Void

Draven's eyes flickered open to an unfamiliar sensation absolutely nothing. No sound, no ground, no sense of direction. Just void. He blinked, trying to focus on something anything but his surroundings were pitch-black, as if the world had forgotten to exist.

"Where... am I?" Draven's voice echoed eerily, vanishing into the abyss as though it never left his lips.

His heart raced as panic crept in. No sky. No ground. No escape.

"Am I dead?" he muttered, the chill of the thought sinking in. Of course, the first time I try beast hunting alone, I end up in the afterlife. Just my luck.

Then, something shifted. A presence. It was subtle at first, but soon, a shadowy figure began forming in front of him. Slowly, it took shape, a monstrous silhouette with glowing crimson eyes that seemed to pierce right through him

"What the...?" Draven stared, his brain scrambling for an explanation. "Are you... death or something?

The creature's gaze remained fixed on him, unblinking. "I am the Void," it growled, its voice low and guttural, shaking the very air around Draven. "And you... are mine

Draven's eyebrow twitched. (¬_¬)"Well, that's not ominous at all." He threw up his hands. "First time in my mission I try going beast hunting, and I get a weird shadow monster telling me I belong to him? Just Bullshit."

The creature's eyes flared. "I have been with you since birth, watching, waiting. Now that you are weak, I will claim what is mine."

Draven blinked, his sarcasm breaking under the weight of its words. "Wait, what do you mean by 'weak'? I'm still standing, aren't I?" He flexed his arms. "I've got, like, a solid minute left of stamina, tops."

The figure stepped closer, towering over him. "You are but a vessel, a temporary host for my power. You have always been mine, and I am here to take what is owed."

"Vessel?" Draven repeated, his mind racing. "I feel like there was some fine print I missed when I was reborn. Seriously, no one warned me about having a creepy shadow thing tagging along."

The shadow narrowed its glowing eyes. "You mock me?"

Draven exhaled loudly. "I mean, kinda hard not to. If you're gonna show up claiming I'm 'yours,' you could at least bring a welcome gift. Like... I don't know, maybe a snack? I've had a rough day."

"Enough!" the Void snarled. "You belong to me! And your fate is sealed!"

The Void leaned in closer, its voice cold and final. "Soon, you will understand... the darkness inside you is more powerful than you can imagine. And I am that darkness."

Draven sighed, rolling his eyes. "Great. More cryptic threats. You guys really need to work on your pitch. This 'mysterious dark entity' shtick is getting old."

There was a pause. The Void seemed to be considering something. Then, with a low, rumbling voice, it replied, "Fine. Next time... I'll bring snacks."

Draven blinked, startled. (⊙_☉)"Wait, what?"

But before he could process what just happened, the shadow surged forward, and the darkness around him collapsed inward, swallowing him whole.

As the shadowy figure of the Void reached toward Draven, its twisted form pulsed with an unnatural hunger. It was about to absorb him entirely when, unexpectedly, it faltered. The void around them shuddered violently, as if rejecting its own nature. Darkness began to swirl inward like a black vortex.

The figure's shadowy hand trembled as it made contact with Draven's chest, and in that moment, the Void felt something it had never encountered before.

The Void itself was thrust into a vision, one that shattered its very perception of reality.

The darkness around him faded, revealing a scene of cosmic warfare. Stars, planets, and galaxies swirled into view, and the Void found itself thrust into a reality where celestial beings of immense power clashed across the fabric of existence. Their forms radiated with holy light and primal energy.

"This... this cannot be!" the Void hissed, struggling to comprehend the spectacle unfolding before it.

Titans made of starlight wielded weapons that could shatter worlds, while dark, twisted creatures lashed out with tendrils of shadow that consumed all in their path. The Void had witnessed many things in its ancient existence, but never something like this. It recoiled, struggling to process what it was seeing.

"Is that a giant Neo sword?" the Void thought, but the question was lost in the chaos.

