The wind was still.
Something inside him had changed. He didn't know what it was, but he could feel it.
And then…
The ground began to tremble.
Zein's eyes widened. The stones around him—those tall, ancient stones—started to glow. But not blue anymore.
Black.
A deep, rich black light that shimmered like stars in the night sky. Dark and bright at the same time. It wasn't warm. It wasn't cold.
It felt like truth.
Suddenly, the largest stone in front of him cracked open, revealing a hidden stairway that led underground.
Zein blinked. "What is this place?"
He stepped forward slowly, his hand brushing the glowing symbols on the stone as he entered the stairway.
The air grew colder with each step.
But the fear in his chest?
It was gone.
He didn't know why.
He just felt… drawn.
At the bottom of the steps, Zein entered a huge underground chamber.
It was beautiful—but terrifying.
Black stone walls stretched high into the darkness. Floating above a platform in the middle of the room was a giant slab of obsidian. It spun slowly in the air, covered in strange glowing letters.
The same ones on his arm.
They shifted and twisted, alive like smoke.
Zein stepped forward, his footsteps echoing. The chamber was silent, but something was… watching.
A voice—low and cold—spoke in his mind.
> "You found me."
Zein froze.
> "You crawled, bled, suffered… and still came. You are not weak."
"Who… are you?" Zein whispered.
> "I am what they feared. I am what they locked away."
> "I am the Void Script."
Zein's heart pounded. "Why me?"
> "Because you were cast aside."
> "Because you hurt."
> "Because pain is the gate… and you walked through it."
The obsidian slab stopped spinning. Its glow brightened, and the symbols on it began to move faster.
> "Touch it."
Zein stepped forward, eyes locked on the floating stone. His hand reached out—slow, shaking.
He placed his fingers on the surface.
And the world exploded.
A scream tore from his throat.
Zein fell to his knees.
Fire—no, not fire—something deeper—rushed through his veins. The glowing black letters shot from the slab and into his body. They carved themselves into his skin, his bones, his very soul.
His back arched. He clawed at the stone floor.
"MAKE IT STOP!" he screamed.
But it didn't stop.
His body felt like it was breaking apart and building itself again at the same time.
His mind was full of voices. Hundreds. Thousands.
Some were whispering. Some were shouting. Some laughed. Some cried.
> "You will never be the same."
"You asked for power."
"This is the cost."
"Accept it… or die."
Blood dripped from his nose. His vision blurred. He gasped for air. His heart beat so fast it felt like it would explode.
His muscles tore and healed. His bones cracked and reformed.
His body burned. His soul screamed.
He was dying.
No—
He was changing.
In the darkness, Zein saw light.
Not gold.
Not white.
Black light.
And in that light, he saw memories—not just his own.
Other lives.
Other souls.
Mages from the past. Warriors who had once stood right here. Chosen like him. Given the same gift. Some became heroes. Some became monsters.
Most… died.
But he didn't die.
He held on.
He screamed into the dark, "I'M NOT LETTING GO!"
And something heard him.
The voices stopped.
The pain faded.
The air grew still.
Zein fell forward, gasping.
Then everything went dark.
He didn't know how long he was out.
But when he opened his eyes, he wasn't the same.
He could feel it.
His body felt light… but strong. His skin still had glowing black symbols, now dim and resting. His heartbeat was slow, calm, steady.
He sat up slowly.
No more shaking.
No more fear.
No more weakness.
He looked at his hands.
And they glowed.
Not like fire. Not like wind or lightning.
But like the Void.
He raised one hand and whispered without knowing why, "Sever."
The air in front of him cracked like glass, a ripple shooting out from his palm and cutting across the stone wall.
A deep slash appeared, carved clean through the rock.
Zein stared in awe. "I… did that."
The chamber was quiet.
But the Void was still there, watching.
> "You are bound now. We live inside you."
Zein nodded slowly.
He stood.
He wasn't just Zein anymore.
He was something else now.
A mage—not born of light, but of pain.
He climbed the stone stairs and stepped back into the forest.
The sky had cleared. The stars shone above. The wind was gentle.
Zein took a breath and looked up.
He wasn't afraid of the woods anymore.
He wasn't afraid of being alone.
The world had cast him out. His father had thrown him away. His best friend had betrayed him.
But he had found something they could never understand.
Not fire.
Not gold.
Not fame.
Power.
And not just any power…
Power that could tear the world apart—
or change it forever.
Zein looked at his hands again, and for the first time in days…
He smiled.
-