Thorek Ironhide stood at the entrance of his dark forge, his massive war hammer casually slung over his shoulder, but his sharp eyes alert. Before him, in the dim sewer tunnel, stood a lone woman. Her attire was practical, made of reinforced leather, and she wore a charcoal-gray uniform from an unfamiliar faction. The woman radiated not hostility, but professional calm.
"I don't care who sent you," Thorek growled, his voice echoing. "There's no business here. Leave."
The woman, Agent Corvus of the Dimensional Guild, remained unflinching. "My business is not with you, Mr. Ironhide," she replied in a clear, steady voice. "I am here to deliver a message to Mr. Nihil, on behalf of my employer, Elara Moonveil."
Inside the forge, Nihil, who had been preparing to leave, froze. Elara Moonveil. The name fit the professional and mysterious third faction. He stepped forward from the shadows, standing behind Thorek.
Corvus fixed her gaze directly on Nihil, her sharp eyes recognizing him from recordings. "My employer believes in equitable exchanges of knowledge. She is not interested in hunting or capturing. She is interested in understanding. She has studied the Nihility phenomenon for years and believes you are the first recorded living manifestation of it."
She extended a wax-sealed scroll of parchment. "She invites you for a conversation. At a neutral location. The time and place are detailed within. Just you and her. No traps, no troops. Only two minds seeking truth."
Thorek snorted. "Nonsense. That's the most obvious trap I've ever heard of."
Heze's mind within Nihil raced. This was different from Tarek's crude traps. This was an intellectual allure. Someone who didn't see him as a monster or a tool, but as a scientific phenomenon. The offer of knowledge was a far more tempting bait than gold.
Nihil stepped past Thorek and took the letter from Corvus. "Tell your employer," Nihil said, his voice flat, "her invitation will be considered."
Corvus nodded briefly. "That's all she asked." With efficient movements, she turned and vanished back into the tunnel's darkness, her mission accomplished.
Nihil broke the wax seal. Inside, along with a map and time, were several lines of neat handwriting.
"To the Interesting Anomaly,
Your power is not magic. It is reality manipulation at the most fundamental level. You do not reject mana; you erase the spatial matrix where mana resides. What they call your 'Paradox Mirror', I call 'Controlled Kinetic Absorption and Release'. I have further theories. About how you can stabilize your 'Atom Rift'. About the origin of your curse. Come. Let us discuss the future of science."
Heze was spellbound. This woman, Elara, truly understood.
As Nihil was lost in thought, his Void-honed danger instinct suddenly screamed. Not from the tunnel where Corvus had come. Not from the main entrance. But from above. From the shadows in the high cave ceiling.
Ssst!
A nearly inaudible hiss sliced the air. Something small and black shot down, not aimed at him, but at Thorek who was off guard, focused on Corvus's departure.
Nihil reacted in a split second. "THOREK, WATCH OUT!"
He shoved the much larger Dwarf with all his strength. The push sent Thorek stumbling sideways, and the small black arrow grazed his neck. However, he wasn't entirely spared. The tip of the arrow scratched Thorek's burly shoulder, leaving a thin wound.
Thorek growled in pain and surprise, touching his shoulder. "What is this—" Before he could finish, he gasped. His ruddy face began to blue. Black veins started creeping out from the scratch, spreading across his skin like a deadly spider web.
Nihil looked up at the ceiling shadows. He saw nothing.
`[Warning: No mana aura detected from the attacker.]`
"There!" Thorek shouted, raising his hammer with difficulty and hurling it with extraordinary strength at one of the stalactites above.
KRAKK!
The stalactite shattered, and a shadow fell from the debris, landing on the floor with the agility of a cat. The figure was entirely wrapped in tight black leather, not a single inch of skin exposed. Its face was covered by a plain white porcelain mask without features. In its hands, it held a small, silent hand crossbow.
This was neither Umbra Venari nor Dimensional Guild. This was something else. Something far more deadly. This was The Silencer.
The assassin wasted no time. It immediately launched itself at Nihil, two black daggers drawn. Its movements were fast, efficient, and silent.
Nihil raised his hand, ready to use `Void Grasp`. But The Silencer was smarter. It did not attack directly. It threw several small metal balls to the floor.
PSSSHHH!
The balls exploded, releasing thick gray smoke that instantly filled the forge. The smoke was not poisonous but severely impaired vision and senses.
Nihil lost track of his target. He could only hear Thorek's labored breathing behind him. He knew he couldn't fight an unseen enemy. His priority was to escape.
He grabbed the semi-conscious Thorek and began dragging him toward the secret tunnel behind the forge.
As he reached the tunnel entrance, a black dagger shot out from the smoke, aimed straight for his heart.
Nihil had no time to erase the entire dagger. He could only create a Void shield for a moment in front of his chest.
