Seeds of Conflict – Whisper of the Null
It began with an invitation.
Slipped under Raghav's door in the dead of night—sealed with wax bearing three glyphs: a flaming sword, a hollow eye, and a cracked crown.
The Court of Embers. The Archive Ring. And… the Hidden Court.
A tri-council seal.
He unrolled the parchment.
> You are hereby summoned to the Relic Convergence Trial – Grand Tournament of Equilibrium.
Venue: Arena Solstice, Skyreach.
Format: 9 Seeds.
Purpose: Determination of Relic Balance Custodians.
Status: Non-Optional.
Noncompliance will result in Forced Sync Termination.
Raghav exhaled slowly.
> A tournament.
But not for glory.
This was a war disguised as ceremony.
Skyreach – Arrival
High above the clouds, the floating city of Skyreach shimmered like a citadel of light. It hovered by relic-engine propulsion, its airfields humming with ancient power.
Raghav stood at the platform's edge, watching relic-bearers from all corners of the fractured world arrive—some in military escort, others walking alone with lethal confidence.
They weren't ordinary competitors.
They were Seeds—each chosen by an aspect of power.
Nine in total.
Devourers. Purifiers. Emulators. Voidbearers. Echo Seeds. Symbiotes. Parasites. Vessels. And…
…the Null Seed.
A girl in obsidian robes walked past him. Pale skin. Black veins. A racket that looked like it had been carved from negative space—it cast no reflection.
The air around her warped slightly, relic signals flickering out.
Raghav felt the Devourer recoil in his mind. Even the White Mark on his palm dimmed.
She glanced at him, emotionless.
> "You smell like contradiction," she said.
> "Excuse me?"
She tilted her head.
> "Devourer and Purifier in the same shell.
Do you know what happens to fractured vessels?"
He didn't answer.
She smirked—just slightly.
> "They splinter."
The Hidden Court – Now Watching
Far below, in a sanctum carved from silence and shadow, the Council of the Hidden Court watched through mirrored relic-visions.
The Judge of Silence stood with the other five seats.
> "The boy now walks toward convergence," he said.
"The Devourer and the Purifier… must not align."
Another elder—draped in voidcloth—steepled her fingers.
> "That is why we awakened her."
She gestured toward the image of the girl with the Null Racket.
> "The Seed of Erasure."
Arena Solstice – Opening Ceremony
The arena was a relic in itself—alive. Its seats were woven with reactive rune-matter, responding to emotions. The court changed terrain at will—grass to fire, stone to mist, based on resonance of the players.
Each Seed stood in a circle.
Raghav could feel their pressure.
The Emulation Seed carried four relics—merged into one modular weapon.
The Parasite Seed whispered to her own shadow.
The Voidbearer radiated nothingness.
And the girl—Null—stood in still silence.
Then a hologlyph above the court ignited.
> Round One Format: Trials of Reflection
Each Seed will face a mirrored opponent: a version of themselves twisted by relic instability.
Defeat your reflection. Or be consumed by it.
The crowd gasped.
Raghav clenched his fists.
> "A mirror match?"
But this was more than that. This was the relics testing them—not just as players, but as hosts.
A Voice in the Dark
That night, before the trial began, Raghav sat alone in the wind-drenched upper deck.
The Devourer stirred—reluctant.
> "You walk into a game you can't control."
Raghav closed his eyes. "Then I'll learn. Piece by piece."
Another presence stirred—the faint whisper of the White Racket.
> "Balance is not peace.
It is struggle without collapse."
He exhaled. He would walk this path. Between hunger and clarity. Between legacy and extinction.
And he would face his worst opponent yet—
Himself.
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