Amidst the chaos, a single figure emerged. This being was neither made of light nor shadow. It radiated an aura of pure, unrestrained evil. Its red eyes burned like the very core of a collapsing star, and its hair was as black as the abyss from which the Void itself was born.

"What… is that?" the Void whispered, an edge of fear creeping into its voice.

The figure walked through the battlefield as if nothing could touch it. Celestial beings recoiled from it, unable to comprehend its nature. The radiant forms of heroes dimmed and shattered like fragile glass in the presence of this malevolence.

"No! I cannot look away!" the Void screamed, drawn to this figure, compelled to understand its nature.

Then, the figure turned, its red eyes locking onto the Void itself. In that moment, the Void realized the full scope of its terror. This wasn't just some powerful being; this was something that transcended the very fabric of existence.

"Could it be...? No... it can't be...!" the Void gasped, its form flickering with dread.

The figure stepped closer, radiating overwhelming malice. "It cannot be... Mug...!" the Void began, but before it could utter the full name, the figure vanished, leaving only silence in its wake.

"Wait, what just happened?" the Void exclaimed, stunned and disoriented. It found itself back in the endless darkness where it had first appeared before Draven, its powerful form now flickering with uncertainty.

"No...!" the Void screamed, its voice echoing through the collapsing darkness. It fought desperately to hold onto itself, but it was too late. The power it once held over Draven, the authority it claimed, was slipping away.

In that final moment, as the Void struggled to assert its control one last time, a chilling realization gripped it. The figure it had glimpsed in the vision an embodiment of darkness and chaos was not just an alien force but something eerily familiar.

No... It can't be! That essance...it mirrors his very soul!!

"No... no! It can't be! I won't allow this!" the Void shouted, its voice laced with desperation. "You are nothing but a vessel!"

But before it could finish, the darkness shattered, and the Void was lost forever. All that remained was Draven, standing alone in the endless void, a spark of something new igniting within him

...

Draven gasped for air as his eyes shot open, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He was no longer in the void, no longer facing the terrifying figure of shadow. He was back in the real world, lying on the cold, damp ground of the forest

"What the—? Where am I?" he croaked, pushing himself up on shaky arms.

But something was different. His body, which had been broken and torn apart, was now whole. He felt an overwhelming sense of vitality coursing through him.

"Wait… I'm healed? Completely? How is that possible?" He stared down at his arms, flexing them in disbelief.

As he sat up and took in his surroundings, unease began to creep in. The ominous voice that had always echoed in his mind was silent.

"Finally… some peace and quiet," he sighed, but even as he said it, a cold shiver ran down his spine. "Why do I feel like I'm missing something?"

Deep inside, he could feel it a presence, a power that wasn't there before. It was faint, like a whisper at the edge of his consciousness.

"Is this… the aftermath of that encounter?" he pondered, brow furrowing in concentration. "The Void is gone, but it left something behind. What is it?"

Draven pushed the thoughts away, trying to focus on the present. He stood up slowly, his legs shaky but surprisingly strong. The faint light from a nearby clearing cast long shadows across the forest floor.

"What the…?" he murmured as his eyes fell upon the enormous corpse of the Beast Queen.

It was dead, its massive form lying still in the clearing, blood soaking the ground around it.

"I did that," Draven whispered in disbelief, stepping closer. "I actually killed it(Not really). But… why does it feel so hollow?"

He stared at it for a long moment, his mind still reeling from everything that had just happened.

I don't understand... What was that? Who was that figure?" he muttered to himself, frustration creeping into his voice.

But no answers came. Only silence.

"Ugh, why is this so confusing? I really need a manual or something for this." He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "First, I face a terrifying shadow creature, and now I'm talking to myself in the middle of a forest."

Shaking his head, Draven forced himself to move. "Okay, enough of this. I need to find a way out of this cursed forest."

He took a deep breath, gathering his resolve. "No more distractions. Just focus. One step at a time."

As he moved toward the forest's edge, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him. "Is someone there?" he called out, glancing back over his shoulder.

