurring again and again.

His long metallic hair was soaked in blood, sticking to his face and neck.

From the sitting area of the arena, he could hear worried shouts and cries.

They were most likely from his mother, but he didn't look in her direction.

He couldn't afford to lose focus now.

At this moment, only one thought burned inside him, stronger than the pain, stronger than fear.

"Intuition… intuition… intuition," he muttered again and again, his voice trembling.

His hands shook as he forced himself to stand straight.

He could feel something deep inside him, something wild and restless, trying to break free.

He wanted to awaken it, no matter what it took, even if it injured him to the point where he couldn't move.

On the other side, his father, Vined, looked at him with an expression full of pain and worry.

His voice was heavy as he said, "Son, you don't need to go this far. You can tell your father… I can help you."

But Vivian didn't answer.

His eyes burned with determination, and for the first time, his father felt a strange chill, his son wasn't fighting to win.

He was fighting to awaken.

He charged forward and swung his fist, lightning crackling around it like wild serpents.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Each strike echoed through the arena.

His father didn't counterattack, he only deflected the blows, his sword flashing as it met each lightning-coated punch.

But even deflecting them felt heavy; every hit landed with the sound of thunder striking metal.

Vined finally sighed, stepping back a few paces.

Slowly, he sheathed his sword, then raised his fists instead.

"Alright then," he murmured, bracing himself.

The air trembled as their fists clashed again and again.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Sparks burst out with every hit, lighting up the dusty arena floor.

Vivian's breathing grew harsher, his body trembling, blood running from his knuckles, but he didn't stop.

Each punch grew heavier, sharper, almost desperate, as if something deep inside him was awakening with every blow.

Vined's eyes narrowed.

He could feel it too, that strange rhythm in his son's movements.

There was no hesitation, only raw instinct guiding him.

After a long exchange, Vined stepped back slightly, his voice calm but worried.

"Look, son… don't push yourself too far. I don't know what's happening inside you, and you're not even telling me."

He paused, trying to catch his breath, hoping his words would reach him.

But before he could say more, another fist came flying straight toward his chest in a dangerous arc.

Whoosh!

Vined caught it just in time, the lightning searing across his arm.

He tightened his grip and said softly, "But I know… it's something you can't tell me right now."

He was about to continue, until he saw Vivian's eyes.

They were no longer filled with struggle or pain.

They were glowing faintly… calm, focused, and terrifyingly empty.

"You…?" Vined started, but his voice caught in his throat.

The flicker in Vivian's eyes made his chest tighten, a strange, cold light that wasn't quite human.

For a moment, he forgot how to breathe.

Then his expression hardened.

There was no time to reason anymore.

Bam!

His fist struck Vivian square in the face, sending him crashing into the ground several feet away.

Dust exploded around him, the arena shaking from the impact.

But even with blood dripping down his chin, Vivian stood up again.

His legs trembled, yet his eyes burned brighter than before.

Without hesitation, he charged toward his father once more.

Seeing that stopping him now could break whatever fragile state his son was in, Vined clenched his fists and met him head-on.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Each collision sounded like thunder rolling across the sky.

Every strike drove Vivian deeper into the earth, but each time he rose again, faster, fiercer, more determined.

Sparks of lightning and bursts of wind clashed with every punch, turning the arena into a storm of chaos.

Vined's arms ached, his breath growing heavy, but something inside him stirred as well.

The longer they fought, the more he felt it: that raw instinct, that primal desperation to survive.

'Strange… what is this feeling?' he thought, gritting his teeth as another blow landed.

It wasn't anger or fear, it was something deeper.

His son's will to survive was pulling him in, igniting that same fire within him.

A sense of crisis washed over him, but instead of holding back, he felt his own limits begin to crack.

He could feel something awakening inside himself too, something that answered his son's struggle.

'Not now… not when he's this close,' he thought. 'I can't hold back anymore.'

Bam!

Vined slid back a few steps, the first time Vivian's strike had actually pushed him back.

His eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering through his calm expression.

In that same instant, Vivian's horns began to glow, lightning crackling around them, mixing with a faint, radiant light.

The two elements twisted together until they formed a blinding sphere at the center.

With a roar that echoed through the arena, Vivian unleashed it.

Whoosh!

The beam shot forward like a razor of light, splitting the air.

Vined moved instantly, his body flowing with calm precision.

