Seeds of Revenge

The room fell silent. The air grew tense, revealing the concern of those in the room.

Blake coughed a few times. "...What's this about, Leader?" he asked nervously.

"The Targassian Empire is currently being conquered by the six great clans," the leader explained, seemingly exhausted.

Everyone was shocked by the news. Even Void, who had barely any knowledge of this world, knew the six great clans.

They are groups of slayers who had already controlled Earth before arriving in this world. Unlike this small group, they have dozens of members in each clan.

The problem is that they used to be rivals, each seeking their own benefit. However, after arriving in this world, they didn't seek to return to Earth, but rather to conquer the entire new continent and then divide the territories.

This group is unable to resist these powerful great clans. But is the leader trying to challenge them right now?

Conquering the Azkai Empire will be complicated enough, but even if it's achieved, the pressure from the larger clans will be immediate.

"Even so... Why do we need to challenge them?" Blake asked nervously. "Even we could lose our lives..." he added, emphasizing the danger.

The leader sighed. "We're not going to challenge them directly..." he said, standing up. The others looked at him strangely. "We're going to manipulate the Azkai Empire from the shadows."

The confusion on the members' faces increased. "How are we supposed to do that?" asked the red-haired young man.

"It's a simple plan. We'll only need two members, Kaiser and..." He glanced at Void. "You."

A wide smile appeared on Kaiser's face. Void, on the other hand, looked discouraged. "Why?!" he asked desperately.

"I saw your exchange ability earlier. That will allow you to enter without having to attract attention," he explained, returning his attention to Kaiser. "With the exchange ability, you will reach the emperor's chamber. Kaiser will be by his side at all times, giving him orders."

The plan was quite feasible. This way, they could confront the six great clans without having to reveal themselves.

However, Void remained curious. "But..." he drew the members' attention. "What's the point in preventing them from conquering the Azkai Empire?" he asked.

They fell silent. Although most seemed to have the same question as Void, the leader and Blake remained dejected.

Void stood up from his chair. "Honestly, you seem like a good group to me, but my main goal is to return to Earth to protect my relatives. Getting into proxy wars doesn't interest me," he clarified, walking toward the door.

"For someone who's weak, you have some personality..." the leader murmured with a small smile. "To be honest, we could overthrow the Azkai Empire and then seek a solution against the six clans. But I still wanted to invite you to our group. Do you know why?" said the leader, taking a seat.

Void stopped, curious, though without answering.

"Jiho... He's in a coma, right?" asked the leader.

His heart starts beating rapidly and he clenches his fists tightly. "What?" Void replied in an annoyed tone.

The leader looked at him sideways. "The leader of Cypher is part of one of the six great clans." Void widened his eyes, surprised by those words. "From what Kaiser told me, I thought you wanted to seek revenge," he added.

The young man bit his lip and clenched his fists tightly. He had to return as soon as possible, but the feeling of revenge overrode his duty to protect.

With each passing second, Void became more lost in thought, trying to decide. Finally, a memory came to him. mind...

"Void, pass it!"

The scorching sun fell on a dusty street, illuminating the cracks in the asphalt and the neglected facades of the houses. Two children played with a worn leather ball, laughing carefree in a corner of the world where joy was a luxury. 

As the ball rolled through the bumps of the uneven ground, Void pretended to play. For him, it wasn't fun, but a cover. While that boy's family was simply poor, Void was living there as a hiding place from the authorities. It was a refuge for bounty hunters.

"Are you tired?" the other boy asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

Void didn't respond immediately. The stifling heat made sweat stick to his skin, and the air had that smell of dry earth and rusty metal that always reminded him of where he was.

Even so, that boy happily played ball.

"A little..." Void replied expressionlessly.

"Let's stop," the boy said. Seconds passed, and the boy began to draw with a stone on the ground.

Void looked at the drawing in confusion. 'It's really bad...' he thought.

The boy finished drawing and stood up. "What's that?" Void asked, trying to show curiosity.

"When I grow up, I'm going to be a professional soccer player and earn a lot of money. Then I'll get you and Dad out of here," he replied decisively, putting his fist to his chest.

