CHAPTER 42 — THE SECOND MONSTER

# THE FALLEN LIGHT — SEASON I

## CHAPTER 42 — THE SECOND MONSTER

A week had passed. The sand had been cleared, the scorpions returned to their natural habitat, and the lake was restored to its former state. At least, that was how it appeared from the outside. Percy Grant sat in meditation by the shore of the lake, in front of where the sand had been removed. Both hands rested on his knees, his eyes completely closed. Core 6. The others had long since advanced. Arthur had reached 8. Charlotte was at 8. Marcus was approaching 8. William, despite his low Core compatibility, was progressing far better than expected. Even Nathaniel had improved. Clara was also at Core 8. Nathaniel looked at Percy from a distance.

"What is Percy doing?"

Arthur shrugged. Nathaniel smirked.

"Finally, he's trying to cultivate too."

Charlotte looked at him.

"Say that to his face when he wakes up."

Nathaniel thought for a few seconds.

"I fully support our President's growth."

Arthur laughed. But Galahad didn't laugh. He was looking at Percy in a completely different light. Breaking past the Advanced limit and reaching Awakened 2 had transformed his perception entirely. He no longer merely felt Orin; when it was dense enough, he could actually see its flow. And what he saw around Percy was bizarre. There was energy. Far too much energy. Percy's Core was ready as well. Yet he wasn't absorbing any of it. A proud smile touched Galahad's face.

"He's not 'finally trying to cultivate.'"

Everyone turned to him. Clara knit her brows.

"What do you mean?"

"If he wanted to, he could break through to Core 7 right now."

William immediately looked at Percy. The smile faded from Arthur's face.

"Then why isn't he?"

Holar Jun answered:

"Galahad is right."

Eleanor looked at Percy.

"What is he waiting for?"

Elizabeth shook her head.

"I don't know."

Galahad gave the exact same answer:

"Neither do I."

Even Holar Jun fell silent. That answer made everyone even more tense. Because if Percy was doing something that even Holar didn't know about... It probably wasn't normal.

Percy's lips moved.

"Gathering energy..."

William perked his ears. Percy hadn't opened his eyes.

"But what if you can't break the wall?"

Clara slowly looked at Galahad.

"Is he talking to us?"

Galahad shook his head.

"No."

Percy was unaware that he was speaking his thoughts aloud.

"How much energy can I take into myself?"

Silence.

"My grandpa is fucking massive."

For a second, no one could react. Then Eleanor burst into laughter. Galahad turned his head away. Arthur covered his mouth. Clara's shoulders trembled. As for Nathaniel, he didn't even try to hold back.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

For the first time, a faint trace of embarrassment appeared on Holar Jun's face. Nathaniel saw it.

"THE OLD MAN BLUSHED, BRO!"

Holar slowly looked at him. Nathaniel instantly became dead serious.

"I offer my deepest respects to the savior of humanity."

Eleanor was still laughing.

"Your weak spot has been found, Holar."

"Shut it."

Percy didn't hear a single word.

"I can't even take one percent of his energy yet."

The smile vanished from Holar's face.

"But..."

Percy took a deep breath.

"I'm going to see just how much I can take."

Galahad's eyes widened.

"Percy."

The lake moved.

The first wave hit the shore. Then came the second. Then the third. The Orin swirling over the lake suddenly altered its direction around Percy. From the movement of the waves, the crash of water against the shore, the creatures beneath the surface, the energy exchanges between earth and water, and countless small surrounding sources—Orin streamed toward a single point. Toward Percy. William stood up.

"This is too much."

Elizabeth's face turned grave.

"Percy!"

Just as Clara was about to step forward, Galahad raised his arm.

"Wait."

Clara glared at him.

"Brother, can't you see?"

"I see it."

Galahad's voice was filled with genuine concern this time. Because he recognized the quantity. Roughly a quarter of the energy he himself had taken in during his breakthrough was now gathering around Percy. And Percy was only seven years old. Galahad was truly frightened now.

"Percy, that's enough."

Percy didn't hear him. The energy arrived. Elizabeth's eyes widened.

"Stop him."

William had noticed it too.

"He's not filtering!"

Eleanor:

"What?"

William raised his voice:

"HE ISN'T SEPARATING THE ENERGY!"

Elizabeth acted immediately.

"His Core could shatter!"

Holar raised a hand.

"Wait."

Elizabeth turned to him.

"Holar!"

"Wait."

There was no pain on Percy's face. On the contrary... He was smiling.

"The source of all energy is one."

The energy reached the boundary of his Core. Percy's hair floated upward into the air.

"I too am a part of the universe."

Galahad's eyes widened. He was beginning to understand. Percy's voice echoed:

"I am one with the universe."

And the energy entered inside.

CORE 7.

BOOOOOOM!

The surface of the lake exploded. Clara cried out involuntarily:

"PERCY!"

But the energy didn't stop. If anything, it accelerated.

CORE 8.

Arthur's mouth hung open.

"What?"

Nathaniel:

"BRO, HE CAUGHT UP TO US!"

CORE 9.

