Thorne rose from the rubble, his body mending with an almost ethereal glow as the moonlight kissed his battered frame. His breath was steady now, the Lunar Regeneration weaving together torn flesh and broken bones. He flexed his fingers, the trembling that had once betrayed his fear gone. He wasn't that scared boy anymore. He wasn't a tool or a pawn.

He was powerful.

Thorne's glowing gaze locked on Uncle, who paced like a rabid beast, his red aura flickering like fire. The ruined hall seemed to shrink under the weight of the tension, the space between them charged with palpable energy. Uncle growled, his muscles rippling unnaturally, veins bulging like cords under his scorched and ragged skin. His animalistic eyes gleamed with a manic fire, a predator sizing up its prey.

And Thorne smiled. A cold, sharp smile.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore," Thorne said, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.

Uncle snarled, the sound guttural and inhuman. "You'll wish you were," he spat, the red energy around him intensifying. Without warning, he charged, the ground cracking beneath his feet from the sheer force of his leap.

Thorne didn't hesitate. Aether surged around him in a maelstrom as he activated Burst of Speed, darting to the side just as Uncle's fist smashed into the ground where he'd been standing. The impact sent a shockwave tearing through the hall, pulverizing stone and shattering what remained of the walls. Thorne countered instantly, weaving through the rubble with the fluid grace of a shadow and slashing with his daggers.

The blades glowed with the light of the moon thanks to his Silverlight Strikes, slicing cleanly into Uncle's side. The steel bit deep, embedding to the hilt, but Uncle barely flinched. Instead, he roared, grabbing Thorne mid-strike and tossing him like a ragdoll across the room. Thorne twisted in the air, landing on his feet with a skid, but not before a shard of debris scraped across his arm, drawing blood.

Uncle grinned, his teeth bared like a wolf's. "You think you can hurt me? I made you. I know every trick up your sleeve!"

"Is that so?" Thorne murmured, his tone calm. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed Invisible Threads. The near-invisible strands of aether lashed out like whips, binding Uncle's arms and legs. Thorne yanked hard, pulling Uncle off balance, and darted forward with Burst of Speed. His daggers flashed, slicing across Uncle's chest in precise arcs.

But the glow of Uncle's red aura intensified, and Thorne felt the resistance, the energy pulsing through the berserker's body absorbed the damage. The gashes he'd inflicted began closing almost immediately. Thorne's eyes narrowed as he realized what was happening.

Uncle laughed, a dark, deranged sound. "Surprised, boy? Every hit you land only makes me stronger!" He flexed his muscles, shattering the aether threads like cobwebs. His fists glowed crimson as he activated a skill. "You're not the only one who can play with power!"

Uncle swung both fists downward in a devastating double punch. The ground beneath them erupted, stone shards flying like shrapnel. Thorne barely managed to dodge, activating Aether Surge to propel himself upward. He flipped mid-air, landing on a crumbling pillar and launching himself back at Uncle with a burst of speed.

Thorne's daggers slashed in a blur of light, faster than the eye could follow. He struck at every weak point he could find, thighs, shoulders, ribs, but every time, Uncle's aura soaked the damage, feeding off the attacks. Thorne was forced to retreat, breathing hard as he analyzed the situation.

"You're stalling," Uncle taunted, his voice dripping with mockery. "You don't have what it takes to beat me."

Thorne didn't respond. His eyes flickered to the aether swirling around them. The patterns were chaotic and erratic, but there was power there, raw, untamed power. Thorne extended his hand, feeling the currents of aether around him, and began to shape them.

The aether responded, twisting and spiraling into spears of energy that hovered in the air around him.

But something felt... wrong. The aether didn't surge to his command as effortlessly as before. Its flow was heavy, like trying to push through thick mud. Thorne frowned, forcing the energy to obey his will. This wasn't right, it felt like the days before his abilities had evolved into Aetherbound, when control was a constant struggle. He shook the doubt from his mind and pressed on, but the unease lingered.

