Five Stages of the Blank

Slip.

Tron pulled on his boots, wide pants, and a short coat, a black tattered shirt covering his torso along with his arms up to his elbows.

A frown and slight squeamishness were visible on Tron's face, though he was unaware of these emotions. 

"Is that really necessary?"

Those clothes Morbia took off the man she murdered.

"Yeah... Now you, though inexperienced and weak, are a fully fledged combat unit, fueled by my energy. Out of 72 hours, we have 68 left, considering the amount of time spent on sleep, we should hurry up."

Morbia sat relaxed with her feet on the table, now and then, she popped a sugar cube into her mouth, she had a genuine addiction that she didn't even try to hide or fight.

The pentagonal emblem was clutched between her fingers under her gaze. The material was hard black metal, scratched and chipped around the edges. In the middle was the mark of a red skull, the mouth was sewn shut with black threads, and a sharp root grew upward from the right eye.

"Well, well... The Scarlet Root, no wonder he ended up in the Kyrexo Loop, as a First Stage Sinner."

Hearing the unfamiliar term, curiosity reflected in Tron's eyes.

"Hmm?"

With a sly smile, Morbia gave her answer:

"Scarlet Root is a numerous, group of bandits. They are scattered all over the world. They don't have one base or a single leader, this has both its advantages and disadvantages. Most of them are ordinary people, but there are Harbingers they hold the higher ranks."

Morbia replied loftily, rolling the emblem between her fingers like an old, dusty coin past the test of time.

"All those sent to Kyrexo Loop as prisoners are called Sinners. There are three stages in total. For example, I'm a Second Stage Sinner. The difference between sinners is pretty simple: First Stage Sinners are sent here as punishment, with no additional measures, Second Stage Sinners have their powers sealed, practically lowering them to the level of normal humans, and Third Stage Sinners..."

Oddly enough, her gaze filled with resentment, a fierce disappointment once she spoke of the most dangerous captives of the Kyrexo Loop.

"Their powers aren't just sealed like mine. They are plunged into the depths of the Kyrexo Loop, chains shackling their bodies that are impossible to break, leaving them alone with darkness, loneliness their only companion."

Despite the oppressive atmosphere, Tron shrugged nonchalantly.

"In that case, I am as the Blank has spent my entire life as the Third Stage Sinner."

A glint traveled across the emblem, reflecting Morbia's deep, focused gaze.

"Yeah... You may be right, but living in the darkness, having been born within it, and being forcibly immersed in the darkness, knowing all the colors of light, being aware of the best aspects of life, are very different things. It's nothing but oblivion."

'Oblivion...?'

...

The Kyrexo Loop was divided into two parts, the Outer Loop and the Inner Loop. The Outer Loop was a gray world where the Blanks, like Tron, lived, unaware of anything but their faded existence.

The Inner Loop was a prison for the Sinners. There was an exit from the Inner Loop, and every prisoner, except for the Third Stage Sinners, always saw the way out as an eternal reminder of how close and yet how far freedom was.

The Damned Door, a grim door covered in heavy black chains, floated serenely in the middle of the dark sky, purple electric shocks passing along it, disappearing into the void, carrying only a threat and serving as an unbroken reminder to every soul trapped in the Kyrexo Loop.

To leave the Kyrexo Loop, a prisoner had to open the Damned Door and get out of this cursed place, the Eye watched everyone, but never interfered with those who found ways to leave this space, whether by the rules or not, it was common knowledge.

But...

Getting to the door hovering in the sky... it seemed to be an impossible task, humans, unlike birds, had no wings.

Those who sent their enemies to the Kyrexo Loop wished there was no way out of the prison, so they wouldn't have to worry about revenge from their enemies.

Unfortunately for them, The Eye of the Kyrexo Loop was not in agreement with this, he decided that the Damned Door was the lawful way out of Kyrexo Loop. He turned a blind eye, all of his many eyes, to everything that was not allowed. 

Usually, the other exits were more dangerous and difficult, which meant whoever used them was worthy of leaving this prison.

When a Sinner exited the Kyrexo Loop, all restrictions or seals were instantly removed. 

No matter how powerful the curse was on a Sinner, the Eye of the Kyrexo Loop solved all problems. Once the prisoner left the Kyrexo Loop, he was no longer connected to the place, at least not until he was back in that abyss of death and emptiness.

How could one get to the Damned Door?

The only way was to summon the Bridge of the Seven Desperate Kings.

According to legend, the way out of the Kyrexo Loop arose after the death of the first seven prisoners, each of whom was a king.

Strangers to the Kyrexo Loop, may thought they needed to collect some accessories or costume jewelry left in memory of the kings: a crown, a staff, a ring, or perhaps a sword?

