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

Morning arrived with an eerie stillness. No birdsong, no rustling of leaves—only the hollow silence of a world that had been left behind. Harvey and Julia stood at the edge of the forest, staring at what remained of their home.

The village was… wrong. The buildings stood where they always had, the dirt roads stretched ahead as they should, but there was no sign of life. No smoke rising from chimneys. No footprints in the dust. No sounds of the morning bustle. It was as if the village had been abandoned for years.

Harvey took a cautious step forward. His heart pounded as he reached the first house—the baker's home. He pushed open the door.

Inside, everything was in place. The table was set with plates, as if breakfast had been prepared but never eaten. The firepit held only cold ashes. A loaf of bread sat on the counter, untouched but hardened with age far beyond just one night.

Julia's voice was barely above a whisper. "What happened here?"

Harvey didn't answer. He stepped back into the street, his eyes darting between the houses. The same scene repeated in every home. Meals left uneaten. Beds undisturbed. Everything frozen in time, yet somehow aged, like the village had been left to decay for years overnight.

A mark, burned into the wooden door of the mayor's house. A swirling symbol, dark and jagged, pulsing with a faint energy.

She followed his gaze and stiffened. "That wasn't there before."

Harvey reached out, but the moment his fingers brushed the surface, a cold shock ran through his body. He gasped and staggered back, his mind filled with a flash of something—a presence, ancient and watching.

Julia caught his arm. "What was that?!"

Harvey shook his head, the sensation still clinging to him. "I don't know. But whatever it is… it's not done with us."

Chapter 7: The Empty Village