With a sharp motion, Thorne sent them hurtling toward Uncle. The berserker roared, raising his arms to block. The spears struck with explosive force, throwing him back several steps, but when the dust cleared, he was still standing, his aura flickering but holding strong.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Uncle roared, charging again.

The strike should have torn through Uncle, but even as Thorne's power surged, he felt it again, that unnerving sluggishness. The constructs didn't blaze with their usual intensity, and the energy felt... muted, diminished. He gritted his teeth, pushing harder. Was it him? Or was the aether itself pulling away, resisting him?

Thorne met him head-on this time, activating Aetheric Skin. The glow around him solidified into a protective barrier as their fists collided in a deafening clash. Thorne felt the shockwave rattle his bones, but he stood firm, pushing back against the monstrous strength of Uncle's berserker form.

The fight devolved into a brutal, chaotic exchange of blows and counterblows. Uncle's berserker skills gave him the strength to shatter walls with a single punch, while Thorne's aetheric abilities allowed him to match speed with power, striking with surgical precision. The room became a battlefield of destruction, every impact sending tremors through the ground and tearing apart the surroundings.

But Thorne could feel his stamina waning. Every skill, every burst of speed, drained his reserves further, and Uncle's regenerative abilities seemed endless. The berserker was a force of nature, relentless and unstoppable.

"You're running out of tricks, boy!" Uncle sneered, his voice a guttural growl. "You're nothing without me! I MADE YOU!"

Thorne spat blood, his glowing eyes blazing with defiance. "You made me a weapon. But I became something more."

Summoning all of his strength, Thorne reached into the aether, pulling it into himself until his entire body hummed with energy. He could feel the strain, the edges of his mind fraying under the weight of the power, but he didn't care.

"This ends now," Thorne said, his voice low and cold.

Uncle laughed, a wild, unhinged sound. "You'll never beat me. I am unstoppable!"

Thorne surged forward, activating Burst of Speed and closing the gap in an instant. His daggers gleamed with condensed aether, their edges razor-sharp and humming with destructive energy. He drove them into Uncle's chest, burying them to the hilt.

The impact staggered Uncle, blood gushing from the wounds, but the berserker didn't falter. The red aura flared, knitting his flesh together even as the daggers tore through him. Uncle roared and swung a massive fist, red energy coalescing around it. Thorne barely ducked in time, the air screaming as the punch passed inches from his face.

He twisted, using the momentum to rip the daggers free and slash again, this time carving deep into Uncle's side. The berserker howled, his blood spraying the cracked stone floor. Thorne felt a savage satisfaction as his attacks landed, he was dealing real damage, tearing through Uncle's defenses but the man's sheer resilience was staggering.

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Before Thorne could strike again, Uncle's other fist connected with his ribs, the red energy erupting on impact. The world tilted as Thorne was sent flying, the force of the blow splintering a nearby pillar. He hit the ground hard, debris raining down around him.

Pain flared in his chest, but it only sharpened his focus. The aether around him surged in response to his emotions, answering his will with intoxicating intensity. He could feel it thrumming through his veins, promising power, urging him to push further. For a moment, he felt unstoppable, invincible. He grinned, his glowing eyes narrowing as he launched himself back into the fray.

Uncle was waiting. He grabbed Thorne mid-dash and slammed him into the ground, the red aura rippling with his movements. Thorne gasped as the impact rattled his bones, but he didn't hesitate. He summoned aether to his palm, forming it into a volatile mass. It pulsed like a miniature storm, the energy raw and unstable.

He slammed it into Uncle's chest. The explosion sent both of them hurtling apart, the shockwave tearing through the room. Thorne landed in a crouch, coughing as dust filled the air. Across the room, Uncle staggered, his chest charred and bloodied, his snarling grin faltered for a moment. The red aura shimmered, tendrils of energy weaving through his wounds, sealing them with horrifying efficiency.