He raised his arm and deflected the beam just as it grazed past him, shaking the ground where it struck.

Without wasting a breath, he closed the distance in a flash and swung his right fist.

Bam!

Vivian was thrown backward again, his body crashing into the cracked stone floor.

Dust rose around him, but just like before, he pushed himself up, trembling, yet unyielding.

"He's fighting purely on instinct now," Vined muttered under his breath as he stepped closer.

His movements slowed slightly, cautious but steady.

He raised his fist again, ready to end it before his son hurt himself further.

But then, something changed.

Dark, shadowy energy began to swirl around Vivian's fists, flickering like smoke but heavier, denser, something beyond the normal dark element.

It pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat, wild and alive.

Vined froze mid-step, his eyes gleaming.

"This energy… it's not darkness," he whispered.

A faint smile tugged at his lips as realization struck him.

"He's close," he murmured, feeling a rush of pride and awe.

Then, tightening his own fist, Vined stepped forward and struck directly into that strange energy, his blow meeting his son's awakening head-on.

Boom!

The collision erupted like a storm trapped in a cage.

The shockwave tore through the arena, scattering dust and broken fragments of stone.

Vined was pushed back several steps, boots grinding against the cracked ground as he steadied himself.

For a moment, silence followed the blast, only the faint hum of energy in the air.

Then Vined looked down at his arm.

The skin along his knuckles had split, blood trickling slowly down his hand.

A soft chuckle escaped him, and a faint, proud smile curved his lips.

It was the first injury he'd taken in this spar.

Across from him, Vivian stood again, trembling but unbroken.

His body was bent slightly forward, breath ragged, his eyes burning with that strange light.

The dark, shadowy energy danced around his horns once more, growing thicker, more violent.

Then he moved.

The air cracked as Vivian charged, that same dark energy blazing like a beam of destruction aimed straight at his father.

Vined's expression changed instantly.

"Not good," he muttered, feeling the pressure bearing down on him.

In a single motion, he leapt backward, unsheathing his sword with a flash.

Two elements flared around him, darkness and fire, mixing into a chaotic surge of power.

Boom!

The two forces clashed, the sound like a thunderclap that shook the heavens.

The ground split beneath their feet, sending waves of energy rippling through the arena walls.

Vined slid back again, his sword arm trembling from the impact.

Sweat rolled down his forehead as he wiped it away with the back of his hand.

His heart was pounding, not from fear, but from thrill.

'He's really doing it,' he thought, watching his son through the haze of dust and lightning.

'He's about to awaken.'

Vined moved swiftly, his aura flaring as he decided to use his full strength at last.

The ground beneath him cracked with each step, air trembling from the sheer pressure he released.

He closed the distance in an instant, his sword raised high, the elements of fire and darkness spiraling around the blade like twin storms.

Just as he was about to strike, a faint murmur escaped Vivian's lips, barely audible through the roaring energy.

"…Xi Realm…"

The moment those words left him, the dark, shadowy energy surrounding his body expanded violently.

It writhed like living smoke, and in the blink of an eye, it reached out toward Vined, faster than lightning.

"What—?!" For the first time, Vined's calm composure cracked.

He tried to retreat, but before he could move, the shadowy energy swallowed him whole.

The world around him shifted instantly.

"Huh…?" He blinked, looking around.

Everything was dark, empty, an endless void with no sound, no light, no air.

Even his strength felt strangely heavy, as if the very space around him was pressing down.

A wave of fatigue swept through his body.

"What is this…?" he muttered, his voice echoing softly.

"It's like… a void." His grip tightened on his sword. "Vivian? Where are you?"

Then, in front of him, the air shimmered, and Vivian appeared.

He was standing weakly, body trembling, his clothes torn and stained with blood.

But his eyes were different now, clear, calm, and aware.

"Finally…" he whispered.

Before he could finish, his knees gave out and he collapsed forward.

"Vivian!"

The strange void began to crack, light flooding in from all sides until the darkness shattered completely.

In an instant, the arena returned, the wind, the dust, the warmth of sunlight.

Vined dashed forward and caught his son before he hit the ground.

"Son…" he said softly, holding him close.

The faint glow of dark and light energy still lingered around Vivian, fading slowly like dying embers.

Vined's eyes trembled, not with fear, but with pride and relief. "You did it."

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