Chapter 4: The Price of Power
The eastern gate of Asterfall shook violently.
BOOM!
Evan stood behind the town’s defensive wall, staring at the Voidborn army gathering outside.
There were dozens of them.
Black armor covered their bodies, while strange red symbols glowed across their masks.
Their weapons reflected the faint morning light as they slowly advanced toward the gate.
Evan tightened his grip around his two daggers.
Fire surrounded his right hand.
Water moved around his left.
Lightning crackled across his shoulders.
Darkness gathered beneath his feet.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Evan felt powerful.
But before he could move, Kaela grabbed his shoulder.
“Stop.”
Evan looked at her.
“What?”
“Don’t use all four.”
“Why?”
Kaela’s expression was unusually serious.
“Because your body can’t handle it.”
Evan looked at the four elements surrounding him.
“I can control them.”
“That’s not what I said.”
Kaela pointed toward his arm.
The veins beneath Evan’s skin were glowing faintly blue.
“Your mana channels are already under strain.”
Evan stared at his arm.
“What happens if I keep using them?”
Kaela hesitated.
“Tell me.”
“You’ll experience elemental overload.”
“What’s that?”
“Your body is being forced to process four different types of magical energy at the same time.”
Kaela looked toward the battlefield.
“If you continue, your magic could collapse.”
Evan swallowed.
“And then?”
“You may lose the ability to use magic.”
“That’s all?”
Kaela shook her head.
“You could also lose consciousness. If the overload becomes severe enough, your body may not recover quickly.”
Evan looked toward the Voidborn.
“How long until that happens?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“How much power you use.”
Another explosion shook the wall.
BOOM!
A guard shouted:
“They’re coming!”
Kaela drew her weapon.
“We fight together.”
Evan nodded.
The gates opened.
The guards charged forward.
Kaela disappeared into the crowd.
Evan took a deep breath.
He remembered her training.
Don’t rush.
Watch.
Listen.
Move.
A Voidborn suddenly charged toward him.
Evan stepped aside.
Its weapon passed close to his face.
He immediately moved behind it.
SHING!
His dagger struck its armor.
The creature staggered.
Evan followed with another strike.
The Voidborn fell.
Evan looked at his dagger.
“That actually worked.”
Another enemy rushed toward him.
Evan activated Shadow Step.
Darkness swallowed his feet.
FWOOSH!
He disappeared.
A moment later, he reappeared behind the creature.
Evan struck.
The Voidborn collapsed.
The system appeared before him.
WORLD SYSTEM
Enemy defeated.
Experience gained.
Level 1 → Level 2
Available Attribute Points: 5
Evan blinked.
“Already?”
The screen disappeared.
Before he could think about it, another Voidborn charged.
Evan raised his hand.
Fire gathered in his palm.
BOOM!
The fireball struck the enemy and knocked it backward.
Evan smiled.
“Fire is pretty useful.”
Then—
A sharp pain traveled through his arm.
Evan’s smile disappeared.
“Ow.”
His fingers trembled.
The fire vanished.
He looked at his hand.
“What was that?”
Kaela shouted from across the battlefield.
“Mana strain!”
Evan gritted his teeth.
“I’m fine!”
“Don’t lie!”
Another Voidborn attacked.
Evan quickly dodged.
Lightning gathered around his legs.
He used it instinctively.
CRACK!
His body shot forward.
He moved so quickly that the creature couldn’t react.
Evan appeared behind it and struck with his dagger.
The Voidborn collapsed.
But this time—
Pain exploded through Evan’s legs.
He dropped to one knee.
“Ah!”
The lightning disappeared.
Kaela looked toward him.
“Evan!”
“I’m okay!”
Evan forced himself back onto his feet.
But his legs felt weak.
He had only used two elements.
Fire.
Lightning.
And already his body was struggling.
Evan looked across the battlefield.
There were too many enemies.
The guards were being pushed backward.
Kaela was fighting three Voidborn at once.
Asterfall was losing ground.
Evan clenched his fists.
“I need more power.”
The system appeared again.
WARNING
Mana stability: 71%
Elemental strain detected.
Current safe elemental usage: 1
Evan stared at the message.
“One?”
He had already used two.
Another line appeared.
Warning: Multiple-element casting increases physical strain exponentially.
Evan looked at the battlefield.
“I don’t have a choice.”
He raised his hand.
Water formed around his dagger.
The blade became surrounded by a thin layer of flowing water.
Evan moved.
One enemy.
Then another.
Then a third.
His movements became faster.
The water blade slipped between gaps in their armor.
But with every attack, Evan’s breathing became heavier.
His vision began to blur.
Mana stability: 54%
Evan stumbled.
“What…”
He hadn’t realized how quickly his mana was disappearing.
Another Voidborn attacked.
Evan barely blocked the strike.
The impact sent him backward.
He crashed against the wall.
His chest felt heavy.
Kaela appeared beside him.
“Enough.”
Evan shook his head.
“No.”
“You’ll collapse.”
“If I stop, people will get hurt.”
Kaela stared at him.
“You don’t understand.”
She grabbed Evan’s wrist.
“Your mana channels are cracking.”
