Corrupted Throne

SCENE CONTINUES– THE VOID ROOM

"Let's go for another round," said Miss Violet, her voice low but firm.

Some recruits stirred.

"Another round?" Jack muttered, eyebrows shooting up.

"Yes," Violet said again, walking to the center of the chamber. "I'm restarting the Void Room. This time… try harder."

Before anyone could object—

The lights vanished.

Darkness swallowed the room like a wave.

Void. Total. Absolute.

Jack tensed immediately.

It's not real. It's not real. It's just a trick, he repeated in his head.

But the darkness didn't feel like a trick.

No walls. No floor. No sound—except the pounding of his own heart.

Each recruit was alone now. Completely alone.

Not in a room, but in a vast space between stars.The illusion—or maybe reality—of planets drifting around them, a slow cosmic dance in silence.

Duke felt his breath shake.

It's like I've left my body... Am I even breathing?

Then—

A whisper echoed through the void. Calm, steady, and slicing into their thoughts.

"Remove everything from your mind," said Miss Violet, her voice both far away and inside them.

"Let go of your thoughts. Your fears. Your doubts.

No matter what happens… do not open your eyes.

Focus on the spark.

Find it.

Feel what kind of spark lies inside you."

The room remained silent, the only sound was their breath. Or was that imagined too?

Jack gritted his teeth. *What kind of spark…? I don't even know who I am anymore.

Touka, still pretending to struggle, stilled her breath completely—entering true meditation now, hidden behind the performance.

Samaira was sweating, fists clenched, trying not to break.

Kairoz was still as stone.

Derius smirked faintly in the dark—then focused.

Vairan?

Eyes closed, face unreadable, aura cold as a frozen star.

And Duke…

He tried. Tried to empty his mind.

Tried to let go of everything.

The spark… the spark…

But all he felt was the weight of silence pressing on his soul.

And yet…

Far below the chaos of his thoughts…

A faint flicker.

INTO THE VOID

Inside the Void Room

Darkness swallowed everything.

Duke sat cross-legged in the Void Room, trying to steady his breath, trying to **let go, just like Violet had instructed. But no matter how he breathed, something was creeping in—a sensation, cold and clawing, tightening around his chest.

He closed his eyes.

The stillness around him began to twist. The void warped. He felt like he was falling—weightless, yet heavy. Alone. Then—

a sound.

Snow crunching.

A breath choked with blood.

A voice.

"Ughh… d-don't do it…"

His eyes snapped open—only he wasn't in the Void Room anymore.

Jax was lying in the snow, broken and bleeding, barely holding on. Just like that night.

"No… no, not again…" Duke whispered, eyes wide.

The brute with the hammer stood above Jax, face unreadable.

Without hesitation—

CRACK!

The hammer fell.

Blood sprayed across white snow.

Duke screamed. "NO!"

He tried to move—but his body **froze**, just like before. His legs wouldn't budge, arms wouldn't rise. His breathing grew ragged. Fear squeezed his throat shut.

The scene repeated—over and over.

Jax reaching out.

The hammer rising.

**SLAM.**

Blood.

Terror.

Pain.

His own helpless scream.

"Don't kill me!" Duke begged into the void. "Please… someone…"

Then he saw her.

The masked girl. Her silver hair swaying. She turned to him—her eyes sharp and cold.

"You saved me that day, right?" she whispered.

And then—**BAM!**

Her boot crashed into his ribs.

"Thank you, Mr. Vento," she sneered.

**BAM.**

Again.

**BAM.**

Snow soaked with blood.

**BAM.**

His vision blurred.

"Thank you so much," her voice echoed, cruel and sing-song.

Duke clutched his head, trembling. "Stop… please… stop…"

But her voice overlapped with Jax's.

And then Frederick's.

Then the masked brute's.

All of them layered in his ears, crushing him like thunder.

"You couldn't do anything, could you?"

"Situations like this will break you…"

"Just a moment ago, you couldn't even move…"

"He only ended his suffering…"

"...will break you..."

