The crimson eyes remained motionless within the void.
Watching.
Waiting.
Their presence alone distorted the darkness around them, causing faint ripples to spread endlessly through the black expanse.
Arthur Ravenheart stared back silently.
Despite the overwhelming pressure filling the void—
he didn't lower his gaze.
The voice echoed again.
"…Interesting."
Arthur frowned slightly.
"…Who are you?"
No immediate answer came.
Instead, the crimson eyes narrowed faintly, almost studying him.
Then—
the darkness beneath Arthur shifted.
For the first time since arriving here, he felt ground beneath his feet.
Black stone.
Cold.
Cracked.
The endless void around him slowly reshaped itself into something resembling a ruined landscape drowned in shadow.
Broken pillars stretched endlessly into darkness.
Fragments of structures floated impossibly in the distance.
And above—
there was still no sky.
Only black.
Arthur's expression hardened.
"…Answer me."
The massive presence in the darkness finally moved.
Not fully.
Just enough.
The silhouette of something enormous became visible far beyond the ruins.
Humanoid.
But wrong.
Far too large.
Far too ancient.
The crimson eyes glowed brighter.
"…Names no longer matter here."
Arthur immediately disliked that answer.
"…That's a terrible response."
A long silence followed.
Then unexpectedly—
the voice almost sounded amused.
"…You speak boldly for something half-dead."
Arthur clicked his tongue quietly.
"Still alive though."
The darkness trembled faintly again.
The entity observed him silently for several seconds.
Then—
"…Do you know where you are?"
Arthur looked around slowly.
"…Some weird void?"
Silence.
"…Your descriptive abilities are disappointing."
Arthur frowned.
"You asked me."
For the first time—
the massive entity actually shifted slightly, as though suppressing something resembling amusement.
Then its voice lowered.
"…This is the space between Fragment and Echo."
Arthur's expression changed subtly.
Echo.
Even hearing the word here felt wrong somehow.
The entity continued:
"…A place where unfinished things drift."
The ruins around Arthur flickered faintly.
Broken memories briefly appeared in the darkness around him.
Cities collapsing.
Black skies.
People screaming.
Then gone again instantly.
Arthur narrowed his eyes.
"…Am I dead?"
The crimson eyes stared directly into him now.
"…technically."
A pause.
"...you were actually supposed to die during the fight with the devourer."
Arthur's chest tightened slightly.
Memories surfaced again.
Absolute Black.
The shadows consuming everything.
Alexi crying.
Then—
pain.
Sharp pain through his chest.
Arthur instinctively touched the center of his chest slowly.
The entity noticed immediately.
"…You remember."
Arthur's expression darkened.
"…what the..."
The voice answered calmly.
"…they saved you."
Arthur went quiet.
Deep down—
he already knew that.
He remembered the resonance spiraling out of control.
Remembered losing himself.
If he hadn't stopped him—
something worse might've happened.
The crimson eyes continued watching him silently.
Then the entity spoke again.
"…Your connection to the blackness is unstable."
Arthur looked up immediately.
"…What does that mean?"
The void around them pulsed once.
"…It means something noticed you."
A pause.
Then colder—
"…And now it is beginning to wake up too."
The black ruins around Arthur Ravenheart trembled faintly after the entity's final words.
Something noticed you.
And now it is beginning to wake up too.
Arthur's expression hardened immediately.
"…What exactly noticed me?"
The crimson eyes remained fixed on him from deep within the darkness.
Then the massive silhouette slowly shifted again.
This time, the pressure flooding the void became heavier.
Ancient.
Endless.
Yet strangely controlled.
"…The same thing that answered when you called upon Absolute Black."
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly.
Memories surfaced instantly.
The overwhelming power.
The shadows bending unnaturally around him.
The feeling of limitless energy flooding his body while everything else broke apart.
And the hunger hidden beneath it.
Arthur slowly clenched his fists.
"…What is Absolute Black?"
The entity went silent briefly.
Then—
"…A forbidden convergence."
The void pulsed once.
"…Darkness. Shadow. Absence. Consumption."
Each word echoed unnaturally.
"…Power born from the space between existence and nonexistence."
Arthur frowned deeper.
"That sounds incredibly unsafe."
"…Correct."
At least it was honest.
Arthur exhaled slowly.
"So why do I have it?"
The crimson eyes stared at him for a long moment.
"…Because it chose you."
Arthur immediately hated that answer too.
"Why does every mysterious thing speak in riddles?"
The entity ignored the complaint completely.
"…Your body survived contact with the blackness when it should not have."
The ruins around them flickered again.
"…Most are erased instantly."
Arthur looked down briefly at his hands.
"…And me?"
The voice lowered slightly.
"…You endured."
A long silence followed.
Then the entity spoke once more.
"…But endurance alone is insufficient."
The pressure in the void increased again.
"…If you continue using Absolute Black recklessly, it will eventually consume you."
Arthur remembered the feeling immediately.
His lungs burning.
His body collapsing.
The shadows almost devouring even his own mind.
The entity continued:
"…You are weak."
Arthur's eyebrow twitched.
"…Okay."
"…Unrefined."
"Wow."
"…And catastrophically inefficient."
Arthur folded his arms slightly.
"You're really committed to insulting me."
"…I am being accurate."
That somehow made it worse.
Then the crimson eyes glowed brighter.
"…Which is why I will help you."
Arthur paused slightly.
"…Help me?"
"…You must master Absolute Black."
The words echoed across the ruins.
Not a suggestion.
A necessity.
The entity's voice deepened further.