Evan looked down.
The glowing lines beneath his skin had spread farther along his arm.
“You can’t keep doing this.”
Evan looked across the battlefield.
A young guard had fallen.
Another was struggling to hold the gate.
The Voidborn continued advancing.
Evan slowly stood.
“I have to.”
Kaela’s expression hardened.
“Power isn’t worth destroying yourself.”
Evan looked at her.
“I’m not trying to destroy myself.”
He tightened his grip around his dagger.
“I’m trying to protect someone.”
Kaela became silent.
Evan turned toward the battlefield.
Darkness gathered around his feet.
Kaela immediately realized what he was doing.
“Evan.”
Lightning appeared around his body.
“Stop.”
Fire surrounded his right hand.
“Evan!”
Water formed around his left.
“STOP!”
All four elements activated.
For a moment, everything became silent.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
A massive wave of energy exploded from Evan.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
The Voidborn were thrown backward.
Evan stood in the center of the explosion.
Four different energies surrounded him.
Fire.
Water.
Lightning.
Darkness.
For a brief moment, he felt unstoppable.
Then—
CRACK.
Pain shot through his entire body.
Evan’s knees weakened.
The system appeared.
CRITICAL WARNING
Four-element synchronization detected.
Mana stability: 18%
Elemental Overload imminent.
Evan’s vision became blurry.
“I can still…”
His voice shook.
“I can still fight.”
The darkness around him grew stronger.
The fire burned brighter.
Lightning erupted across the battlefield.
Water rose from the ground.
The four elements began spinning around him.
Kaela stared in horror.
“He’s losing control.”
Evan heard her voice as if it were coming from far away.
The four energies began colliding.
His body couldn’t contain them.
10%
8%
6%
Evan fell to one knee.
His vision became almost completely dark.
Then something strange happened.
The blue symbol on his hand began glowing.
The four elements suddenly became still.
A mysterious voice appeared inside Evan’s mind.
“Four elements are not your limit.”
Evan froze.
“Who are you?”
The voice continued.
“Your body is incomplete.”
Evan struggled to remain conscious.
“What does that mean?”
There was no answer.
Instead, the symbol on his hand changed.
A fifth shape appeared inside it.
Evan’s eyes widened.
“A fifth…?”
Before he could understand what he was seeing, the symbol disappeared.
Then—
BOOM!
A massive wave of darkness exploded outward.
Every remaining Voidborn in the area was thrown backward.
Silence fell over Asterfall.
Evan stood motionless.
His body finally gave up.
He collapsed.
“Evan!”
Kaela caught him before he hit the ground.
Evan could barely keep his eyes open.
“Did… we win?”
Kaela looked toward the battlefield.
The remaining Voidborn had disappeared.
The town was safe.
“Yes.”
Evan smiled weakly.
“Good.”
His eyes closed.
Everything went black.
When Evan opened his eyes again, he was lying in a small room.
The smell of medicine filled the air.
He tried to sit up.
Pain immediately shot through his body.
“Ow!”
A familiar voice came from beside the bed.
“Don’t move.”
Kaela was sitting in a chair.
Evan looked at her.
“How long?”
“Three days.”
Evan’s eyes widened.
“Three days?!”
“You nearly destroyed your mana channels.”
Evan looked at his hands.
They were covered in bandages.
“Can I use magic?”
Kaela didn’t answer.
Evan raised his hand.
He tried to summon fire.
Nothing happened.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
His expression changed.
“Kaela.”
“I know.”
“I can’t use magic.”
“Not right now.”
“How long?”
“I don’t know.”
Evan lowered his head.
For the first time, he truly understood the price of his ability.
Having four elements didn’t make him invincible.
It made him dangerous to himself.
Kaela stood.
“Your body needs time to recover.”
Evan looked at her.
“Can I still be an assassin?”
Kaela smiled slightly.
“An assassin who can’t use magic is still an assassin.”
Evan smiled.
“Then I’ll train.”
Kaela shook her head.
“Rest first.”
Evan sighed.
“Fine.”
Kaela walked toward the door.
Before leaving, she stopped.
“There is something you should know.”
Evan looked up.
“The Voidborn weren’t attacking Asterfall randomly.”
“What were they looking for?”
Kaela turned around.
“You.”
Evan’s expression became serious.
“Me?”
Kaela nodded.
“They called you the Traveler.”
Evan remembered the creature’s words.
Return to the door.
“Why?”
“We don’t know.”
Kaela looked toward the window.
“But someone in this world knows.”
“Who?”
“The people who built the first World Gate.”
Evan’s eyes widened.
“World Gate?”
“The first door between Earth and this world.”
Kaela opened the door.
“And if you want answers…”
She looked back at him.
“…we’ll have to find it.”
Evan stared at the ceiling.
His four elements were still inside him.
Fire.
Water.
Lightning.
Darkness.
But now he understood something.
Power always came with a price.
And his price had only just begun.
Outside the window, the dark night sky was filled with countless stars.
Two moons hung above Asterfall.
Far away, beyond the mountains, an ancient door opened.
A voice whispered:
“The fourth element has awakened.”
A second voice answered:
“Then the prophecy has begun.”