The Shattering

Once again that voice in a strange but somehow understandable language appeared in his mind.

[For every enemy you face, you will double your strength and speed.]

After a few seconds of disbelief, Void's eyes relaxed. The light seemed to be absorbed by the rage contained in his gaze. Although this ability would not make him win against people like Kaiser, that did not matter to him. His revenge could be carried out now.

Behind Void, some hesitant steps seemed to approach him. The young man looked sideways. It was Arthur, who was watching him sadly. For that young man, Void's humiliating defeat was a hard blow for the one who considered him his "protector".

"...Are you okay?" Arthur stammered, trying to reach him with his trembling hand. Void stood up.

He turned his gaze forward. "Don't worry... I'm fine." His voice was cold and dry. With lightened steps he began to walk away.

On the other hand, Arthur was worried. After observing Void's behavior, one thing seemed clear: the family promise was going to be broken.

'Void... I hope you make them suffer.' Arthur thought with hatred, clenching his fists tightly. Blood began to flow down his lip, he was biting it with rage.

Those two orphans came to Jiho's care in different ways. However, both grew up in an environment where they had to survive through strength. The promise they made to Jiho was simple: try to forget that life and live a happy one.

Arthur over time forgot his past and adapted to the peaceful life, but Void couldn't leave his past behind. Because of that, the promise changed and now it was about Void not killing again.

For a decade, this promise was possible, although he didn't stop beating those who tried to steal from the store, he rarely killed them without really wanting to.

However, now Void had thrown away that promise. In a world where the law no longer protects the weak, the young man had no reason to hold back. The war had just begun.

Void made his way towards the exit with firm steps. The hospital was empty, yet he didn't give it much thought.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the hallways. As Void got closer to the exit, his heart pounded harder, anxious. Soon, his strong determination began to flutter through his mind.

'Am I too weak? Is that the reason?' Void thought, trying to find an answer to that feeling his body was screaming to get away from.

His determined steps quickly became hesitant. Void cursed his weakness, he thought that was the reason.

The door to the hospital exit became visible. Void frowned, puzzled. An intense crimson light was visible behind the glass door. However, that was not the strangest thing, all the hospital staff were outside, looking up at the sky.

They were all with their backs turned, some on the floor on their knees, others trembling on their feet. The crying of the children could be heard slightly.

Void walked towards the exit. The air was ominous, the feeling of overwhelming danger was becoming more and more present. And after leaving, Void understood that feeling of fear that he had before, he understood the cries of the children and the trembling of the nurses.

The dust mixed with the air, making breathing feel tedious, but that was not important. Void gulped, as he looked up at the sky.

All the clouds seemed to be running in the same direction, gathering around a strange and enormous crack in the sky. The crimson color came from that crack.

The sky was black, highlighting the presence of the crack, the stars seemed to disappear.

'What is this?' Void asked himself in disbelief. '...I don't remember having this planned for the novel...' he added.

He seemed to have forgotten that the novel that he had once started was no longer in his hands. The events that were now going to happen were no longer going to have to follow the rules of his novel.

Amidst all the confusion, the stings in his head became present again. The slayers had to enter that gigantic crack by force.

'Damn!' he thought angrily. More than the duty to enter, the main reason for his anger was that his revenge had to be delayed.

However, it seemed inevitable, he began to feel as if needles were strongly pricking his brain.

Void with a contained rage, walked through the crowd. But, no matter how much he thought about it, he could not reach a conclusion. How was he going to get to that crack?

No matter how much he looked at it, it seemed to be miles away from him. Before he got there, the punctures in his head would have already killed him.

The crack began to leave intense white flashes. They were blinding. And after a few flashes, a loud sound similar to that of glass breaking resounded.

Void removed his arm from his face, which he used to cover his eyes.

After blinking a few times, he looked back at the crack. Its appearance seemed to have changed. Now, the crack that had previously been formed by the clouds, now looked like broken glass.

Around the crimson light, a whitish light came out from the giant crystal fragments.

But the most surprising thing was what Void had in front of him. A small crystal fragment, which floated in the air with a whitish energy surrounding it.

Void looked confused to both sides. No one seemed to pay attention to his situation, they just continued to observe the crack.

There were two conclusions in his mind: Either they couldn't see that fragment or he was quite sleepy.

He began to rub his eyes a few times, stretched and even rubbed his cheeks. Still, the fragment was still in front of him, option one seemed to be the correct one...

Void let out a sigh. Just a few moments ago he was ready to carry out his revenge, why should this happen now?

He grabbed his face exhausted. The confusion in his mind made the punctures go unnoticed.

After a few seconds he used the same hand to push his hair back. He looked at the fragment. 'What am I supposed to do with this?' he thought confused.

And like any person who doesn't know what an object is about, he decided to touch it.

After the contact of his fingers with the cold surface of the fragment, it began to fade. Void quickly removed his hand, wondering if he had done the right thing.

The whitish light began to surround the young man slowly. The people around him began to stop being visible to him.

A couple of seconds passed and now Void was in a strange white place. He took a step forward, confused by the situation.

Surprisingly, that step made the place glitch. Void gulped and curious, he took another step. Again it glitched.

However, the next step was different. This one didn't make the place glitch but it changed completely.

Slowly, the white place began to fade as a new environment appeared in front of Void.

Ploc...Ploc..Ploc...

The damp smell took over his sense of smell. Void had changed places, one that was unrecognizable to him.

He looked up to only find a stone ceiling. The place looked cavernous, although it was immensely wide for a cave.

The floor was black and rough, there were also a large number of small puddles. From the drops falling from the ceiling, Void assumed he was underground.

It was a quiet place, although the smell was damp and strangely metallic, a slight freshness was felt.

About ten meters from the young man, there was a kind of stone tablet. Void began to walk towards it. As he approached, he could notice that there were some kind of engravings on it.

After a short walk, Void stopped in front of it. As he expected, the engravings were in that strange runic language.

The young man waited for that voice in his mind to translate it as usual:

[Behind the castle gates, the truth of the world will slowly reveal itself. I hope you make the right decision... Beyond the castle gates, only terror awaits.]

Void knew immediately, this stone tablet was a warning. However, there were many things that he had not managed to understand.

He looked at the stone tablet for a while. Hundreds of questions appeared in his mind, but none of them could be resolved.

Void snorted and firmly turned around partially. "I never cease to be surprised..." he muttered.