"I guess not," he muttered, heart racing. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid. But seriously, I can't shake this feeling."

With every step he took, the whispers of the forest seemed to grow louder, as if echoing the fears and uncertainties in his mind. "Whatever's out there, I'll face it. I've survived worse."

As he ventured deeper into the woods, the eerie silence clung to him like a shroud.

--------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, back at the sect, the rescue party returned, empty-handed and exhausted. The atmosphere was heavy with defeat as they approached Vice Sect Leader Serena.

"Vice Sect Leader, we searched everywhere," one of the men reported solemnly, his voice strained. "He fell from the highest cliff in the Black Mist Forest... There's no way he survived."

Serena's eyes darkened, narrowing at the weight of the news. "So, he's dead then?"

The man hesitated, glancing at his comrades before nodding. "Most likely. We couldn't find a trace of him."

A sharp breath escaped Serena's lips as her expression hardened. "Bring Varn and Lira to me. They were with Draven. I need answers now!"

The rescue party exchanged worried glances but quickly bowed and left, hurrying to find Varn and Lira.

As they departed, Serena's mind raced. "Why am I feeling this way?" she thought, frustration flickering in her eyes. "He's just an outer disciple. He barely qualified."

She paced back and forth, the silence of the hall amplifying her growing concern. "But there's something different about him... something that caught my eye." The memory of Draven's unwavering determination flashed through her mind, his resolve amidst the chaos of the sect. "Why can't I shake this feeling? He shouldn't matter to me, yet..."

With Draven missing in the treacherous Black Mist Forest, a sense of urgency clawed at her gut. "I can't just sit here and accept this," she whispered fiercely, her voice steadying with resolve. "I need to know what happened to him."

She paused, her fingers curling into fists. "Find him," she commanded under her breath. "No matter the cost."

The air around her crackled with determination, a silent promise that she wouldn't give up on him. "Draven… I'll uncover the truth, even if I have to brave the depths of that cursed forest myself."

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As Draven ventured deeper into the forest, he noticed a strange disturbance in the air. Thick overgrowth concealed the entrance to an ancient cave, and an inexplicable energy pulsed from within, pulling him closer. He hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the shadowy trees, then shrugged and stepped inside, his heart pounding like a drum.

"What is this place...?" he muttered, his voice echoing through the cavern. The darkness enveloped him, and the air was thick with the scent of something ancient and forgotten. "I feel like I just walked into a anicent textbook's nightmare."

He chuckled nervously, trying to lighten the mood as he ventured deeper into the cave. "What's next? A giant rock monster asking me riddles? -_- I'd probably fail all of them!"

As he pressed on, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. "Okay, seriously, am I being watched?" He glanced over his shoulder, half-expecting to see a pair of glowing eyes in the shadows.

Just then, the ground trembled beneath his feet, shaking him from his thoughts. "Whoa! Is this the part where I fall into a pit of doom?" He stumbled, trying to regain his balance, and almost tripped over a rock. "Great! I might die in a cave because I can't even walk straight!"

Draven steadied himself, his pulse quickening. He had to know what was causing the tremor. With every step, the cave seemed to pulse with an ominous energy, and just when he thought he'd reached the end of the passage, he stumbled into a vast chamber.

His eyes widened in disbelief as he took in the sight before him. In the center of the chamber stood a colossal stone statue, covered in ancient runes, its features weathered but powerful. "Wow... What in the world is that?" He squinted, trying to make sense of it. "Is it a statue or a very weirdly designed bouncer?"

But the air grew thick with tension, and a low rumble echoed through the chamber, sending chills down his spine. "Ok, this is definitely creepy," he said, backing away slowly. "I should've just taken a nap instead of wandering into a cave of doom."

As he stood before the unknown, suspense hung thick in the air, the stone statue seeming to awaken with a life of its own. Draven frozen in place, heart racing, as the atmosphere shifted around him. "Well... this can't be good," he thought, his mind racing with possibilities. "l just want to sleep -_-....