Gaius had dozed off at some point, lulled by sheer exhaustion despite the night's chill. When he stirred again, he felt a sharp, cold shiver run the length of his spine. The desert air, so scorching by day, now bit with a stark, frigid edge.He glanced over to find Kurai still seated in rigid concentration. Even in the dim light, Gaius could tell the man's breathing was measured and deliberate—a testament to a rare level of commitment. That single-minded determination impressed him; few he'd known in the gladiatorial pits matched Kurai's iron will.

  Remembering Kurai's advice to practice his Aether control, Gaius tried again, wrestling with the tiny spark of energy within him. Progress was agonizingly slow, however, and his focus kept splintering at the faint surges of power radiating from Kurai's direction. He wanted to ask about it, but decided against disturbing whatever the man was doing.

  By the time a dim morning light crept over the camp—and the guards' snores confirmed it was nearly dawn—Kurai drew in a deep, steady breath. Then he exhaled, low and final, as if completing some silent ritual.

  "It's done," Kurai murmured.

  Gaius raised his hand, feeling for any tangible sign of the power he'd sensed. Where earlier pulses had flared erratically, he now perceived a constant, stabilizing presence emanating from Kurai. His fingers brushed empty air.

  A faint smile curved over Kurai's lips. "You won't be able to touch it. I can't fully explain yet, but it seems tied to my aether affinity."

  "Aether affinity?" Gaius echoed. "Never heard of that."

  "You wouldn't have," Kurai said gently, "but once you save enough points, get the Aether Manual. You'll understand everything then."

  ***

  Kurai felt an unfamiliar stirring of elation—the first spark of genuine hope in what had otherwise been a string of agonizing days.

  His body and mind still reeled from defeat: not since the betrayal that claimed his family had he felt so utterly crushed. Losing his eyes to the winged abominations had convinced him, however briefly, that his fighting days were done.

  He'd let himself be dragged into captivity, too drained even to resist. The power he'd tasted upon forging his Aether core felt flimsy now, overshadowed by the stark reality of blindness.

  Yet the Aether Manual he'd studied hadn't just detailed how to forge a core—it hinted at an even deeper potential. It mentioned that once one's core was stable, they could coax out their Aether's innate "color" or "nature."

  By channeling energy outward, the Aether would reflect something essential about the user's self, granting unique properties. The text was vague, but Kurai clung to its promises. He had nothing else to cling to. So he had tried. In the suffocating heat of their makeshift cage, he knelt in silence and pushed the Aether from his core through the channels that laced his body.

  At first, it was baffling—like trying to breathe through limbs that didn't exist. But slowly, painstakingly, he felt the energy gather along his skin. Places it touched flared to life in his awareness, as though he could sense the shape and position of objects that surrounded him. Even Gaius's movements, small shifts or turns of the head, formed dim impressions in Kurai's mind.Kurai couldn't name what he was doing. It wasn't sight, not exactly; it was more akin to a blind man's sense of a room, extended across every surface the energy touched. Space, if he had to label it—though he didn't realize that was precisely what he'd begun to manipulate.

  All he knew was that this new sense let him perceive the world around him in a way he never had before.

  By the time Gaius stirred awake the previous, morning Kurai had formulated a plan. He knew he needed greater control—prolonged exposure to this fledgling technique—if he was ever going to fight or navigate effectively again. The Aether manual had revived his resolve.

  Maybe he couldn't undo his blindness, but he could forge a path forward. That small glow of possibility rekindled the warrior's spirit within him. He trained relentlessly, pushing himself through the sweltering heat of day and the biting chill of night without pause. His technique was far from perfect—his control still wavered, and his reserves sometimes flagged—but the results were undeniable. Bit by bit, he managed to form a 8-meter dome of Aether around himself for about a minute, perceiving the space within its boundary despite his blindness. It wasn't flawless, yet it was enough.

  ***

  Captain John was in high spirits that morning.

  He stretched lazily inside the tent he'd purchased through the System, reveling in how smoothly things had gone since arriving in this bizarre world. Back home, he'd barely scraped by as a police officer on the take, turning a blind eye whenever it suited him. Here, though, he'd spun a story about being a Naval Captain—his imposing build had inspired the desperate survivors, who clung to him like a lifeline.

  Within days, he'd gathered a band of nearly forty people under his thumb.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Pooling everyone's points for better gear and rations had been his masterstroke. The few who'd objected caved fast when he threatened to abandon them to the jungle at night. Soon, he had a core of loyal enforcers, enough hunting success to keep morale high, and a tidy measure of comfort in this harsh land. The only worry had been that larger group to the west. They'd reached out the day prior with terms upon their conquest, as if this was some kind of land dispute. The anger had boiled over for him then, beheading the messenger right then and there. The man hardly gave any points or Aether to John's disappointment.

  Still discovering those two beaten-down men by the riverbed had seemed like a stroke of luck. The "Asian-looking" one was blind and the other, seemingly European, was missing an arm—ripe for easy intimidation, or so he'd assumed. But they were far more stubborn than he expected, especially the blind man, whose mere presence set his nerves on edge.

  Still, after a frigid night with no warmth or food, Captain John believed these newcomers would have come to their senses by now. Whistling tunelessly, he strolled toward the makeshift cage where they'd been left.

  That tune died in his throat when he saw the scene: three dead men sprawled on the ground, and the same two prisoners standing over the bodies, each gripping a steel-tipped spear. One was shirtless, his scarred blinded eyes glaring with unsettling poise, while the other wore a battered leather chest guard, a stump where his left arm should have been.

