"The Shadow That Does Not Answer"
The first question remained on the wall:
"Are you here to become stronger? Or just to fill your emptiness?"
Faro sat motionless.
His eyes locked on the words, yet he said nothing.
The light in the room grew colder — as if the walls were breathing silence.
His mind wasn't just questioning…
It was listening to the echo of something hollow inside.
Ten minutes passed.
Second question:
"Who are you… if everyone you know is stripped away?"
Faro gave a faint, brief smile.
Still, no answer.
Why give them his energy,
when he barely owns it?
Time passed.
Third question appeared:
"Do you deserve this life? Or are you a wandering ghost?"
He lowered his gaze.
"I am no ghost…
I am the void itself."
He spoke, barely audible.
He felt a small drain — a strand of aura slipped from him.
One answer. Enough.
The rest… silence.
Fourth question. Ignored.
Fifth. Ignored.
The second door creaked open.
Faro walked out —
Not triumphant, not defeated.
He had endured.
And outside, the bald man waited.
"This is how it begins.
Silence… is the first kind of Nen."