Vyrinox approached the monolith, as he was mere inches from claiming it, a sudden, crushing pressure descended upon him. It was like the universe itself had decided to test his worth. Vastoth, deep in his trance of comprehension, was jolted awake by the shift. His closed eyes snapped open, scanning the scene until they landed on Vyrinox standing behind him.


    For a moment, confusion crossed Vastoth’s face. “How?” the expression silently demanded. “How did he get here?”he couldn’t believe it.


    The monolith’s laws were unforgiving and even for him only through mastery of space could he reach this far. Yet, here was Vyrinox, standing within its sacred perimeter. But what relieved vastoth was the  oppressive pressure that targeted only Vyrinox. The pressure intensified with each passing second, like an invisible hand pressing Vyrinox to the ground.


    Vyrinox gritted his teeth, his body trembling as he dropped to one knee. The pressure didn’t stop. His second knee hit the ground, his hands shaking as they fought to hold him upright. A voice screamed inside his mind: “I cannot lose! Not again!”


    Above him, Vastoth watched with cold amusement, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips. The sight of Vyrinox struggling like this was almost comical. But there was also a flicker of disdain in his eyes and also the faintest trace of relief. He thought silently “this was not the way to claim the monolith. Not through trickery.”


    Vyrinox’s resolve hardened as he caught sight of Vastoth face. He could see the ridicule, the dismissal, and even a hint of pity. Rage boiled inside him, fueling his determination.


    “I will not fail!” he roared, his voice echoing across the mountain. “Divine Shift!”


    Patterns of deception law flared to life around him, runes glowing like embers in the dark. The very fabric of reality trembled. Then, like a mirror struck by a hammer, the surroundings fractured. Vastoth instinctively stepped back, his eyes narrowing as the shards of reality scattered around him.


    “That was close,” he muttered under his breath. His gaze darted toward the monolith,only to freeze in disbelief. It was shattered—broken into countless pieces.


    “What have you done?!” Vastoth’s roar was like thunder, shaking the very air. His anger surged as he charged toward Vyrinox, his aura blazing with unrestrained power his eyes now red with anger.


    But Vyrinox was ready. He swiftly pulled several shards of the monolith into his hand then he instantly whispered, “Shift.” In an instant, his position was swapped with that of a clone he had stationed at the mountain’s base. Vastoth’s fist crashed into the clone, reducing it to black purée.


    At the mountain’s base, Vyrinox stumbled, panting heavily. Sweat dripped down his face as he clutched the shards, their energy pulsating in his grip. “That was close… too close,” he muttered. His mind raced with the realization that Vastoth could have killed him instantly in that moment.


    Vyrinox’s relief was short-lived. The shards of the monolith radiated energy so potent it was impossible to conceal. He attempted to store them in his pocket dimension, but they resisted, their nature too powerful to be confined.


    “This will attract others,” he muttered, his voice laced with frustration. “I need to figure this out quickly.”


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    Before he could act, the space around him distorted violently. Vastoth appeared above him, his presence like a storm descending. “You dare!” Vastoth bellowed, his voice crackling with fury.


    Instinctively, Vyrinox yelled, “Shift!” His body swapped places with a distant clone just as Vastoth’s fist came crashing down, annihilating the clone in an explosion of energy.


    “How?” Vastoth growled, his frustration mounting. “Is he faster than space itself?”he angrily roared.


    The primordial’s roar echoed across the land, shaking mountains and forests alike. Vyrinox, now 100 of light years away, leaned against a jagged rock, his body trembling from exhaustion. “That made me waste one of my trump cards,” he muttered bitterly as his gaze fell to the shards hovering before him.


    His bitterness and desperation turned to surprise as the shards began to react. Drawn to one another, they fused seamlessly into a single whole. The laws emanating from the reconstructed monolith were clearer now, more vibrant and tangible than before.


    For a moment, Vyrinox stared in awe. “So… it’s even stronger this way,” he whispered, his mind racing with possibilities. But the danger was far from over. He knew Vastoth wouldn’t rest until he reclaimed what he believed was his.


