Arc stood with a smug smile on his lips, trying to hide his exhaustion from his new step forward, but it was difficult to hide the deep breaths and the subtle shaking. Although his step didn't cause a reaction, it still pulled too much out of him, and he was barely holding onto his conciseness.

"Who would have thought the Forty-Fifth Family could be right," Arc mumbled as he felt the effects of his new understanding.

Who would have thought something like that would be possible? If only he was a little stronger or had better control. Maybe the fight would have already been finished, but instead, all he could do was shove space essence inside the experiment's body, causing distortions at the microscopic level. Maybe? Arc still wasn't sure if what the Forty-Fifth Family thought was true. It was hard to believe a world so small could exist, but Arc was starting to believe.

The experiment glared at Arc with a calm expression. It soon let go of its injured arm, which now seemed fine along with the other arm. Arc wasn't very surprised by this; considering the amount and density of life essence flowing through its body, it was only a matter of time before it healed.

"Opening, huh..."

Arc let his words hang in the air as he watched the subtle movement of the experiment. He couldn't argue with himself now. It was apparent that the experiment had regained something it had lost and gained a fair bit.

Whatever issues tormented this experiment before it showed itself to Arc seemed to be disappearing fast. Its previously crimson eyes now displayed the typical pink hue of the Ambrosia Race, but the meandering red lines running through them resembled rivers of blood flowing within. Its already fluid-like movements were becoming increasingly fluid. The erratic teleporting movements were gone, but that caused Arc to be more wary.

THUD

The swift movement of the experiment appeared before Arc, but Arc already saw this coming; the hand that was targeting his head at a recognizable speed was again hit by Arc's hand with imbued space essence. The sound of their hit echoed in the air. Arc easily shattered the experiment's arm, but the experiment's swing broke the stone behind Arc.

After this initial test between the two, a dance of destruction unfolded. Mad swings and kicks at increasing speed and accuracy rained on Arc in every direction possible. Arc was constantly on the back foot as the hail of attacks came for his already exhausted body. If it hadn't been for his timely step, he would have had no choice but to escape.

Swing, swing, heal, and repeat the dance between the two continued in a melody of sounds. Even though Arc's breaths were heavy and sweat dripped down him like a waterfall, a sincere smile stretched across his face. With every swing of his hands, he could feel his step solidify; if before only the tip of his toes was placed, then now, all he needed was to place his heel on the ground; not only this, but the amount of foreign space essence in the experiment body was taking its toll.

With every bit of space essence that he injected, the density of the life essence inside the experiment would begin to dissipate, but this was not his original goal. Every wisp of space essence made manipulating the target trajectory more extreme and effortless.

Three key things make Arc's path: speed, direction, and density; these must be considered before Arcs can manipulate an object. If an arrow flies through the air, its speed is faster than most can see; its direction is easy to notice, while the density can change based on make and maker. These calculations are almost impossible in the heat of battle, but the Arc family has it down to a natural reflex that excludes the current Arc. His is different. He never had the ability to calculate at extremes; instead, his perception is on a level that gives him almost precognition. The slightest move of a muscle is all he needs to know everything, hence his otherworldly fighting sense.

This fight was different because of the sheer difference in experience between the two, as seen by the experiment's attacks and Arc's struggling defense. Also, the density of life essence inside the experiment added to its destructive power since it had no reason to worry about injuries. Arc made a genius move to combat these two disadvantages and turn them into an advantage by putting his essence inside the experiment's body, which he still controlled. He could control all three of the keys, making calculations useless. He controlled the experiment like a crude puppet, and as time passed and more essence soaked in, the more he could control. The toll these actions took on his body was life-threatening, not to mention the toll it was taking on his mind to control everything. His actions should be impossible, and if anyone from the Nineteenth Family were to know, they might turn Arc into an experiment himself.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Arc had reached the end of his stamina long ago, but he pushed through, if not just to place his foot down and finish his step. The blows that Arc kept throwing took their toll on the experiment, and as the onslaught began to slow, the green veins that pulsed throughout its body slowly disappeared. Arc knew that now was the best time to end the fight. With a quick and calculated hit to the head, the experiment was sent stumbling backward.

