Chapter 1: Chapter 1: The Flicker of a Spark
The air was thick with tension, the kind that made your skin tingle and your instincts scream. The Citadel of Lighthold, once a grand fortress, was now the site of one of the most chaotic battles the kingdom had ever seen. The clash of Essentia reverberated through its massive halls, resonating like the roars of primordial beasts.
In the middle of the battlefield, blending into the chaotic fray of warriors and arcane users, stood Rian Ashford. He wasn't the tallest, strongest, or most commanding figure. In fact, he was downright ordinary compared to the blazing auras and radiant energies swirling around him. But what he lacked in overwhelming strength, he made up for with intellect, wit and his vast knowledge.
The power system of their world was called Essentia, a force tied to one's very soul, shaped by the balance of their inner energies. Unlike traditional magic or brute force, Essentia wasn't about the raw power one could summon nor was it like magic, mana, spells—it was about how you could channel it, manipulate it, hone it and merge it with others. Each user had a unique "Essentium," a core aspect of their soul that determined their power's form and nature.
Some wielded flames that could sear mountains, while others could twist shadows or command storms. Rian's Essentium was the Flicker, a power mocked for its fleeting, weak appearance. At its core, the Flicker was the embodiment of transience: short bursts of speed, split-second movements, and brief flashes of energy that were hard to maintain or control.
Others like Rian weren't exactly revered. He wasn't weak, but he wasn't feared either. Among the grandmasters of flame, lightning, and earth, Rian was simply… average. And he hated being the person who couldn't do much or even close to what others do.
Rian crouched behind a crumbled pillar, beads of sweat forming on his brow as he surveyed the battlefield. In the distance, a hulking figure coated in iron armor sent out shockwaves with every swing of his massive war hammer. Lord Braxis, the Iron Behemoth. His Essentium, the Iron Will, made his skin impenetrable, his strength unrivaled.
Nearby, a young woman named Lyria danced through the battlefield, her long, flowing robes shimmering with crackling energy. Her Essentium, the Tempest, allowed her to wield wind and lightning with deadly precision. Sparks flew as her lightning blades clashed with an enemy, their duel painting the air with flashes of brilliant blue.
Meanwhile, Rian's Flicker could barely produce a series of quick bursts—helpful for dodging and evading, but not much else. He watched as others unleashed waves of destructive energy, knowing full well that he'd never be able to match their overwhelming power.
"Just stay alive," he muttered to himself, his fingers clenching the hilt of his short blade. "Don't do anything stupid."
Suddenly, a massive fireball, its flames roaring with an unholy intensity, careened toward his position. Instinctively, Rian activated his Flicker, his body vanishing in a split-second flash, barely avoiding the searing heat. He reappeared a few feet away, his breath catching in his throat as the fireball exploded, leaving a crater where he had just been.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath, wiping the sweat from his brow. "If I had reacted a second slower…"
"Rian!" A familiar voice called out from behind him. He turned to see Kiel, a burly man with broad shoulders, his Essentium granting him Titan Strength, lifting debris as though they were mere pebbles. Kiel was one of the few people who didn't look down on Rian, mostly because they'd fought together so many times.
"You still alive?" Kiel shouted, hurling a massive boulder at a group of advancing enemies. It smashed into them like a cannonball, sending bodies flying.
"Surprisingly, yes," Rian replied, a dry smile tugging at his lips. "Barely."
Before they could exchange any more banter, a surge of dark energy rippled across the battlefield, silencing all other noise. Everyone froze, their eyes snapping toward the source. At the far end of the field, a tall, cloaked figure stood with a glowing staff, his face obscured by shadows.
Zephyr, the Dark Conductor. His Essentium, Voidborn, was feared across the kingdom. He could manipulate the essence of nothingness itself—erasing matter, energy, and even thoughts from existence.
And he had just arrived on the battlefield.
"That's bad," Rian said, his eyes narrowing as he watched the ominous figure step forward, his presence commanding the attention of every warrior and Essentia user around.
"Understatement of the year," Kiel grumbled, cracking his knuckles.
Zephyr raised his staff, and the air around him seemed to distort, as if reality itself was bending. Shadows flickered unnaturally, and a pulse of pure void energy shot out, erasing an entire section of the citadel's wall in an instant.
Rian gritted his teeth. He had trained for years, honing his Flicker, pushing his body and mind to the limit. But against someone like Zephyr? Someone whose power could wipe out entire battalions with a thought? What chance did he have?
None.
"Fall back!" a commanding voice rang out. It was General Marlen, one of the strongest flame users in the kingdom. His Essentium, the Solar Flame, burned with the intensity of the sun. He wasn't the type to run, but even he knew when a fight was hopeless.
As the troops began to retreat, Rian's gaze remained locked on Zephyr. There was something about the way the Dark Conductor moved—something that sent a shiver down his spine. Zephyr wasn't just powerful. He was precise, calculated.
A sudden idea sparked in Rian's mind.
The Flicker wasn't meant to be used in long, drawn-out fights. It was a power of moments, of opportunities. And what if he used those moments not to fight Zephyr head-on, but to disrupt him, to find cracks in his control?
"Rian, what are you—" Kiel started, but Rian had already moved.
In the blink of an eye, Rian flickered forward, his form vanishing and reappearing in quick bursts as he darted across the battlefield, closing the distance between himself and Zephyr. He wasn't strong enough to challenge the Dark Conductor directly. But if he could distract him, even for a few seconds, it might give the others a chance to regroup.
As Rian flickered closer, he could feel the oppressive weight of Zephyr's void energy pressing down on him. His heart pounded in his chest, and every instinct screamed at him to turn back. But he pushed forward, relying on his Flicker to keep him just out of Zephyr's reach.
For a brief second, their eyes met—Rian's filled with determination, Zephyr's with cold indifference.
"Who are you?" Zephyr's voice was like a whisper of wind over a graveyard.
Rian didn't answer. Instead, he flickered one last time, vanishing and reappearing directly behind Zephyr. He swung his short blade, aiming for the staff, hoping to knock it out of the Dark Conductor's hands.
But Zephyr was faster.
With a flick of his wrist, a wave of void energy erupted from the staff, sending Rian tumbling through the air, launching him hundreds of meters away. His body slammed into the ground, pain shooting through his limbs.
As darkness crept at the edges of his vision, Rian heard Zephyr's voice once more.
"A spark, flickering in the dark... only to be extinguished."
But as he lay there, gasping for breath, a faint smile tugged at Rian's lips. He had managed to land a single blow—a small crack now ran along Zephyr's staff, barely noticeable but there. He fainted, thinking…
Maybe he wasn't the strongest.
But he wasn't nothing.
Something inside him had sparked.
And sometimes, a flicker was all it took to start a raging fire.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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