"...break you..."

"BREAK YOU."

"AAHHHHHHHHH!!"

His scream echoed across the Void Room.

---

**Miss Violet snapped her fingers.**

The lights burst back on.

Reality surged back.

"Enough!" she called, stepping forward.

Duke collapsed forward, drenched in sweat, eyes wide with terror. His hands were trembling uncontrollably. For a long second, he didn't move—just stared at the floor.

She crouched beside him.

Silence fell across the room, broken only by his uneven gasps.

Then—

"Hey, calm down," Miss Violet's voice, sharper than usual but still composed.

Before the tension could settle—

"Tch. Why'd you stop this time?"Vairan's cold voice echoed across the chamber. "All because of one loser?"

Duke flinched slightly at the word.

"Seriously?" Darius added, arms lazily behind his head. "One person breaks, and we all have to start over? What a pain."

A few students murmured in agreement.

Kairoz, calm but blunt, gave a soft sigh. "I'm afraid I have to agree."

That was it.

Miss Violet slowly turned toward them.

The room dropped in temperature.

Her boots echoed as she stepped into the center again.

A faint pulse of violet energy flickered around her—soft at first, then sharp as lightning. Her hair shifted slightly with the rising current of power.

"Listen closely." Her voice cut through the air like a blade.

"No one—no one—moves forward until every single person makes it through properly."

The silence was instant.

"Not one recruit will be left behind. Not under my watch. Not while I'm your instructor."

Her eyes flashed across the room—Vairan, Darius, Kairoz, even Touka.

"If you have a problem with that..."

She raised her hand slightly—just enough to let her energy crackle louder, brighter.

"...you're free to leave."

No one moved.

Not even Vairan.

"That's my way of teaching."

Her voice dropped an octave—low, cold, and final.

"Adapt. Or be gone."

The tension in the Void Room could be cut with a sword.

Duke was still recovering, but somewhere deep inside, her words echoed—and stuck.

No one will be left behind.

A heavy silence lingered after Miss Violet's declaration. Then—one voice broke through.

"Ma'am…"Duke raised his head slowly, still pale and shaken. "I think… they're right."

Murmurs stirred across the room.

"I… don't feel ready. Not today."

Miss Violet turned to look at him—expression unreadable. Her violet eyes stayed fixed on him for a long, quiet moment.

Then she gave a small nod.

"…Very well."

She walked to the massive metal door at the side of the Void Room and opened it. Light spilled into the chamber.

Duke rose shakily to his feet, his body sore, breath still unsteady. He began walking toward the door, head slightly lowered.

As he passed Miss Violet, her voice came—quiet, but heavy.

"You can't keep running from your pain, Duke."

He stopped.

"You'll have to face it," she said without looking at him. "Not for me. Not for anyone else. For yourself."

He stood frozen for a moment, heart pounding.

Then he nodded faintly.

"…Alright, ma'am."

"Meet me after the session," she added, her tone softer than before.

He stepped out into the hallway.

And the door closed behind him.

Duke stepped out into the hallway, chest still heaving. The cold air hit his face like a splash of reality.

He closed his eyes, trying to calm the storm inside him.

Just breathe…

Inside the Void Room—

Miss Violet straightened up. Her expression hardened once more.

"Alright," she said coolly, "we continue."

The door shut behind Duke with a heavy thud.

And once again—

**Darkness fell.**

The Void Room pulsed to life.

No light.

No sound.

No ground beneath them.

Only endless space.

But this time… something was different.

They were adjusting.

The recruits—still rattled—began to find control. Their breathing steadied. Their minds sharpened.

Jack clenched his fists tighter. "Come on, come on…"

Samaira's chest rose and fell with focus, her body still—but her thoughts racing.

*This time… I won't break.*

She pushed deeper. Into silence. Into stillness.

And then—

A flicker.

Not just a flicker—**a storm.**

Inside her mind, something cracked open.

