INTERSTELLAR ERA: MY MIND IS A LIBRARY

"Hey kiddo, you are better than I expected," the voice came from within the dome.

The darkness began to recede, revealing Han with a cold grin on his face. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Silas’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of the unscathed Han grinning.

Han’s fist lashed forward, void flames coating it as it tore through the air.

Silas was faster. His body flashed backward, then shot forward again, katana descending in a vertical arc toward Han’s shoulder.

Han drew a foot back, his other foot driving toward Silas’s head before the blade could even get close.

Silas stopped mid motion, adjusting his stance.

He sidestepped, dodging the kick by a margin.

Without stopping, his blade ignited with light and flames. All the energy converged at the tip, compressing into a razor thin line.

His body blurred forward, his katana piercing ahead in a concentrated strike aimed at Han’s head.

Han was ready.

He withdrew his leg, blocking the attack with a greatsword that formed in his palm in that brief moment.

Both sides were locked together but the stalemate did not last long.

Silas’s blade pierced through the sword of void flames, dispersing it into dark mist that drifted into the air.

Han was shocked by the power behind the attack but he did not show it.

The katana pierced through his chest, a beam of light bursting from the other side.

Silas looked at Han calmly, trying to assess whether Han could survive.

"What? You think that could kill me?" Han sneered, his fist lunging forward.

Silas was caught by surprise, taking the full force of the attack in his chest.

His body was hurled through the air, smashing into the deep ravines carved into the battlefield from earlier clashes.

Han streaked forward, chasing the body down with a crazed grin.

As Silas hit the crater, Han was already there, his palm coated in claw shaped void flames swiping forward.

Silas saw the attack just inches from his face.

He did not panic. His body moved on instinct, creating a pillar of light as a platform to launch himself upward.

He jumped over the swipe, landing behind Han with a grace he did not bother to dwell on.

Gauntlets covered his arms, lightning dancing across their surface as he punched forward toward Han’s ribcage.

Han, as if possessing eyes on the back of his head, saw through the attack, ducking just low enough to avoid it.

He swept his leg around, targeting Silas’s feet.

Silas jumped up and came down with equal force.

Lightning and light covered the gauntlet, strengthening the attack far beyond normal.

His punch connected, hitting Han squarely in the head.

Han’s body was thrown backward by the force. Black blood spilled from his nose.

As he flew, three spears of light shot from behind, piercing through his back and tearing open gaping holes that would have been enough to kill anyone else.

But Han could no longer be classified as anyone else.

He stood up and dusted himself off. Silas watched as the holes, which he had used everything to create, were sealed shut by Han.

"No, light seems to weaken him," Silas noted, remembering the black blood from earlier.

Han did not give him time to think. He burst forward, his body blinking into Silas’s position.

Silas ducked, narrowly avoiding the slash aimed at his neck.

He came back with a rising punch aimed at Han’s gut, but Han was faster.

He leapt backward and closed the distance again, this time with an overhead kick.

Silas met it with equal efficiency, kicking with the same force.

The clash made the wind groan. Three seconds passed before the full impact came.

The already destroyed floor was torn apart further under the strength of their attacks.

Silas broke from the lock, not dwelling on it before punching to the left.

A feint. Something he had learned from Marcus during their fight.

Han fell for it, committing fully to block the feint.

Silas’s fist recalibrated, delivering an uppercut that sent Han flying into the sky.

Gravity took hold and Han’s body began to plummet.

A grin was on his face as he fell. It was subtle, escaping Silas’s attention.

Silas was ready though. He punched upward, releasing half his aether in a single strike aimed to annihilate Han.

Han’s head received the full damage, exploding into a pulp of flesh and black blood that splattered onto Silas.

The remaining body fell to the floor, landing limply.

Silas exhaled, eyes wide. He could not believe he had defeated an enemy this strong.

"Don’t even think about it. You can’t do anything to me."

Those words seemed to come from the vacuum of space itself.

There was no medium for Han to speak through, unless.

Unease crept up Silas’s mind as he looked up.

There was Han, crashing down with his greatsword raised high.

Void flames spread across the entire blade like an inferno, threatening to devour Silas alive.

Silas moved.

His body a flicker of light as he shifted away from the position, reappearing above Han.

He held his katana firmly, channeling as much aether as he could into the tip.

A smile crossed his face as he pierced downward. "Finally found your weakness," he said.

But then something shifted. Like a bell rung inside his head, Silas’s focus seemed to fracture.

The effect of the transcension potion had worn off and the backlash was already hitting him.

Han’s grin only widened. "You are too dangerous. I would have kept you as a slave but I cannot risk it."

As he said those words, he pointed his finger at Silas’s falling body, void flames gathering to a single point.

Boom.

He released the mote of void flame, which carried more destructive force than a nuclear warhead, and it shot forward.

Han landed calmly on the floor.

But he was not the only one who landed. Another figure touched down gently, cradling Silas’s body with care.

Max shifted his gaze from Silas to Han.