DresdenShadows

in a quiet village nestled deep within the forest, **Harvey** and his sister **Julia** lived a peaceful yet mysterious existence—until the day their world was torn apart. The heart of their village, an ancient and enigmatic **Tree of Origin**, held secrets neither of them could have imagined. When soldiers from the Abadon Empire arrive to claim the tree’s power, a desperate struggle erupts, unleashing a catastrophic surge of energy.  

In the chaos, **Julia vanishes**—teleported away by the tree’s last defense, while Harvey is left behind, weakened and consumed by guilt, believing himself responsible for her fate. Captured by the soldiers, he is taken to Abadon, where he comes under the watchful eye of **Duncan**, a seasoned warrior who recognizes the dangerous potential within him. Yet even Duncan does not fully understand the power that lies dormant inside Harvey—the power of the **Void.**  

Bound by mysterious **energy-dampening cuffs** and forced to train under Abadon’s brutal survival regimen, Harvey must learn to control the force within him before it consumes him completely. But as he grapples with his abilities, **two lingering presences haunt his thoughts**: the **guardian of the tree**, who once spoke of self-control and restraint, and the **entity within the void**, a being that saw him, acknowledged him, and then dismissed him as something insignificant.  

With **no home to return to and no knowledge of Julia’s fate**, Harvey’s path is clear—he must survive, grow stronger, and seek the truth behind his lost sister and the power that now binds him. Along the way, he will face ruthless warriors, uncover forgotten knowledge, and make uneasy alliances in a world where strength dictates destiny.  

But the Void is not merely an ability. **It is an abyss that consumes.**  

And if Harvey isn’t careful, **it may consume him too.**

Through the void and back

The night air was thick with silence, the kind that pressed against the ears like cotton, muting even the rustling of the leaves. Harvey and Julia sat beneath the great tree, their breaths uneven, minds racing.

Harvey ran a trembling hand through his sweat-dampened hair. "What just happened?" His voice was barely a whisper, as if speaking too loudly would shatter whatever fragile protection the tree was providing.

Julia hugged her knees to her chest, her eyes fixed on the distant village. Or at least, what had once been their village. Now, there was only darkness—no flickering lanterns, no distant laughter, no signs of life. The village had been swallowed whole.

"I don't know…" she admitted. "But I felt it. The moment we crossed into the forest—the tree, it… it did something."

Harvey looked up at the branches above them. The tree had always been their safe haven, but now, for the first time, he wondered if it was more than that.

"Do you think it protected us?" he asked.

Julia hesitated before nodding. "Maybe."

A chill ran down Harvey's spine. If that was true, then why? What was the tree, really? And why had the village—no, everyone they knew—vanished in an instant?

He clenched his fists, trying to suppress the rising panic. "We have to go back."

Julia's head snapped toward him. "Are you crazy?"

"We need to see if there's anything left—anyone left."

Her expression darkened. "And what if that man is still there?"

Harvey exhaled sharply. She was right. The hooded figure had watched them flee, never moving to give chase. That meant one of two things—either he hadn't cared whether they escaped… or he knew they wouldn't get far.

A sense of dread coiled in his stomach. "Then we'll be careful."

Julia bit her lip. "Not tonight. We wait until morning."

Harvey wanted to argue, but exhaustion was pulling at his limbs, making it difficult to think. He glanced at the tree one last time before lying back against the roots.

Julia sighed in relief and did the same.

The night passed slowly, filled with restless sleep and half-formed nightmares. The wind carried whispers, and though the darkness never crept closer, they could feel something watching.

Chapter 6: Shadows of the Past