Ash knelt in the clearing, breath shallow.
Lucien stood before him. Not just a man—something more. Something that felt like silence made flesh.
He didn't speak at first.
Didn't need to.
Ash stayed on one knee, head bowed—not out of submission, but understanding.
The order had been simple: Track the echo. Find the one who stirs the Void. Test him—kill him if you can. But if you survive… kneel.
He had survived. Barely.
Lucien finally moved. Just a step. Bare feet over ancient stone, untouched by dust or time.
"You were sent," Lucien said. "But not to kill me."
Ash's voice was steady, but low. "To test you."
"And now you know."
Ash nodded once. "There's nothing to test."
Lucien studied him. Those eyes—deep, unlit wells—held no emotion. Only inevitability.
"You knelt faster than most."
"I've seen enough," Ash said.
A pause. The wind moved, hollow and strange, as if the trees were listening.
"Do you fear me?" Lucien asked.
"No," Ash replied. "I fear what I'm becoming."
Lucien's gaze lingered.
Then, he turned.
"Follow."
Ash rose without hesitation.
No more questions. No more past.
He wasn't here to complete a mission anymore.
He was becoming part of something older. Something forgotten.
And somewhere deep in his bones, he knew—
This wasn't the end of the test.
It was only the beginning.