Null was back in the clinic room. The sterile scent of antiseptic replaced the stench of decay. The rhythmic beep of the heart monitor was a lifeline, a promise of a future that hadn't yet been erased. He was sitting on the floor, his back pressed against the wall, but his heart was pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs. The visions were seared into his mind, more real than the sleeping forms of Kai and Ashley across from him. He couldn't shake the feel of the dry, raw tear tracks on the face of his future self. The raw grief. The defeat.
He looked at his own hand, trembling. He saw the black chains around his Prime Stone, the silent plea from the other orbs, the horrific mutations of the other users. He saw the Stone King as a monstrous, bloodthirsty creature. And most terrifyingly, he saw the laughter of 666:Satan as the world burned, and the rage-filled eyes of a God who had given up on his own creation. The vision hadn't just shown him the future; it had shown him the worst possible future. A future that was a direct result of his inaction.
A quiet, protective instinct took over. He couldn't tell them. He couldn't burden Kai and Ashley with the weight of what he had just witnessed. They would see him not as a leader, but as a boy broken by a horrific prophecy. He had to be the Null they knew—the one who could find a way out of the impossible. The one who gave them hope. The rage of the man he could become wasn't going to save them, but the determination of the man he was now could.
He took a deep breath, and the adrenaline of the vision began to settle, replaced by a cold, hard resolve. He had a mission. He had to find the other Prime Stone users. He had to find his Echoes. He had to unlock the power that was chained inside him.
Null rose slowly, his movements silent and deliberate. He walked over to Kai and gently shook his shoulder. "Kai," he whispered, his voice low and firm. "We have to go. Now."
Kai's eyes fluttered open, blinking in the dim light. He groaned, rubbing his face. "Go? Where? It's the middle of the night."
"It's almost dawn," Null said, gesturing to the window where a faint sliver of light was beginning to pierce the darkness. "We can't wait. We have to go to the school. We have to find him."
Ashley stirred, sitting up. She looked at Null, her expression one of tired confusion. "Null, what's going on? You just said we'd wait for Sooji to wake up."
Null didn't waver. He met her gaze, his dark cross-shaped eyes burning with an unspoken fire. "Plans change. We can't wait. The Stone King's test run… it wasn't just a test of our strength. It was a warning. He's coming, and we're not ready. We have to be."
He looked back at Sooji, her body still and peaceful. The tiny Lumina was a soft glow in his hand. He gently placed the sleeping dragon back on her chest, a silent promise to return. "We'll be back," he whispered. "We will be back when you wake up. Stronger."
A ripple in the shadows near the wall signaled Fang's return. He materialized, his piercing eyes focused entirely on Null. He saw the fire in Null's gaze, the quiet, unwavering determination. Fang said nothing, but a slow, grim smile stretched across his face. He knew that Null was no longer a lost boy. He was a king who was finally ready to fight for his kingdom.
Null turned to his friends, his expression a mask of hardened resolve. "Let's go."
They left the clinic room in a determined silence. The long night of waiting was over. The game had begun, and Null was ready to play. As they stepped into the first light of dawn, the city seemed to shimmer around them, a beautiful, fragile thing that was on the verge of being erased. Null looked at the world around him, at the faces of the people who didn't know they were standing on a battlefield.
He had to find the others. He had to stop the future he had seen. He had to save them all.
purple. Null, Kai, and Ashley walked in a determined silence, their footsteps echoing faintly on the empty sidewalks. The crisp morning air was a welcome contrast to the stale, medicinal scent of the clinic, but it did nothing to clear Null's mind. The visions were still there, replaying behind his eyes in a horrific loop. The cracked earth, the blood-soaked sky, the raw agony on his future self's face, the malevolent joy of 666:Satan—it was a new kind of haunting.
He looked at his friends, walking a few paces behind him. They were talking quietly, their voices a grounding reminder that this world, this life, was still real. He knew he was the only one carrying the full weight of the prophecy. He had to be the strong one now. The person who could lead them through a war they didn't even know was coming.
A faint, grinding sound broke the stillness of the street ahead. It was a low, unnatural rumble, like rock tearing itself apart. The sound grew louder, accompanied by a high-pitched, desperate scream
"What's that?" Kai asked, his voice low.
"Doesn't sound good," Ashley murmured, her hands already glowing with a faint, blue energy.
Null didn't have to guess. He felt it. A faint vibration through the soles of his shoes, a tremor of power that was both familiar and terrifyingly wrong. The power of a Prime Stone. He had felt it in the vision, a fractured, corrupted resonance. This was it.
"Stay back," Null commanded, his voice filled with a sudden, new authority. "It's him."
End of chapter 44
See you again
Once again gn