The sword pulsed in Zane's grip—faint at first, then brighter, until a deep violet glow began seeping into the air around him. His eyes, once stormy grey, shimmered with pure amethyst light.
The students tensed, each instinct screaming at them that something had shifted. Even Adrien stepped back.
Zane inhaled slowly, the Voidforged Blade humming like it was alive.
Then—he plunged the blade into the earth.
A wave of pressure exploded outward like a silent scream.
The forest didn't burn.
In an instant, everything within a wide radius was erased—trees, grass, rocks, even the mist. The world was suddenly still, unnaturally quiet.
The once-lush terrain was now a vast circle of barren earth, smoldering faintly. Dust floated in the air where nature had been carved clean away. The sheer force of the release had sent the academy students flying. Auri crashed into a boulder, Blaise tumbled head over heels, and Adrien was driven to one knee, lightning shorting out around him.
Zane stood at the center of the crater, hand still on the embedded hilt. The ground beneath him cracked like glass.
> [New Skill Unlocked: Voidflare – Area Devastation Skill] [Warning: Excessive use may damage the environment and attract powerful threats.]
Zane pulled the sword free.
"...So," he muttered, eyes returning to normal, "that happened."
His knees buckled slightly. That power... it took something out of him. A toll he hadn't expected.
The students stared at him from the edge of the blast zone, eyes wide with shock, disbelief... and fear.
Zane looked at them, sword now resting against his shoulder. "Still think I'm just a snack thief?"