The Sacrificial Altar is an ancient structure located directly under the Damned Door.

The Sinners who wanted to summon the Bridge of the Seven Desperate Kings had to bring seven Sacrificial Crystals, inside each crystal was one body part of the kings.

Tron looked at his hand, counting down his fingers.

"One heart, one hand, one foot, one eye, one ear, one tongue, and one head..."

Five fingers were bent, but one hand was not enough to count everything.

"Yeah... You've got it all memorized."

Morbia approached placing two fingers on his fist. 

"Each Sacrificial Crystal is well guarded, we'll have to possess at least one to interest those who hold others."

Tron tilted his head silently, looking at her.

All he saw in response was Morbia's sly smirk.

"Other than the Eye, Kyrexo Loop only has ghosts and sinners, so all the Sacrificial Crystals are either held by factions or secretive, powerful individuals." 

Morbia extended her hand, palm open as if she wanted to reach the light that wasn't here.

"To some extent, everyone in Kyrexo Loop has complete freedom. The Eye never interferes, though he is still a god here. The prisoners decide everything for themselves. Who's your friend, who's your enemy, and when to begin the escape."

A strange feeling consumed Tron. 

Each time he talked to Morbia he learned more about the world, but the questions didn't seem to get fewer. He still knew next to nothing about the Ghosts, or the Harbingers, or what the world was like outside of the Kyrexo Loop.

The emblem flew upward from Morbia's throw, spinning rapidly, the dim light reflecting off the metal edges, then she threw the emblem to Tron with equal speed.

Unexpectedly, Tron reacted quickly, catching it deftly.

"Come with me. I'll answer your questions on the way."

"Where to?"

Not immediately answering, Morbia walked over to the closet, beginning to change her clothes into disheveled and dirtier ones. Following the plan, she walked over to the broken mirror, looking at her reflection amongst the cracks.

She mussed her hair making it unsightly, with her fingers she dusted off the nightstand, coating her face in dirty marks making her look repulsive and unremarkable.

"To the Scarlet Root. As far as I know, they have a Sacrificial Crystal with an eye."

In a confident stride, Morbia swept in front of Tron, taking his gaze away. 

He didn't know it, there was no such thing in his world, but then Morbia looked like someone's slave, foul and miserable. Morbia chose that look on purpose, going to take advantage of the fact that they had the Scarlet Root Emblem.

Before following her, Tron walked over to the mirror, wanting to see what he looked like.

But...

There was nothing in the reflection, just emptiness.

Tron learned enough about himself to realize the reason why

He still wasn't a human, however, he wasn't a Blank anymore, which was to some extent a victory.

There were only five phases of the Blank's evolution and Tron was already on the third. For most of the Blanks, even reaching the second stage was a pipe dream they didn't even know existed.

After all, the Blanks were just fish swimming in an empty aquarium, not knowing that right next to them was a vast ocean, capable to offer the whole range of emotions - from the worst to the best.

The first stage - the Blank. And 99% of all the Blanks were at this stage and stayed there forever, living in the Outer Loop. 

The second stage - the Half-Blank, the Blank moved to this stage when it somehow got to the Inner Loop, feeling the first emotions. 

If the Blank didn't move to the third stage soon enough, it would inevitably turn into a Ghost while going through the Incarnation, which almost happened to Tron. The reason was that the energy inside the Blank began to merge uncontrollably with the real world, and the Half-Blank was unable to contain its energy.

The third stage - the Death Clock, was the stage Tron was in. The Blank could only reach the third stage if it somehow stopped the Incarnation. The contract with Morbia, which allowed Tron's condition to stabilize for a while, was one of the ways. 

During the third stage, as in the second, the Blank could feel most of the emotions, but unlike the second stage, was not limited in any way to interacting with the world. 

Tron's reflection was not in the mirror, but otherwise, he was no different from any other human. He saw and felt everything the same as Morbia. In the second stage he couldn't see the passage to the hill, in the third stage there was no longer such a problem.

The fourth stage - the Half-Human. This is the stage the Blank reaches when the threat of the Death Clock passes. To reach this stage, the Blank had to kill, taking a sea of life energy from other creatures to get only a drop in return.

The fifth stage - the Human. The Blank was completely rid of its past, the lack of emotions or the Death Clock was no longer an issue. But... it was one of the two names for the fifth stage.

All Harbingers heard about it in one way or another, some knew it was real and some were convinced it was a legend, just a myth. 

When the Blank reached the fifth stage it became a Harbinger like them, but with a completely different origin that was expressed in their nature. This was the birth of a true calamity coming from the Kyrexo Loop. Fortunately for them, the chances of this happening were unfathomably slim.

The second name for the fifth stage was:

Black One.