The air in Noxfall Forest hung heavy, unmoving—like the breath of the world had paused.
Kaen stepped out from the ruined temple buried deep beneath the earth. His breath was still ragged, his chest rising and falling slowly. Blood still trickled down his shoulder, but he made no sound of complaint. The pain… was a reminder that he still lived.
The Void inside him stirred. Not violently like before, but slowly—its presence threading through his muscles and bones, sealing wounds from within. Cold. Familiar. Alive.
He came to a stop at the edge of a small cliff, gazing over the mist-covered valley. A sharp wind tugged at his hair, carrying the scent of damp earth and withering flowers. Kaen raised one hand and looked at the darkened scar left by the fight—his skin pale and almost lifeless where the energy had touched.
> "Still far from whole… but it's a beginning."
The Void Fragment was no longer physically with him, yet he could feel it—embedded deep within his soul. Since then, whispers had crept into his mind. Faint voices. Low, ancient tones. Most were incomprehensible.
But one voice always came through clearly:
> "Rise... and destroy them."
He clenched his fist and began descending the rocky slope. He needed to observe the world from a distance. Fifteen years had passed since his death. He had no idea what had changed. But one thing was certain: this world wasn't ready for the return of Kaen Valcarys.
His steps tread over thick roots and moss-covered stones. As the sun sank behind stormy clouds, a small village came into view, nestled quietly in the valley below.
Trenya.
A forgotten dot on the edge of the western empire. No walls. No guards. Just flickering firelight and silence. A perfect place to vanish… or to begin again.
But just before Kaen could step out of the forest's edge, he stopped.
Something was wrong.
The air tightened.
Wind died.
The birds fell silent.
Kaen closed his eyes. His heartbeat was calm, but his senses sharpened like a blade. Then—
WHSSHT!
He leapt sideways. An arrow tore through the space where his chest had been a heartbeat earlier, embedding into a tree behind him.
He turned swiftly, body coiled like a spring.
Three black-clad figures stepped out from the shadows. Each wore a thin metal mask, their movements swift and trained—far too precise for common thieves.
> "So… someone's watching me already," Kaen muttered.
One of them spoke, voice muffled behind the mask:
> "Void energy detected. Target confirmed. Capture alive. Kill if necessary."
Kaen's lips curled into a faint smile—cold, mocking.
> "You can sense the Void? Interesting…"
He didn't wait for them to act.
But neither did they.
One charged, striking downward with a short sword. Kaen sidestepped, caught the attacker's wrist, and slammed him into the ground with a sickening thud. Bones cracked.
The second rushed in from behind.
Kaen spun and drove his knee into the man's face, shattering the mask. Blood sprayed.
The third was smarter—fast, fluid, armed with twin daggers. He slashed across Kaen's shoulder, drawing blood. But Kaen didn't flinch.
The Void within him surged.
Air shimmered. His eyes glowed faintly violet.
The assassin froze—too late.
From the ground, Kaen raised a spear of shadow, formed from the darkness itself.
He hurled it.
THUNK!
It pierced the assassin's shoulder, pinning him to a tree.
Kaen approached slowly, eyes sharp.
> "Who sent you?"
The assassin coughed blood, but he chuckled, as if laughing at a secret only he knew.
> "We're not the only ones looking for you. Did you really think the Void would let you return… without consequences?"
Kaen said nothing. His gaze narrowed.
> "The Void doesn't control me. I am its will."
The laughter turned into a choking sound—then flames burst from within the assassin's body. In moments, nothing remained but ash.
Kaen stepped back, frowning.
> "Self-erasing soul seal... these weren't ordinary hunters."
He exhaled, the tension in his shoulders loosening.
His wounds were healing slowly, but the unease in his chest remained.
He turned his gaze toward the village of Trenya.
> "I need to get inside… before others come."
Darkness fell like a curtain.
And far away—at the crest of a distant hill—
a pair of golden eyes emerged from the fog.
Watching.
Waiting.
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