Luke sat alone in the quiet darkness of his apartment.
He held the 3rd Ring of the Deep Sea between his fingers. The glass-like band caught the faint moonlight coming through the window, swirling with the deep, oceanic blue energy trapped inside.
According to the information he remembered from the novel, the activation method was simple. He just needed to drop his blood onto the ring and say her name, and it would instantly transport him to the sealed spatial dimension where Petra Kross lived.
Luke pulled a small combat knife from his pocket. He pressed the sharp edge against his thumb, making a quick, shallow cut.
A single drop of deep red blood welled up on his skin.
He held his hand over the ring and let the drop fall.
The moment the blood touched the glass-like surface, the ring reacted. It didn't glow or shine. Instead, the air right in front of Luke suddenly shattered like a broken mirror.
A pitch-black hole tore open in the middle of his living room.
Instantly, a terrifying, overwhelming sucking force erupted from the void. It grabbed onto Luke, trying to pull him directly into the darkness.
But then, something inside Luke’s soul woke up.
For the first time since his second awakening, the buried fragments of Time and Space reacted on their own. They sensed a foreign spatial force trying to move their host, and their natural defense mechanisms triggered.
A faint silver and violet aura flared around Luke’s body. The pulling force from the black hole suddenly stopped, hitting an invisible wall. The space around Luke locked down tightly, completely resisting the teleportation.
Luke wasn't surprised. He knew this was going to happen.
In the original novel, the exact same thing had happened to Emily when she tried to use her ring. High-level spatial powers naturally rejected outside interference. Luke knew that if he wanted to, he could use his Time and Space fragments to permanently close the portal and stay in his apartment.
But that was not his plan.
He needed to see Petra Kross.
With a deliberate thought, Luke commanded his soul power to stand down. He relaxed his guard and ordered the fragments to retreat back into the depths of his soul.
The silver and violet aura vanished.
The next second, the massive sucking force grabbed him again. Luke’s vision went entirely black as he was pulled violently into the void.
When his eyes finally opened, he was no longer in his small, freezing apartment.
He was standing inside a colossal hall.
The sheer scale of the place was breathtaking. The ceiling was so high it was swallowed by shadows. Massive stone pillars lined the room, and dozens of gigantic, ancient sculptures stood silently along the walls. The statues depicted strange beasts, warriors in heavy armor, and scenes from a forgotten civilization. The air smelled of old dust and heavy, stagnant energy.
At the very end of the hall sat a simple, enormous stone throne.
And sitting on that throne was a person.
Luke’s breath caught in his throat. The figure was a woman, but her size was terrifying. Sitting down, she was easily twice the height of a normal human. She wore a heavy, full-body robe that completely hid her figure, and a large hood draped over her head, casting her face into deep shadow. Only her lower jaw and a pale, resting hand were visible.
She was leaning forward, resting her chin on her giant hand, looking down at the tiny human who had just appeared in her hall.
Petra Kross. A survivor of the ancient Arcana civilization from 30,000 years ago.
She slowly lifted her head. Even from a distance, Luke could see the profound surprise radiating from her. She clearly had not expected anyone to visit her isolated dimension.
And looking closely at him, sensing that he was merely a second-stage awakener, her surprise only deepened.
"Well, what do we have here?" her voice echoed through the massive hall. It was a beautiful voice, but it carried the heavy, echoing weight of centuries. "I was not expecting a guest."
She stood up from the throne.
As she took her first step down the stone stairs, a suffocating pressure washed over the room. Luke felt his knees tremble. This was the raw, unfiltered oppression of a higher-level existence. Just standing in the same room as her felt like standing at the bottom of the ocean.
But as she approached him, something magical happened.
With every step she took, her massive body began to shrink. The ancient energy compressed itself. By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs and stood in front of Luke, she had reduced her size drastically. She was now only slightly taller than Luke, though the terrifying pressure radiating from her body remained just as strong.
Luke forced himself to stand straight. He mustered all of his courage, raised his hand, and showed her the ring.
"This brought me here," Luke said, keeping his voice as steady as possible.
Petra stared at the ring. Underneath her hood, her eyes widened.
She was genuinely shocked. She had left three rings behind in the world, knowing that eventually, someone would find one. But she had never expected it to happen this quickly.
She was even more surprised that this weak, young human knew exactly how to activate it. It had been thousands of years since anyone had seen these rings.
She was intensely curious, but she did not ask how he knew. The world was full of secrets, and there were many strange ways a person could stumble upon ancient knowledge.
Petra looked away from the ring and stared down at Luke.
"It looks like you already know what that ring means to me," Petra said smoothly. "Tell me your price. What is it that you wish for in exchange for returning that ring to me?"
It would have been incredibly easy for her to simply crush Luke and take the ring by force. She was a god compared to him. But Petra Kross was an ancient scholar. She was not an unreasonable tyrant.
Luke had been waiting for this exact question.
"I want you to take me as your apprentice," Luke said confidently.
Petra let out a soft, amused chuckle. She had guessed he would ask for something like that. After all, what power user in the modern world wouldn't want to learn from an ancient, supreme being?
She looked at Luke and smiled gently beneath her hood.
"I am sorry, little one, but I cannot help you with that," Petra said. "Returning this ring is a great deed, but it is not enough to make you my apprentice. You have to bring far more to the table for that honor. If you give me the ring, the most I can do is personally guide your training for six months."
Luke’s expression didn't change. He already knew she was going to refuse the apprenticeship. That was exactly what had happened in the novel.
Six months was more than enough time for what he needed.
"Okay. Deal," Luke said without hesitation.
He tossed the ring to her.
Petra caught it smoothly. A quiet wave of relief washed over her. She had been slightly nervous that this human would be greedy and continue pushing for unreasonable requests. His quick, pragmatic acceptance impressed her.
"Very well," Petra said, slipping the ring into her robes. "Since I will be guiding you, let me see what I am working with."
She raised her pale hand and gently pressed her index finger against Luke’s forehead. "Relax your mind."
Luke closed his eyes and let his energy settle.
Petra sent a thin thread of her ancient soul power into his body.
At first, she saw his Ice Manipulation. She wasn't surprised; ice was a common, solid attribute.
But as she looked deeper, she saw the Ice Seal.
Petra frowned in shock. Ice Seal? Why would the Will of the World grant such a forbidden, dangerous ability to this boy?
Before she could process that, her senses hit the very core of his soul. The fragments of Time and Space were hiding completely from her senses. Because of this, she did not see the fragments and only saw his Ice power integrating perfectly with the elements of Time and Space.
Time and Space? Combined with Ice? she thought, her mind racing. He is only a second-stage awakener! He must have used some kind of incredible treasure, with the help of the World's Will, to upgrade his power this way.
After a long moment of judging his limits, she finally pulled her finger away from his forehead.
She opened her mouth to speak, ready to ask him about his powers.
But before either Luke or Petra could say another word, something present itself in front of them.