    ………


    Vastoth, still seething with anger, reappeared atop the mountain in an instant, his mastery over space making the journey trivial. His eyes scanned the peak, expecting nothing but emptiness after Vyrinox’s clash. Instead, what he saw left him momentarily stunned.


    Suspended in midair, the fragments of the shattered monolith hovered like scattered stars. Each fragment radiated its own unique spatial law, their energy humming in the air like a disjointed symphony. Vastoth stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied the phenomenon.


    “These fragments…” he muttered, reaching out to the nearest one. As his fingers brushed against it, a fragmentary law aspect flowed into his mind—a piece of the vast puzzle he had been so close to completing. He frowned. “I can only grasp one aspect from each of them.”


    His gaze moved to the other fragments, each glowing faintly, each holding its own space aspect then a realization dawned on him: To understand the whole complete law easily, I need all of the fragments.


    Without hesitation, he extended his hand and began to gather the fragments. They moved toward him, converging in a slow, deliberate motion. As they came together, the scattered pieces merged seamlessly, forming a structure three-quarters the size of the original monolith.


    The newly formed monolith pulsed with power, its presence commanding yet incomplete. Vastoth placed his hand against its surface, his brows furrowing as he tried to sense the final aspect of the spatial law. But it was no use. The last pieces of the puzzle remained elusive, locked away in the missing fragments.


    His jaw tightened. “Vyrinox,” he growled under his breath, the name dripping with venom. He knew the last shards were with him, and until they were recovered, this monolith would remain incomplete. Vastoth’s fingers curled into a fist against the monolith’s surface.


    He could feel the weight of time pressing down on him. To fully comprehend the spatial laws now, he would need to either comprehend it over long periods of time,although the incomplete monolith could aid him but he had mastery over the space aspects that monolith had.But time was not on his side. The Divine Realm was vast, and rivals were many. Anything could happen during this delay the faster he becomes stronger the better he can deal with the challenges he may face.


    Vastoth stepped back from the monolith, his anger simmering beneath the surface. He clenched his fists as his mind raced through his options. “I can’t afford to wait. This must be whole again… and soon.”


    ……………


    Vastoth stood atop the shattered peak, his  eyes locked on the distant horizon where Vyrinox had vanished to. The air around him was heavy, crackling with the remnants of their clash. His fists clenched tightly at his sides, the faint hum of space laws vibrating through his being. For the first time in eons, Vastoth felt not triumph, but failure.


    His gaze dropped to the faint imprint of Vyrinox’s presence left on the mountain. A bitter chuckle escaped his lips, tinged with frustration. “I thought I understood him,” he muttered, his voice low but edged with self-reproach. “I thought he was just a schemer, someone too weak to grasp the true essence of laws.”


    He shook his head, his expression darkening. The realization gnawed at him. I underestimated him. I thought I was untouchable ,that my mastery over space made me untouchable. And yet, here I am, empty-handed.


    The memory of Vyrinox’s deception replayed in his mind—how the clone had been a distraction, how Vyrinox had shattered the monolith and stolen its shards right under his nose. The audacity, the precision, and, most of all, the sheer cunning of it all. Vastoth had dismissed him, thought him a lesser rival. And that arrogance had cost him dearly.


    He let out a frustrated growl, his aura flaring momentarily before he forced himself to calm down. “Never again,” he vowed, his voice steady and resolute. “Never again will I let pride blind me. I will never underestimate anyone, no matter how insignificant they may seem.”


    His eyes burned with determination as he straightened his posture. “Vyrinox may have outsmarted me this time, but next time…” He paused, his jaw tightening. “Next time, I’ll be ready. And I’ll show him what happens when you challenge Vastoth, master of space.”


    The wind picked up, swirling around him as if acknowledging his words. Vastoth turned away from the shattered monolith, his steps heavy yet purposeful. His resolve was set—this was not defeat, but a lesson. A painful, humbling lesson that he would carry with him.


    As he descended the mountain, the fragments of his pride slowly pieced themselves together, reforged into a sharper, stronger will.


    END


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