A dense, swirling ball of **fiery crimson light** surged before her. It wasn't calm—it was aggressive, almost alive.

"What… is that?" she whispered inside her mind.

The light pulsed back.

*This… is my Kendra Energy.*

Her body began to rise slowly, floating an inch above the ground.

Her hair lifted with the force. Her hands tingled with heat.

Samaira hovered—still meditating, but now visibly glowing with a fierce red aura.

Across the Void Room, others began to feel it too.

Kairoz, already in a deep trance, let out a slow breath. His body was still, but energy circled around him like soft currents of wind.

Derius smirked faintly, eyes closed, energy rippling in faint waves from his back like a lazy tide.

Even Lysa was showing signs—trembling, but steady.

And then—

Vairan.

Around him, the air turned cold.

His presence grew heavier—denser.

The space surrounding him cracked with invisible pressure, like gravity shifting around a planet.

A deep hum began to rise—ominous and slow.

Faint black streaks of energy coiled around his shoulders, flickering like dying stars.

His eyes remained shut, his hands resting calmly on his knees—but anyone who saw him knew:

Something dangerous was waking up.

Miss Violet observed in silence, her arms folded, watching each one.

**AFTER THE VOID – AWAKE IN POWER**

Suddenly—

**The lights flared back on.**

Warmth and brightness filled the chamber as the oppressive darkness vanished.

"Now," Miss Violet said calmly, "slowly open your eyes."

One by one, the recruits stirred, blinking as reality settled back in.

Then came the gasps.

All eyes fell on four figures glowing with unmistakable energy.

Kairoz—calm, composed, his aura still circling him like a quiet wind.

Derius—grinning faintly, faint silver currents rippling behind him.

Vairan—an ominous pressure lingered in the air, a heavy presence as faint black streaks hovered near his shoulders like smoke.

And…

**Samaira.**

She was **floating**.

Her eyes opened slowly—fiery, determined.

A deep red aura flickered around her like dancing flames, her body still suspended a few inches above the floor.

Everyone stared in shock.

Even Jack whispered, "Samaira…?"

Whispers rippled across the chamber. No one had expected her—not her.

Miss Violet stepped forward, arms crossed.

"Four of you," she said, her voice echoing. "Four recruits have awakened their Kendra spark… in just one session."

She paused, eyes sharp and assessing.

Then turned to Samaira.

"You," she said, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "What's your name?"

Samaira floated gently back to the floor, sweat clinging to her brow. She bowed her head slightly.

"Samaira, ma'am."

"Impressive, Samaira. Truly," Violet said. "Keep going."

"Thank you, ma'am," Samaira replied, voice steady but humbled.

Across the room, a low grumble broke the quiet.

"What?! How did *that dumb Samaira* manage it in one try?" Darius muttered under his breath, clearly frustrated.

He looked at Violet. "Even we awakened it in one session, and she gets special praise?"

Miss Violet didn't even look his way.

She *ignored him entirely*.

Darius blinked. "What—?!"

Before he could speak further, Violet addressed the rest.

"You two—Touka and Lysa—you're doing well."

Both girls looked up.

Violet's eyes lingered on Touka for a second longer.

"You just need a little push."

Touka nodded calmly. "I'll try harder."

"I will too!" Lysa chimed in, eager and determined.

Miss Violet gave a slight nod. Her gaze swept over the rest of the room—those who had succeeded… and those who still had far to go.

"Class dismissed for now. Rest. Reflect. We'll continue tomorrow."

As murmurs spread and the recruits filed out, Samaira stood a little taller.

But somewhere near the back, Darius's eyes narrowed, watching her with a different kind of fire now.

As the recruits walked down the stone corridor outside the Void Room, murmurs and chatter filled the air.

Darius scoffed, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Tch. Miss Violet is clearly biased toward the girls," he muttered. "Did you see how she praised Samaira like she unlocked a forbidden secret or something?"

Kairoz walked beside him, calm as ever. "She did awaken it in one day."

"Yeah, so what?" Darius snapped.