The flow of Qi pouring from Safa's body had grown so overwhelming that Raze no longer needed to rely on instinct; he was certain of what was occurring. He had felt breakthroughs before, both his own and those of others. He had witnessed the transition from beginner stages into the middle realm. He had even sensed breakthroughs that bordered on miraculous.

But nothing he had ever seen, neither in Pagna nor Alterian, could compare to what was unfolding before him now.

This wasn't a steady elevation of power.

This was an eruption, violent, radiant, divine.

And only one conclusion fit.

She's reaching the Divine Stage… here, in Alterian.

Raze slowly lowered himself to one knee, not out of weakness, but because the shockwaves of Qi rolling off Safa were heavy enough to make even him brace himself. He tightened his grip on the ground to stop from sliding any farther as the wind-like pressure beat against him.

"I can't believe it," he whispered. "Of the two of us who began this journey… Safa is the one who will step into the Divine Realm before me?"

It struck him harder than he expected. Not with jealousy, but with clarity.

He began replaying memories, those early days in Pagna when everything felt uncertain. He thought of the countless shortcuts he had taken. The borrowed techniques. The demonic methods. The magical principles he had forcefully merged into Qi cultivation. Every leap he had made, he had made with a cheat, something unnatural pushing him forward.

Safa never had any of that.

She had always been exactly what she appeared to be:

A naturally gifted cultivator with a talent that couldn't be taught.

While Raze had struggled through the labyrinth of merging the worlds of magic and Qi together, she had moved forward simply by breathing, walking, fighting. Even at the beginning, she had been able to cultivate while moving, something that would take even the most talented years to comprehend.

Safa was the one who fit the description of a true prodigy.

The kind the ancient records claimed only appeared once every thousand years.

Raze let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head as another wave of Qi blasted outward.

"I guess you reaching the Divine Stage before me… it really is the most natural outcome."

The pressure paused for a brief moment, only to condense sharply, gathering around Safa's core before exploding outward in a single massive burst. The force ripped up the ground beneath her feet. Stone shattered. Dust shot outward in a spiraling ring that expanded until it reached the far edge of the chamber. Even with his enhanced body, Raze had to shield his face.

When the last of the debris settled, the dust thinned, and Raze finally saw her clearly.

Safa stood in the center of a crater, unharmed, unshaken, transformed.

Her skin glowed faintly, as if illuminated from within. A soft golden aura surrounded her, shimmering and drifting like particles of stardust floating upward. Her presence alone was enough to make the dimly lit cavern seem brighter. She no longer looked like someone from Pagna or Alterian.

She looked like someone who had stepped out of a divine realm.

"Safa…" Raze breathed.

She lifted her head slowly, golden light reflected in her eyes.

"Raze… I reached it. I reached the Divine Stage. I actually did it."

There was joy in her voice. There was disbelief. There was pride.

But then Raze noticed the tears forming. It startled him more than any surge of power ever could.

"Safa?" He stepped forward, his chest tightening. "Why are you crying?"

She wiped her cheeks gently, though more tears surfaced instantly, drifting upward with the floating particles surrounding her.

"I'm sorry, Raze… after everything I've done to get here… it seems I won't be able to stay and help you anymore."

He stopped in his tracks.

Her energy, so bright, so warm, was starting to distort. The particles drifting off her were dissolving, almost as if something was stripping them away. A golden radiance expanded from her shoulders downward, enveloping her body like a cocoon.

"Safa, wait, what's happening?" Raze asked urgently, taking another step forward.

She raised her hand immediately, not in fear, but to keep him from coming closer.

"Don't worry. I'm not dying," she said gently. "I can just… feel my body being pulled somewhere else."

Her voice trembled, though she tried to steady it.

"I always wondered what would happen if someone reached the Divine Stage while still in Alterian. We know what happens in Pagna, once a warrior reaches the Divine Realm, they're forced to ascend to the land above."

She gave a small, sad smile.

"And we also know Divine warriors can eventually return to Pagna, even if their abilities are restricted. Some appear in other dimensions through portals, able to travel back with limited power."

Golden light wrapped around her waist like a tightening band.

"So I hoped… maybe here in Alterian, we could escape the pull. Maybe we could delay the ascent if we grew stronger in this world first."

The glow intensified, outlining every curve of her silhouette.

"But it seems the rules don't change. No matter where we are… the Divine Realm is calling."

Raze's hands curled into fists. Every word she spoke confirmed the fear that had been lurking in the back of his mind. It was the same reason he had deliberately held himself back from advancing further in Qi cultivation, because once he crossed the threshold, he would be taken away as well.

Taken away before he could finish everything he set out to do.

"If I'm forced to ascend now," Safa continued, her voice softening, "I won't be able to stay by your side in the fights ahead."

The golden light grew to a blinding brilliance around her legs.

"But listen to me, Raze. Pagna warriors can come down again, even Divine warriors. I'll find a way. I'll learn how they do it. I'll return to you as soon as I can."

She gave him the warmest smile he had ever seen her make.

"But until then… you'll have to continue on your own."

Raze opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. The tightness in his chest made it hard to breathe.

"So let me say this before I go," Safa whispered.

"When you accomplish everything, when you take your revenge, when you finish your mission… don't treat it as the end."

The light climbed to her shoulders.

"If I haven't returned from the Divine Realm by then… come find me. Wherever I am. Whatever world I'm in."

Her eyes shone, full of emotion she had never been able to express before.

"I would love to see you again."

A final burst of golden radiance engulfed her. Raze flinched, turning his head away as the brilliance washed over the chamber like a miniature sun. When the light faded, and he finally dared to look back,

Safa was gone.

Nothing remained but drifting particles of light, fading one by one into the air.

****

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