Nathaniel:

"BRO, HE PASSED US!"

William held his breath.

"This speed is impossible."

Holar Jun spoke for the first time:

"It is possible."

Everyone turned to him. Holar kept his eyes glued to Percy.

"We tried to refine external Orin to fit the Core. Percy flipped the question."

Galahad had fully understood now.

"He's bringing his Core into resonance."

Holar nodded.

"Correct."

Elizabeth's eyes widened.

"So he isn't individually processing every single package of external energy."

"No."

William finished the thought:

"He's altering the Core's threshold of acceptance."

Holar looked at him.

"Precisely."

A new surge of energy poured into Percy.

CORE 10.

Charlotte:

"He was at Core 6."

Marcus:

"A few minutes ago."

A slow smile crept across Arthur's face.

"There's my rival."

Clara looked at him. Then turned back to Percy. She smiled with immense pride.

"The monster's grandson."

Holar Jun looked at Clara. Clara realized what she had just said.

"Um..."

Holar laughed faintly.

"If we weren't monsters..."

He looked toward the distant battlefield.

"Would you be able to breathe so easily?"

Clara smiled.

"No."

A light blush flared on Holar's face once more. Eleanor caught it instantly.

"Aha."

Holar:

"What?"

"You blushed again."

"I did not."

"Your weak spot is confirmed."

"Eleanor."

Galahad laughed. But his laughter was short-lived. Because Percy was still advancing.

CORE 11.

Galahad:

"He needs to stop now."

He didn't stop.

CORE 11.4.

William leaned forward.

"He's compressing the transition."

CORE 11.6.

Elizabeth:

"At this speed, he'll ruin his foundation."

Holar shook his head.

"No."

Elizabeth looked at him.

"Look."

The energy around Percy looked wild. But inside his Core, it wasn't. The energy within was impossibly orderly. Even while advancing at breakneck speed, Percy was building his foundation. The final surge arrived.

CORE 12.

Silence. Galahad let out a deep breath.

"Alright."

He smiled.

"He reached the end."

Arthur crossed his arms.

"From Core 6 to 12."

Nathaniel:

"This kid is genuinely sick."

Pride sparkled in Clara's eyes. But Holar Jun wasn't smiling. He was staring intently at Percy. Galahad noticed.

"Grandpa?"

Holar didn't answer. Then...

CRACK!

Red and black electricity flared beside Percy. Another spark.

CRACK!

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The sky darkened. Dozens of red-black lightning bolts streaked through the clouds. Then, the cloud layer split open. Refracted light formed a massive, rainbow-like arc of Orin across the heavens. Elizabeth Olsen's face went completely pale.

"No."

Eleanor looked at her.

"What?"

Elizabeth stepped forward.

"This is..."

Galahad's eyes widened. He recognized it too.

"An Advanced breakthrough."

Arthur whipped his head around.

"A WHAT BREAKTHROUGH?!"

Charlotte:

"He literally just reached Core 12!"

William:

"There needs to be time for the foundation to settle."

Elizabeth:

"Not 'needs to be.'"

"THERE HAS TO BE!"

Percy didn't open his eyes. Red-black lightning coalesced around his body. Thunder roared.

ADVANCED LEVEL 1.

No one spoke. Nathaniel stared for a few seconds.

"No."

Arthur:

"You're seeing it."

"I reject it."

"Reject what?"

"Reality."

Galahad started laughing.

"That's my brother."

Percy's Core struck again. Galahad stopped laughing. Holar Jun raised an eyebrow.

Eleanor:

"It can't happen again."

Holar smiled.

"It is happening."

ADVANCED LEVEL 2.

The lake calmed down. The massive waves shrank. The red-black electricity slowly faded away. Percy still hadn't awakened. Advanced 2. At seven years old. Arthur looked at Percy. He smiled.

"There's my rival."

William:

"You are truly insane."

Arthur:

"Probably."

Clara shook her head.

"It's not over yet."

Galahad turned to her.

"How do you know?"

Clara looked at Percy.

"Because I know him."

Holar Jun looked at his grandson as well. Then he smiled. Clara was right.

One day passed. Percy didn't wake up. A second day passed. The third. The fourth. The fifth. Percy wasn't unconscious. He was in meditation. He was reorganizing the massive structure of energy he had carried from Core 6 to Advanced 2, solidifying his new foundation, and refusing to leave behind even a single micro-crack. When Elizabeth realized this, she remained silent for a long time.

William finally asked:

"What is it?"

Elizabeth pointed at Percy.

"He isn't chasing power."

"What do you mean?"

"He's laying his foundation so he won't be crushed under his own strength."

Galahad smiled.

"Percy."

At the end of the fifth day... The Universe spoke.

BEYOND IMPOSSIBLE ACHIEVEMENT.

Everyone stood up. Clara turned to Percy. Holar's eyes narrowed.

SPECIAL REWARD GRANTED.

ELEMENT SELECTION.

Elizabeth relaxed.

"Element selection."

Arthur:

"Is this normal?"

"Yes."

The next sentence appeared. FLAME OF THE CHAOS FIRE DRAGON. Elizabeth fell silent.

