I lifted Xebec easily off the invisible surface we were standing on, holding him suspended in the void by his throat as he struggled against my grip.
Then suddenly a silver glow burst out of my body, spreading across me in an instant. Fine silver particles began drifting upward along my form like countless fireflies rising into the dark.
I blinked in surprise at the sudden change. Even Xebec’s eyes widened.
But he was not the only one.
Behind him, Xeron’s expression shifted sharply. The old Naga’s calm demeanor fractured for the first time since he had arrived. His eyes widened as he stared at the silver glow surrounding my body.
In the next instant his figure blurred. He appeared beside us.
His hand shot forward and gripped Xebec’s shoulder. His eyes narrowed as he looked at me, the shock in them impossible to hide.
"Mr. Billion," he said, his voice suddenly respectful, "please... consider him a child. Let him go."
But I barely heard him.
My attention had shifted completely.
The silver glow surrounding my body fascinated me far more than the Naga struggling in my grip. I could feel the particles rising across my skin, drifting upward like sparks caught in a slow current.
’Where is it coming from?’ I thought.
I focused inward.
It was not coming from my body. The realization came almost instantly. The glow was forming the moment the surrounding Essence touched me.
It was reacting to me.
The silver particles were nothing more than Essence itself changing when it brushed against my presence.
At the same time I noticed something else.
The anger that had erupted inside me when Xebec attacked was fading just as quickly as it had appeared. The sharp heat of it cooled as my mind steadied again.
Slowly I loosened my grip.
My fingers released Xebec’s throat.
But before letting him fall, I reached forward and tapped his forehead lightly with two fingers.
The effect was immediate. His body shot backward like a projectile. He flew straight into the tightly packed formation of Naga soldiers behind him. Several of them rushed forward to catch him, their formation collapsing for a moment as they absorbed the impact and steadied him.
Their weapons lowered instinctively as they tried to regain order.
I ignored the commotion completely. My gaze remained fixed on my palm. The silver glow was still there, faint particles drifting upward across my skin. Beside me, Xeron slowly released my wrist. He did not look at the soldiers or at Xebec.
His attention remained locked on me.
For a moment he simply studied the glow surrounding my body. Then he spoke quietly.
"Who would have thought..." he said, his voice carrying genuine astonishment.
"That you have already become so powerful."
His reptilian eyes studied my face carefully.
"And yet you are still so young."
A brief pause followed.
"How did you do that?"
I looked at the old Naga. Standing this close to him only made the strange familiarity stronger. Something about his presence stirred a vague recognition in the back of my mind, though I was certain we had never met before.
"Old man," I said, studying his hunched figure carefully, "do you know what this is?"
I lifted my palm slightly, letting the drifting silver particles rise between us.
His expression alone told me he did know.
Xeron’s eyes moved from the glow on my hand to my face. A slow, cheeky smile appeared on his lips.
"So you don’t know what this is," he said. "Interesting. Very interesting."
He raised his own hand.
The moment he did, the same phenomenon occurred. Essence from the surrounding space brushed against his palm and a faint silver glow appeared around it, the same drifting particles forming briefly before fading again.
The glow vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.
"Nice trick, isn’t it?" he said lightly.
I didn’t respond.
My eyes stayed fixed on him, still waiting for an answer.
Xeron studied me for another moment before his smile faded into a more serious expression.
"Fine," he said. "I can tell you. But then no more hostilities. We have already lowered our weapons."
I glanced briefly toward the Naga ships. Their cannons were indeed retracting now, the tension across the fleet easing slightly.
I nodded.
Xeron pointed toward the glow around my palm.
"That glow represents something very specific in this universe," he said slowly. "It is the sign of someone who is close to becoming a Saint."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"And it solidifies when you actually become one."
"A Saint," I repeated quietly.
"Yes," Xeron said. "It looks like you have already reached the threshold. The only thing remaining for you is the rank-up itself."
He gave a small nod.
"Congratulations."
I looked back down at my hand. The silver glow continued to drift upward in small particles. So this was a sign of Saint rank. A visible reaction of the world itself.
Xeron continued speaking.
"Natural Essence around you is responding to your presence," he said. "That silver color is its obedience. A form of surrender."
When he said that, a thought suddenly passed through my mind. And before either of us could say another word, the glow began to change.
Starting from my palm, the silver particles shifted. The color deepened. The drifting lights transformed into violet. Within seconds the entire glow surrounding my body had turned violet, the particles rising like dark sparks in the void.
Both of us stared at it. The transformation finished.
Xeron blinked.
Then his eyes widened.
"Now what the hell is that?" he said in genuine shock.
I smirked.
"Not telling you."
With a small motion of my fingers, I pulled the violet Essence back into my body. At the same time I pushed away the surrounding natural Essence that had been brushing against me. The particles vanished instantly, the glow fading until nothing remained.
For a moment the space between us returned to its normal stillness.
I placed my hands behind my back and looked at Xeron calmly.
"So, General Xeron," I said, "how can we help you?"
The old Naga straightened slightly and studied me again. Up close his reptilian eyes were sharp and observant, the kind that missed very little. For a moment he seemed to be weighing something in his mind.
"You are full of surprises, Mr. Billion," he said at last. "But we are not here to fight."
He gestured slightly toward the ships behind him.
"We came to introduce ourselves. Nothing more."
Behind him, Xebec had already recovered and returned to his place among the Naga formation. The anger on his face had not faded. If anything, the brief humiliation had only made it worse. Beside him the female Naga who had remained silent since their arrival now stood with her arms loosely folded. Her eyes were narrowed slightly as she watched every movement I made.
"An introduction, is it," I said.
I stepped forward and extended my hand toward Xeron.
"Then it is nice to meet you."
Xeron chuckled softly and reached forward to take my hand. His grip was firm, far stronger than his hunched frame might suggest.
For a moment the handshake appeared perfectly normal.
Then both of our expressions changed. Our eyes widened at the exact same time.