Against The Eternity Chapter 46: [45] Chapter - 21: Fading Heartbeat (Part - 2/2)

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[45] Chapter - 21: Fading Heartbeat (Part - 2/2) His ki surged without warning, churning within him like a storm on the verge of breaking. It wasn’t violent—but it was unstable and restless, as though something inside him was pushing against its limits, demanding release. Ishant’s eyes widened. “You’re close to another breakthrough.” Anshvi’s hand rose instinctively to her lips, her composure slipping. The disbelief was evident. Only yesterday, he had stepped into the rank of a one-star Practitioner… and now he stood on the threshold of the next stage? “How—” she whispered under her breath, the word barely forming. But Eklavya did not react. His attention had already shifted. Something else had caught his focus. The expression on his father’s face. The faint strain. The tension that hadn’t disappeared—only been momentarily hidden. Now it surfaced again, heavier than before. “What’s wrong, Dad?” he asked, his voice steady, but sharper now. Ishant exhaled slowly, one hand rising to press against his temples, as though trying to ease a pressure that would not relent. When he spoke, his tone carried a bitterness that had no attempt at concealment. “The mine was attacked again yesterday,” he said. After a brief pause, he added. “But this time… it wasn’t just the Marwah Clan.” His gaze hardened as he spoke the next line. “The Light Rain Sect joined them.” “That’s not all,” Ishant continued, his voice lowering, each word carrying a heavier weight than the last. “I believe the Marwah Clan has discovered the truth, that the mine contains medium-grade spirit crystals. They must have reported it to the Light Rain Sect.” The Light Rain Sect, by itself, was not overwhelming. Its disciples were fewer. Its influence was small compared to greater powers. Under ordinary circumstances, it would have been a manageable threat—something the Rudra Clan could confront, perhaps even withstand. But this… was not ordinary. Behind the Light Rain Sect stood the Falling Leaf Sect—a force vast enough to reshape the balance of the entire southern regions of the continent. Their protection was not symbolic. It was absolute. Any sect or clan under their shadow carried with it an unspoken warning. Do not interfere or provoke. And above all, do not resist. A single misstep could turn conflict into annihilation. The implication was clear. This was no longer a dispute over territory or resources. It had become something far more dangerous— A matter that could draw the gaze of a sect they had already angered. … The golden markings flared again—this time not as a fleeting pulse, but as a violent surge. Light tore across his skin in erratic patterns, no longer flowing but erupting, each line burning with unstable brilliance. His ki spiralled out of control, no longer obedient, no longer contained. It crashed against his channels like a raging river breaking through its banks, wild and unforgiving. The air around him trembled faintly, as if reacting to the disorder within. His vision wavered. Edges blurred. Shapes lost their clarity. Sound dulled, as though the world itself had begun to recede from him. He tried to steady himself, but the ground seemed distant to him. The last thing he saw, before everything dissolved into a haze, was Anshvi. Her face. The calm she always carried was gone, replaced by something sharp. Her eyes widened, her expression paling in an instant as she stepped forward. “Eklavya!” Her voice cut through the fading silence. Before his body could collapse fully, before his head could strike the unforgiving stone. She moved—fast, instinctive and without any hesitation. Her arms caught him firmly, pulling him into her hold as his strength gave way entirely. His body fell limp against her, the tension gone as abruptly as it had risen. “Eklavya!” she called again, her voice trembling now, stripped of its usual composure as she held him close. Ishant moved at once, the composure of a Clan Head breaking apart the instant he saw his son collapse. Autho