***

Morin's light filtered down through the dusty mosaic windows, casting a warm, colorful glow over the almost empty room. The rhythmic tapping echoed off the walls as Hermes sat hunched over a small desk, staring intently at a set of small papers. A broken black wooden box lay split in half, abandoned on the desk near his tapping hand. Hermes furrowed his brow in deep concentration as his eyes flicked back and forth between the papers and the colorful light streaming in from the window.

The subtle sound of knocking could be heard from the other side of the door, but Hermes seemed to not even notice the sounds, lost in his thoughts, as he stared out the colorful mosaic windows behind him. His thoughts seemed as shattered as the crystals that made the windows, but unlike them, Hermes could not see any light through his thoughts; they all seemed too dark and murky to let any through.

"Grandmaster Hermes?"

The door of the quiet, semi-abandoned building started to open, revealing a figure as a voice echoed into the room. Hermes turned his gaze towards the door, where a person with pale white hair and black doe eyes entered. The person was dressed in jet-black attire, contrasting to the white-robed figures that sparsely walked through the halls.

"I asked not to be disturbed."

Hermes's voice was devoid of emotion as his gaze dropped back to the small documents in his hand. His mind refocused on his original task, ignoring the untimely disturbance that broke his concentration. The figure stood wordless before the firmly shut door, their gaze fixed on the colorful mosaic window just behind Hermes. Seeing that his Divine Knight was still in the room, Hermes looked at him, waiting for the reason for his disturbance.

"You asked me to watch the lands surrounding the Alchemic Race."

"I did. Is that the reason for your disturbance?"

"I was handed a sealed report."

"Who sealed the report? As far as I know, none of the masters staying near the Alchemic Race have been informed of anything."

"I apologize, but I am unsure. I have never seen this seal before, and it seems quite old in design."

Hermes gazed at the sealed letter in his Divine Knight's hand, mulling its contents. Although he had a sinking suspicion about its contents, its uncertainty made him uneasy. He silently reached out his hand and waited for his knight to place the letter in his palm. Upon opening the letter, he could only sigh. It was just as he had expected.

"It seems that we are needed elsewhere. These documents I worked so hard to acquire are also useless now."

Hermes sighed as he reached out to grab the broken black box just within his reach. He carefully folded the papers, placing them inside the box before tucking it securely into a small pocket hidden within the folds of his robes.

"It has taken years to get to this step, and I assumed that many more would be needed. I had placed so many pieces on the board, thinking nothing would happen, but now it seems like the path I created shows a way forward. Now, I only need to put my foot down and walk that path."

The Divine Knight stood stoically as he watched his master prepare for whatever he would do. Not a question floated in his tranquil mind. Wherever his master went, he would follow, and whatever he was ordered to do, he would do; that was his only concern.

"Come, we are returning to Ambrosia Village," Hermes said

"I thought we were finished with the village, which was why I brought my apprentice here."

"We were at the time. Like I said, I prepared pieces, and the village was one. I had assumed it would drag out another piece, but I seemed to have unintentionally caught a much bigger beast than I was prepared for. Now everything is unraveling in a direction that could break the path I created, and I need to correct it before anything disastrous happens."

"Do I need to get my apprentice then?"

"Yes, and bring your whole family as well. Leave no one behind. If this goes as I assume it will, we will need everything."

"Understood, it shall be prepared before we depart!"

The Divine Knight hurried out of the room to prepare for whatever they were about to face. With little information, they assumed they were getting ready for a war. Why else would he need his entire family?

"It is only a single step forward, but still, it is a step. Soon... We will see each other very soon. Until then, just a single step."