Life Beyond End

The air in Hell's Pit was thick, heavy with tension—and Flynn's chest was tight, but not from fear. No, not anymore. His thoughts were consumed by the monster charging toward him, but he felt... calm. Weirdly calm. Almost like someone had injected him with pure focus, and the only thing in the world that mattered was the fight.

Wait... is this Alvron's doing? Flynn thought, he clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. The marks on his body, those red lines—glowing faintly—were proof that Alvron's power had finally clicked into place. Flynn had spent hours, days even, pushing his limits, but this was different. This was the first time Alvron had felt... like a real ally. A real weapon.

"ALVRON!" Flynn barked, not as a command, but as a force of will. A symbol of the bond he'd just unlocked.

[Alvron has reached Lvl. 2]

And there it was—Alvron materialized, the red flame of its essence flickering to life in his hand. Flynn could feel the shift. The power surged through his veins, lacing his thoughts and action into one, sharp, undeniable clarity.

Time to show this bastard who's in charge.

The monster charged, a roar that could shake mountains erupting from its throat. Flynn stood his ground, not a flicker of doubt in his posture. This was what he was born for.

"Time to get serious, you shit," Flynn muttered, his voice cold and steady. The monster hesitated, thrown off by his unexpected calm.

The thing snarled, claws digging into the ground as it lunged forward. Flynn moved first, his body a blur of speed as he intercepted the attack, slashing his sword in a perfect arc.

FLING!

The monster's massive form was launched into the air, its confused eyes wide with panic. Flynn didn't hesitate. He leaped after it, his sword held high, the power of Alvron surging through him.

"QUANTUM PRECISION!" he shouted, his voice tinged with exhilaration.

[Activated.]

He struck—early, too early—but it didn't matter. He was a blur of motion. The sword sliced through the air, cutting the very molecules around it with pinpoint accuracy. Flynn's focus was flawless, his strike more than just physical. It was a silent command to the very air itself.

SLASH!

The monster's body recoiled as its oxygen was sucked away, its lungs crushed under the sheer precision of Flynn's strike. The flesh of the creature compressed, a thin paper-like crumple, and in midair, it had nothing left but the terror of falling.

Flynn's momentum was lost, but not before he had put the monster out of its misery. He hit the ground hard, the impact creating a massive crater.

BOOM!

He lay there for a moment, his breath heavy, his body aching. The fight was over. The monster was gone.

"Hah!" Flynn breathed out, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I finally did it... I tamed Alvron..." He raised his hand, watching as the sword vanished in a puff of red smoke, but the marks—those glowing red lines—stayed. He'd done it. Against all odds, he had won.

His eyes fluttered shut, his body still tense from the adrenaline. But a sinking feeling took over as his thoughts turned inward.

S-so, the only way to level my skills is to use them more... Flynn groaned internally, realizing just how much he had taken for granted. The training, the power—none of it came easy. It never did. And now... now he had to push himself even harder.

He felt stupid. He'd known this was going to be hard, but now the weight of reality had hit him square in the face.

I feel like an idiot...

Flynn let himself fall back into the soil, staring up at the dark sky. His body ached, his muscles screaming for relief. But there was one thing he could count on—Alvron had changed the game. He had to keep going. He couldn't stop now.

The problem was, Alvron drained him fast. The power surged through him, but now it was leaving just as quickly.

Flynn's breath caught as he felt his eyelids growing heavy.

No. Stay awake. He struggled to keep himself alert, but the exhaustion was overwhelming. His body went slack, and his mind faded into nothingness.

_______________________________________

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Pheore's scream ripped through the air, panic evident in her voice.

Auden bolted out of the room, panic clawing at his insides. "Darling! What happened?!" he shouted as he ran toward her.

"L-look at the sky!" Pheore said, her voice shaking, her hand pointing out the window in disbelief.

Auden rushed to the window, his eyes widening as he saw what had triggered his wife's distress. In the distance, a bright red light flared in the sky, burning through the horizon like a beacon.

"W-what the heck is that!?" Auden stammered, unable to process what he was seeing.

Slam!

The door burst open, and in walked Jane and Elene, their faces twisted in confusion.

"Mom, what's wro—" Jane started, but her words faltered as she approached the window. Her cat ears perked up, her tail wagging. "Woaaaaaahhh! That looks so cooooool!"

Auden's panic only increased. "Elene! What the heck is that!?" His voice cracked with fear.

"Don't worry, Den," Elene said, almost too casually. "It's Flynn. I sent him to Hell's Pit to train."

Auden's eyes went wide. "THE HELL!? YOU SENT FLYNN TO HELL'S PIT!?" He grabbed Elene by the shoulders, shaking her. "THAT HELL'S PIT!?" he pointed out to the window, his voice rising in disbelief.

"Uhhh, yeah...?" Elene replied, scratching her head in confusion, as though she couldn't fathom why Auden was so worked up.

"HE'S STILL FIVE YEARS OLD!"

"Oh yeah!" Elene suddenly remembered, a look of realization washing over her face. "I forgot."

Auden's face went pale, his heart racing. This was going to be trouble.

_______________________________________

Back in the pit, Flynn was in no state to know what was going on above. His body lay crumpled against the soil, his breathing shallow, unconscious from the strain.