The little Void let out a smile at those words. "Wooo..." he said, clapping a few times.

He felt joy inside. Void couldn't have a normal childhood due to his strange condition. But seeing that boy have a big dream made him want to support him in achieving his goal.

"You must learn how to pass it first..." Void said mockingly.

The boy dropped the ball on the ground. "I know how to do it," he said happily, passing it to Void.

RAUFF! RAUFF! The loud bark of a dog echoed in the street. At the end of the street, a huge, black dog was coming at high speed in the direction of the children.

Void remained calm, however, the boy began to try to escape, tears streaming down his face.

"Hwan, stop!" Void shouted.

The dog walked on, ignoring Void and heading towards Hwan.

"Void!" the boy cried desperately. "Help me!" That was the last cry before the dog hit him.

A heart-rending scream filled the street. Void quickly grabbed a small piece of brick and ran toward the dog.

As soon as he arrived, he jabbed it hard into its eye. He then kicked it hard in the stomach, sending it away from Hwan.

The dog, in pain, began to limp away. Void looked at Hwan. His face darkened.

The boy's leg had been bitten by the dog; it was bloody, marked by the animal's fangs.

Void quickly took off his shirt and began tying it around Hwan's leg, trying to keep him from bleeding out.

"Void..." his voice cracked. "I'm going to keep being a soccer player, right?" he said through tears, as he seemed to be losing consciousness.

Meanwhile, a man emerged agitated from one of the houses. "What's going on?" he asked worriedly.

He began to look around when he saw Void, who was on his back and kneeling. The man ran toward him.

"What happened... Void..." his voice began to trail off as he saw Hwan lying on the ground. Tears began to fall down his face.

"Stop crying and call an ambulance... Mr. Jiho."

A man who, after losing his daughter and sinking to rock bottom, decided to start a new life by adopting an orphaned boy. However, he was watching himself lose his son again.

Another man emerged from one of the houses; this one seemed more carefree. "Hey, what's going on, Void?" he asked, scratching his head.

He was a man without much muscle. His hair was black and his eyes were green. There were dark circles under his eyes that indicated his tiredness. He was wearing a black suit, emphasizing that he only lived there because of authority and not because of a lack of money.

Reluctantly, he observed the scene. "Is the kid dead already? What a shame..." he said ironically.

Void looked at him coldly. "Shut your mouth and go inside," he ordered, containing his anger.

The man looked at him for a few seconds and headed inside. "You've grown attached, huh? The time will come when I'll see your tears..." he said with emotion.

Those words made Void begin to come back to himself, remembering the last words of the man who would later become Cypher's leader.

"Okay... I'll do it," Void stammered, trying to relax.

The leader of the group let out a smile. "We all have our goals. We'll help you, and you'll help us," he said.

"...You asked before what the reason for challenging the six clans was," the leader said. "The reason is to stop them from destroying the primordial seed," he added.

Void, still thoughtful, let out a sigh. "What is that supposed to be?" he asked listlessly.

Blake intervened. "It is, so to speak, the chrysalis of the primordial beast. A nightmare that can end this world," he explained.

Void frowned. "So why should we stop them?" he asked, confused by the explanation.

"For the same reason it can destroy the world, if we defeat it, it will allow us to return to our world. Think of the beast as the key we must obtain," Blake explained again.

"The six great clans want to destroy it to avoid wasting their forces," the leader added.

"And why don't we just protect the seed instead of invading the empire?" Kaiser interrupted the conversation.

Everyone in the room looked at him, surprised that he had said something logical.

Kaiser's eye began to twitch, showing his annoyance. 'I'm not that stupid either...' he thought.

The leader let out a smile. "It would be a good idea if we knew where it is..." he shrugged.

"The six clans are trying to conquer all of Lyncandel to find the seed. If it's in Azkai, we must protect it until it finally emerges." Blake explained again.

The leader stood, his gaze firm. "No more hesitation. If we want to change our destiny, we must act now."

No one responded immediately. But their eyes reflected the same determination.

Time was ticking, and the Azkai Empire was waiting for them.