  "To arms!" John roared.

  At once, the camp exploded into chaos. Men scrambled to their feet or burst from tents, weapons in hand. John's enforcers—those who had become his trusted inner circle—poured forth with grim resolve.

  Among them was a wiry man hefting a long, curved-bladed polearm—Kurai's naginata, which they had seized from him after his capture.

  The enforcer smiled coldly, clearly confident that a blind prisoner wouldn't pose much threat.

  Kurai had no need of eyes now. The swirling currents of space-Aether he'd honed during his captivity spread out around him, forming a phantom awareness of every body, every weapon, every step.

  Though his sightless gaze remained fixed ahead, he moved with a fluid grace that left Gaius in awe.

  "Ready?" Kurai muttered, voice low.

  Gaius swallowed, adjusting his grip on the short steel spear. "Let's do it," he managed, though he couldn't hide the tremor in his tone.

  The first wave came swiftly—five men rushing in, eager to overwhelm them by sheer numbers.

  Kurai exploded into motion, lunging forward as the ground seemed to bend beneath his feet. The sheer force of his leap hurled him into their midst with terrifying speed. A steel spear flashed in his hands, smashing aside two enforcers as if they weighed nothing. One crashed into a nearby tent, canvas collapsing in a billowing heap. The other soared backward a full ten meters, striking the ground in a limp sprawl.

  Gaius followed suit, a touch slower, still grappling with his missing arm's limitations. Yet adrenaline and well-honed reflexes from his gladiator past guided him. He caught a man's sword arm with his single hand, twisting the blade aside before driving his spear through the attacker's gut. Another thrust followed, hooking a second enforcer in the shoulder. It wasn't a clean kill, but the man staggered back, bleeding heavily.

  "That's… two," Gaius muttered, breathing hard.

  More men converged from the edges of the camp. Shouts rang out amid the crackle of woodfires kicked over in the frenzy. Captain John himself advanced behind his foot soldiers, shield raised, sword in hand, barking orders as he tried to corral his faltering ranks.Kurai pivoted, sensing an enforcer's swift approach from behind. The man lunged with the naginata, presumably hoping to catch Kurai off-guard. But Kurai felt the familiar weapon's presence the instant it neared his aura. A sudden twist of his torso let him sidestep the blow.

  In a single fluid motion, he seized the haft, wrenching the naginata free of the startled enforcer's grasp. The blade spun in a deadly arc, lopping into the attacker's chest with a wet crunch before being yanked free again. The enforcer dropped without a sound.

  Holding his reclaimed weapon, Kurai exhaled a slow breath, the tang of blood in the air. Finally. This was the instrument of his discipline, the extension of his will. A faint smile ghosted across his lips.

  Seeing their prized captive armed and unstoppable, several of John's men faltered. Some tried to circle around, but each time, Kurai's intangible awareness flickered, warning him of their positions. With preternatural ease, he spun to meet them, the naginata's blade carving wide, lethal arcs. A single blow sent two men flying, slamming into a pile of crates that splintered on impact.

  "It's not human!" one of them choked, eyes wild as he struggled to rise.

  Over by the cage, Gaius fended off another attacker, hooking the man's ankle with his spear shaft and yanking hard. The enforcer toppled, and Gaius ended him with a downward thrust. Yet even in the thick of battle, Gaius could only marvel at Kurai's devastating power. The blind warrior seemed to leap from spot to spot, each strike precise and unstoppable

  .Captain John advanced, forcing his remaining enforcers to form a line. Their stolen gear—swords, spears, bits of mismatched armor—was dwarfed by the raw ferocity of Kurai's onslaught, but they had numbers still. Half a dozen men rushed in unison.With a snarl, John joined the fray, shield raised high. "Stand your ground!" he roared.

  Kurai met their charge head-on. He rammed the first man's spear aside and delivered a punishing blow to the gut, launching the hapless enforcer nearly ten meters backward. The next tried to flank Kurai's blind spot—only to find that there were no blind spots for him anymore. Naginata whirled, severing a leg at the knee. The soldier collapsed, shrieking.A third managed to land a glancing strike on Kurai's shoulder, however in the heat of the moment Kurai instinctively compressed more of his Aether at his shoulder making the blade skitter off as if there was some intangible force.. Kurai pivoted with an inhuman fluidity, slashing upward. Steel raked across the attacker's chest. Blood sprayed wide, and the man crumpled.

  One final enforcer, a brawny brute with a jagged sword, hesitated, torn between loyalty and sheer terror. He took a trembling step forward—only to freeze when Kurai's blind gaze turned in his direction, the naginata's blade dripping red.

  He dropped his weapon and fled.

  A hush descended, broken only by the moans of the wounded. Gaius stumbled to Kurai's side, panting, sweat-streaked, and spattered with blood.

  "We… did it," he managed. The familiar sounds of the system echoing in the back of his head. At the edge of his vision, Captain John stood rigid however, shield raised, sword still in hand. His face flickered through shock, rage, and fear.

  Kurai lowered his weapon, the swirling aura of aether receding slightly, he was dropping low on reserves, especially after his impromptu shield. Still his posture remained tense, as though poised to finish what was started. "Indeed," he said quietly, voice thick with finality.

  Captain John trembled, glaring at the two men who'd torn through his forces so effortlessly. The desert wind rustled the chaos-strewn camp behind him, where those still conscious watched in horror. Kurai's sightless stare seemed to meet John's eyes, a silent challenge etched on his features.