Arthur:

"Is THIS normal?"

Elizabeth:

"No."

Charlotte:

"What is a Chaos Fire Dragon?"

Eleanor looked at Holar. Holar shook his head.

"Don't look at me."

William:

"Is it in the archives?"

Elizabeth:

"I've never seen it."

SCOPE EXCEEDED.

CHAOS FIRE DRAGON LOCKED.

Nathaniel:

"Even the universe said, 'Whoa, slow down, bro.'"

Arthur laughed. Even Clara couldn't help a chuckle.

FIRE ELEMENT UNLOCKED.

FIRE ELEMENT COMPREHENSION REWARD: 5%. The smile instantly vanished from Elizabeth's face.

"Five percent?"

Galahad:

"Is that a lot?"

Elizabeth looked at him.

"He just unlocked the element."

"So?"

"And without doing anything..."

"He gained five percent comprehension."

Galahad looked back at Percy.

"That's my brother."

FIRST SKILL UNLOCKED.

NATURE OF FIRE.

A five-meter invisible boundary formed around Percy. The air shifted. Elizabeth noticed immediately.

"A domain."

Eleanor:

"At Advanced 2?"

"A primitive domain."

Elizabeth went quiet for a few seconds.

"The fact that I can even utter that sentence is absurd."

A tiny flame appeared in Percy's palm. Yet within that five-meter domain, atmospheric oxygen distribution, heat transfer, and fire-attuned Orin fell completely under Percy's control. The flame didn't grow larger. It became more efficient. Denser. More controlled. William understood right away.

"He's not generating oxygen."

Elizabeth nodded.

"No."

"He's altering existing conditions."

"And twisting the fire-attuned Orin to his advantage."

Holar:

"The result?"

Elizabeth didn't take her eyes off Percy.

"Within this domain..."

"Percy's fire attacks will be far more powerful."

Arthur laughed.

"Of course they will."

Charlotte:

"Why aren't you surprised?"

"I'm just tired."

Nathaniel:

"I got tired five days ago."

Elizabeth watched Percy for a long time. Eleanor caught the expression on her face.

"No."

Elizabeth didn't reply.

"Elizabeth."

The woman smiled.

"I think..."

Holar turned to her. Galahad perked up as well. Elizabeth crossed her arms.

"I've found my new student."

Silence.

William:

"Student?"

Charlotte:

"Your personal student?"

Elizabeth nodded.

"Yes."

Even Holar was surprised.

"You haven't taken a personal student in years."

Elizabeth pointed at Percy.

"I haven't seen a Percy Grant in years."

A proud smile spread across Galahad's face.

"That's my brother."

Percy was still in meditation. Galahad looked at Holar.

"And truly..."

"The monster's grandson."

Holar looked at him first. Then at Percy. He had changed the Core cultivation method. He had helped Galahad cross his two-year wall. He had unlocked an unexplainable **[Perfect Match]** with Clara. He had soared from Core 6 to Advanced 2. He had gained a new element. He had unlocked his first domain skill. And after all of that, instead of chasing more power, he had spent five days solidifying his foundation. Holar took a deep breath.

"Now..."

Everyone looked at him.

"I feel like the title of 'Monster' no longer belongs to me."

Laughter erupted. But it was short-lived. Because everyone turned back to Percy. Arthur was the first to speak.

"We were ahead of him."

Charlotte:

"We thought we were."

William:

"No."

Everyone turned to him. William nodded.

"We really were ahead of him."

Clara smiled.

William continued:

"He paused just to help us grow."

Silence.

"He chose to stay at Core 6."

Marcus looked at Percy.

"And then he passed us."

Clara:

"No."

Arthur turned to her.

"What do you mean, no?"

Clara's eyes were fixed on Percy.

"He didn't pass us."

"He's walking ahead of us."

No one spoke.

Clara continued:

"He's showing us the way."

Arthur smiled.

"Then we'll catch up."

Charlotte:

"Definitely."

William:

"We will try."

Marcus nodded. Nathaniel sighed.

"Here comes the pep talk."

Clara:

"You're going to train too."

"Fuck my life."

Galahad burst out laughing. But then he looked at Percy. His smile softened. Percy was advancing terrifyingly fast. Perhaps frighteningly so. But none of them wanted him to stand at the peak... All alone. Arthur wanted to be his rival. William wanted to understand him. Charlotte wanted to catch up. Marcus wanted to fight alongside him. Nathaniel, even while complaining, would follow. And Clara... Had promised never to let go of his hand again. Galahad puffed his chest out with pride.

"My grandfather..."

Holar looked at him.

"Was the first monster."

Eleanor smirked.

"No arguments there."

Galahad turned to Percy. The last red-black sparks of electricity were fading around the boy. Elizabeth watched her new student. Arthur watched his new rival. Clara watched her sweet little trouble. And Holar Jun watched his grandson. Galahad smiled.

"The second monster..."

A proud smile appeared on Holar's face.

And Galahad finished:

"PERCY FUCKING GRANT."

THE SECOND MONSTER.