"You thought those weak ass attacks would stop me?" Uncle growled, his voice guttural and dripping with malice. He stomped forward, his muscles bulging unnaturally. "I had a lifetime of battles, with enemies much, much worse than you boy! You are nothing!"

He raised a fist, the crimson energy around it intensifying into a dense, crackling sphere. With a roar, he slammed it into the ground. The resulting shockwave split the floor, jagged cracks racing toward Thorne.

Thorne leaped into the air, summoning aether platforms beneath his feet to keep himself aloft. He flung a barrage of crescent blades at Uncle, each one slicing through the air with deadly precision. They struck true, carving deep gashes into Uncle's arms and legs, but the berserker didn't slow. Instead, he charged through the onslaught, his roars shaking the very walls.

Thorne's heart pounded as he wove around Uncle's relentless strikes, his every movement enhanced by the aether. The power coursing through him was exhilarating, addictive. He could feel the raw energy at his fingertips, ready to be shaped, to be unleashed and yet at the same time it felt distant, reluctant.

It whispered to him, tempting him to give in, to use it all and burn everything in his path while it shied away.

But Uncle wasn't just a mindless brute. He was calculating even in his rage, his strikes precise and devastating. A fist connected with Thorne's shoulder, sending him spinning. Another caught him in the stomach, the red energy detonating on impact and throwing him backward.

Thorne hit the ground hard, coughing up blood. He could feel his ribs crack, but the aether was already working, repairing the damage even as he struggled to his feet. His vision swam, but he forced himself to focus. Uncle was wounded, his aura flickered where Thorne's blades had torn through him, but he was far from defeated.

"You're nothing without me," Uncle snarled, his voice dripping with venom. "I made you. And now I'll unmake you."

Thorne wiped the blood from his mouth, his glowing eyes locking onto Uncle. "No," he said, his voice steady despite the chaos around them. "You didn't make me. And you sure as hell won't break me."

Blood trickled from his split lip and his bruised ribs ached with every breath. Uncle loomed before him, his hulking frame encased in the pulsing red aura of the berserker trait. The man's eyes glinted with feral rage, the very image of unbridled destruction.

Thorne knew he couldn't keep trading blows like this. Uncle's monstrous endurance and regeneration gave him an edge that was nearly impossible to overcome. He had to end this and he had to do it now.

He reached deep into the swirling aether around him, summoning more power than he'd ever dared to wield before. The motes of light danced erratically, shifting and shimmering with a chaotic energy that mirrored his own desperation. He gritted his teeth and strained to shape them, willing the aether to obey. But something was wrong.

It fought him.

The aether, usually so responsive, felt sluggish and resistant. It quivered under his command as though it wanted to obey him but couldn't. A ripple of unease ran through Thorne as he felt an invisible force pulling at the same energy he was trying to wield. A foreign presence. No, a rival presence.

Whoever had summoned the falling stars, the raging fires, they were the ones vying for control of the aether.

The realization hit him like a hammer. He wasn't just fighting Uncle. He was fighting someone else too. An invisible fight for control. The aether around him trembled, caught in a tug-of-war between his will and this unknown force.

Uncle's roar snapped him back to the moment. The berserker barreled toward him, his fists wreathed in crimson energy. Thorne raised a hand to summon a barrier, but the sluggish response from the aether made it too slow. Uncle's punch connected, a devastating blow to his ribs that sent him skidding across the cracked floor.

Pain lanced through him as he rolled to a stop, coughing and gasping for air. His chest felt like it was on fire, but he forced himself to stand, his vision hazy. Uncle didn't give him a moment to recover. He was already charging again, his fists raised high like a hammer ready to strike.

Thorne ducked under the first swing, barely dodging the second. Another strike clipped his shoulder, sending a shockwave of red energy through his body. He stumbled, his knees threatening to give out, but he refused to fall. Not yet.

