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

Dawn's light barely touched the dense canopy above as Harvey and Julia moved cautiously through the forest. The call from the tree had been impossible to ignore. Even if neither of them understood why, they both felt it: an urgency pulling them forward.

The closer they got, the stronger Harvey's mark pulsed. It was reacting to something, though he couldn't tell if it was a warning or a welcome.

Julia walked beside him, arms crossed tightly. "That thing from last night…" she started. "Do you think it was—"

"Following us?" Harvey finished grimly. "Yeah."

He didn't know what it was, but it hadn't felt like a mindless beast. It had spoken to them, or at least, it had tried to.

The ancient tree finally came into view, its massive form towering over the surrounding forest.

A man stood before the tree, dressed in dark, flowing robes. His presence was unnatural—too still, too composed. The air around him shimmered faintly, like heat rising off stone.

Julia grabbed Harvey's arm. "Harvey—"

Chapter 13: Return to the Tree