"…Because eventually, something far worse than the Devourer will come looking for you."
The void trembled violently for a brief moment.
Arthur's instincts screamed again.
Not from fear.
From certainty.
The entity wasn't exaggerating.
"…And when that day arrives," the voice continued calmly, "…your current strength will mean nothing."
Arthur stared silently into the darkness.
Then finally—
"…So what?" he muttered. "You're gonna train me now?"
For the first time—
the crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
Almost approvingly.
"…Yes."
The black ruins around Arthur suddenly shifted violently.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
The darkness itself began moving.
Forming shapes.
Weapons.
Figures.
Shadowed enemies rising silently from the void.
Arthur's eyes widened slightly.
"…Oh."
The voice echoed one final time through the darkness.
Cold.
Ancient.
And strangely amused.
"…Try not to die again."
Inside the shelter, the atmosphere had become unexpectedly warm.
For once, the room wasn't drowning in tension or fear.
Layla and Alexi Ravenheart were sitting beside Arthur's bed again, their earlier conversation having drifted into lighter topics.
Mostly at Layla's expense.
"…I still can't believe you confessed during the collapse," Alexi said, barely holding back another laugh.
Layla immediately covered part of her face.
"I was emotionally compromised."
"You screamed it."
"I KNOW."
Alexi laughed softly again.
"You really thought he couldn't hear you?"
"He was literally dying!"
"That doesn't answer the question."
Layla groaned dramatically and leaned back in her chair.
"This is character assassination."
"No," Alexi replied calmly. "This is entertaining."
Layla pointed accusingly.
"You're enjoying this way too much."
"I haven't laughed this hard in weeks."
"That somehow makes this worse."
The room filled with quiet laughter again.
Then—
something shifted.
Very slightly.
Alexi's smile faded first.
Layla noticed it immediately.
"…What?"
Alexi's eyes slowly widened.
"…Layla."
The tone alone made Layla turn instantly toward the bed.
And freeze.
Because Arthur Ravenheart was staring at them.
Awake.
Actually awake.
Silence hit the room instantly.
Arthur blinked slowly, his vision still blurry and unfocused as consciousness returned painfully all at once.
The first thing he heard clearly—
was laughter.
Then voices.
Then Layla yelling about confessing during the collapse.
Arthur's brain processed that information immediately.
Unfortunately.
A weak, exhausted rasp escaped him.
"…You… confessed?"
Layla stopped functioning.
Completely.
Alexi covered her mouth instantly trying not to laugh again.
Layla's face went bright red so fast it was genuinely impressive.
"…YOU WERE AWAKE?!"
Arthur frowned weakly.
"…I am now…"
His voice sounded horrible.
Like someone who had swallowed broken glass and regret.
But he was awake.
Actually awake.
Alexi's eyes immediately filled with relief.
"…Arthur."
The fear and exhaustion she had carried for over a month cracked instantly in her voice.
Arthur slowly turned his head toward her.
Even that small movement clearly hurt.
"…Alexi…"
Before he could say anything else—
Layla immediately stood up in complete panic.
"Okay," she said quickly, "I'm leaving forever."
She turned dramatically toward the door.
Arthur weakly raised a hand.
"…Layla."
She froze.
"…Don't say anything."
Arthur blinked slowly.
"…I was just gonna ask for water."
Silence.
Alexi broke first.
She laughed so suddenly she nearly doubled over.
Layla stared at Arthur in complete betrayal.
Arthur, meanwhile, looked deeply confused and severely dehydrated.
"…Why is everyone looking at me like that?"
The room remained frozen for exactly two more seconds after Arthur spoke.
Then chaos began.
Layla pointed at him dramatically like she had just witnessed a supernatural event.
"…YOU CAN TALK."
Arthur blinked weakly.
"…That's usually how being awake works."
"You were unconscious for over a month!"
"…Honestly," Arthur rasped quietly, "that explains why my body feels terrible."
Alexi was still laughing softly into one hand, relief clearly overwhelming her despite her trying to stay composed.
Layla, meanwhile, looked like her brain was trying to process seventeen emotions simultaneously.
Embarrassment.
Relief.
Panic.
Happiness.
The memory of her confession replaying violently in her head.
Arthur looked toward her again weakly.
"…Water?"
Layla immediately snapped back into motion.
"RIGHT. WATER."
She turned so fast she nearly tripped over the chair beside her.
Alexi laughed harder.
"I meant to do that," Layla said instantly while regaining balance.
"You absolutely didn't."
"I absolutely did."
Arthur watched the exchange with visible confusion.
"…Did I miss something important while unconscious?"
"Yes," Alexi and Layla answered at the same time.
That somehow worried him more.
Layla grabbed a nearby cup almost aggressively before speed-walking toward the door.
Then halfway out—
she froze.
Her eyes widened.
"…WAIT."
Both Arthur and Alexi looked at her.
Layla immediately spun around and bolted into the hallway at full speed.
"HE'S AWAKE!"
Her voice echoed through the entire shelter.
Outside—
complete silence.
Then—
"What?!" Kierran shouted.
"No way!" Lucas yelled immediately afterward.
Sunny's voice followed calmly:
"…About time."
Something crashed outside.
Probably Rivien.
Then came Tom's voice:
"MOVE."
Followed immediately by Alex yelling:
"WHY ARE YOU PUSHING ME?!"
Footsteps exploded toward the shelter almost instantly.
Arthur blinked slowly from the bed.
"…Should I be concerned?"
Alexi smiled softly for the first time in what felt like forever.
"…Very."