"Is this all you've got?" Uncle snarled, his voice a guttural growl. "All that power, and you're still nothing but a scared little boy."

Thorne's jaw clenched so tightly it felt like it might shatter. He ignored Uncle's taunts, the deranged laughter, the jeering words meant to break him. He closed his eyes, shutting out the chaos, the heat, and the rising panic clawing at the edges of his mind. He needed to focus. He had to focus.

The aether was still there, swirling around him, but it was no longer the obedient force he had come to command. It was wild, erratic, and distant, as though it teetered on the edge of slipping entirely from his grasp. And yet, it wasn't the aether's fault. He could feel the truth of it now, clearer than ever. It wasn't rebelling against him but being pulled, torn between him and something else. Something foreign, immense, and unyielding.

That presence, whatever it was, bore down on him like a mountain, its weight oppressive and suffocating. It didn't feel human. It didn't even feel possible. But it was there, a vast and unknowable force that wrestled with him for control. A shadow of something distant yet overwhelming.

But Thorne refused to let it win. Not now. Not when everything was at stake. He wouldn't let Uncle destroy him. He wouldn't let this unseen presence take from him what he had earned, what was his.

He took a deep, shuddering breath, feeling the pounding of his heart, the ache of his battered body. Then, with a roar of defiance that tore from the depths of his soul, he planted his feet, digging into the shattered ground beneath him, and reached out with everything he had.

His mind stretched farther than it ever had before, reaching into the turbulent sea of aether. He poured every ounce of his will into it, his focus razor-sharp. His body, his soul, every fiber of his being strained under the immense pressure as he fought to pull the aether back to him.

The resistance was staggering, like trying to move a mountain with bare hands. The foreign presence was relentless, an immovable wall pressing back against him. It was cold and uncaring, vast in its indifference to his struggle. But Thorne gritted his teeth and pushed harder, his determination like a blade cutting through the overwhelming force.

"You. Are. Mine," he snarled through clenched teeth, his voice low and guttural, a growl of pure resolve.

Time seemed to freeze, the world around him holding its breath. The vibrations of aether around him shifted, trembling as though uncertain which master to obey. For one terrifying moment, he felt it slipping, that familiar energy he had wielded so many times threatening to abandon him.

But Thorne's will was unrelenting. He poured himself into the void, his sheer defiance breaking through the cold, alien force that sought to steal the aether away. The struggle peaked, a tension so immense it felt like the air itself might snap and then, like a dam bursting, the aether surged toward him.

It hit him like a tidal wave, a flood of raw, untamed energy answering his call. The alien presence wavered, its grip fading as though recoiling in the face of his overwhelming will. He didn't just feel the aether; he became it, every thread of energy sinking into his soul and becoming an extension of himself.

Thorne's eyes snapped open, blazing with light so intense it illuminated the wreckage around him. They burned brighter than ever before, twin beacons of power. Arcs of aether danced across his skin, tracing patterns of lightning that crackled and popped, lighting him up like a living storm. His breath came out in heavy, ragged gasps, but he stood taller, unyielding.

The energy coursing through him was intoxicating, a rush so potent it nearly overwhelmed him. Every sense was heightened, every muscle thrumming with raw strength. The pain of his injuries faded into nothingness under the flood of power. For a brief, electrifying moment, he felt unstoppable. Invincible.

He met Uncle's crazed, bloodshot gaze, his lips curling into a feral grin. The tables had turned, and now, it was his turn to strike.

Uncle hesitated for the first time, his crimson aura flickering as he stared at the transformed figure before him.

Thorne raised his head, his glowing gaze locking onto his uncle. His voice was steady, quiet, but it carried the weight of the storm raging within him.

"Now we end this."

Uncle roared in response, his berserker fury reigniting as he charged. Thorne didn't move, waiting until the last possible second. The aether crackling around him coalesced, shaping itself into something deadly and precise.

The real fight was about to begin.

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