`[Using 'Void Shield' (Emergency application of Void Grasp)]`
`[Capacity: 17/18 -> 12/18]`
The dagger struck the invisible shield and its tip vanished. But its momentum remained. The dagger's handle slammed into Nihil's chest, knocking him backward into the tunnel.
The Silencer did not pursue. Its mission was partially accomplished. The primary target was still alive, but his ally was poisoned with an alchemical toxin with no cure. The message had been sent.
In the thinning smoke, The Silencer retrieved its broken dagger, glanced at the tunnel where Nihil had disappeared, then melted back into the shadows, vanishing without a trace.
Inside the tunnel's darkness, Nihil coughed, his chest aching. Beside him, Thorek's breathing grew shallower, and the black veins on his skin continued to spread. He had escaped death, but now he was trapped underground with a dying companion.
"Poison... this isn't magic..." Thorek gasped, his burly body shaking violently. He leaned against the damp tunnel wall, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "This... is alchemy... of the most cursed kind. There's no antidote."
Nihil stared at the black veins that had now reached Thorek's neck. He could see life slowly draining from the Dwarf's usually fiery eyes.
Heze's cold, logical mind screamed within him. Leave him. He's a burden. Your survival is the priority. He himself said he didn't want to be involved in your problems.
But then, he saw the pouch of coins still tucked in Thorek's pocket. He saw the helm he had repaired. He heard Thorek's growl again, "We have guests." The Dwarf, though rough, had offered him protection. He had become the only "anchor" of stability in his chaotic world. Leaving him to die felt... wrong.
`[Quest 'Reconcile Two Lives' - Critical Moral Dilemma Detected.]`
`[Option 1: Abandon the ally to ensure survival. (Alignment: Void)]`
`[Option 2: Take risks to save the ally. (Alignment: Heze)]`
This was a test. A test of his soul.
"I won't let you die," Nihil said, more to himself than to Thorek.
He had no healing spells. No antidote to poison. But he had something else. Something far more fundamental and dangerous.
He knelt beside Thorek. "Don't move," he ordered. "This will... be unpleasant."
He placed the palm of his hand on Thorek's injured shoulder, right at the center of the poison's network. He closed his eyes, concentrating deeper than ever before. He wasn't trying to erase Thorek's entire body. He was attempting something nearly impossible: cellular surgery.
`[Attempting new application of Atomic Manipulation: 'Cellular Excision'.]`
`[WARNING! This skill is extremely unstable and requires absolute precision. Failure could result in permanent tissue damage or accidental target deletion. Proceed?]`
"Proceed," Heze thought without hesitation.
He channeled his Void power, not as a destructive wave, but as countless microscopic surgical blades. He wasn't fighting the poison. He was erasing every blood cell, every muscle tissue, every blood vessel contaminated by the alchemical toxin.
Thorek roared in agony. It wasn't like being burned or cut. It felt like a part of him was being ripped from existence. A cold, piercing sensation to the bone, a void gnawing from within.
`[Capacity: 12/18 -> 8/18 -> 4/18 -> 1/18]`
Nihil's energy drained rapidly. Sweat drenched his forehead. He had to be precise. One small mistake, and he would erase Thorek's heart or lungs.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he stopped. He pulled his hand back, his body trembling with exhaustion.
The black veins on Thorek's body had vanished. His once shallow breathing became deep and steady. He was alive.
But there was a price. On Thorek's shoulder, where the scratch had been, now lay a terrible scar. Not an ordinary scar. It was a patch of pale gray skin, cold to the touch, with no texture of flesh at all. A permanent mark from the Void's touch.
Thorek slowly opened his eyes. He touched his shoulder, feeling the unnatural cold. He looked at Nihil, his eyes now filled with a mix of deep gratitude and primal fear. He had been saved, but he had also been touched by something that should never be touched by living creatures.
"By the beard of my ancestors..." he whispered. "You... you're truly not human, lad."
He fumbled in another pocket with his trembling hand and produced a small object. A compass made of strange silvery metal. "Take this," he said. "It's made of 'True Mithril'. The needle doesn't point north. It points to the place with the lowest mana concentration. The most 'silent' place in the city. Use it to find a safe hiding spot."
Nihil took the compass. The needle spun wildly for a moment, then pointed straight ahead. Of course.
"Thank you," Nihil said sincerely.
He helped Thorek settle into a comfortable position, then stood. The forge was no longer safe. The Silencer knew its location. He had to leave.
He took out Elara Moonveil's letter. An invitation for a conversation. An offer of knowledge. Now, the offer felt like the only way forward. He couldn't keep fighting shadows. He needed answers. He needed understanding of his enemies and of himself.
He looked at the compass in his hand, then at the letter. Two paths lay before him. The path to a silent hiding place, or the path to a dangerous intellectual confrontation.
Heze's analytical nature and Nihil's drive to become stronger converged at one point.
He would not hide.
He would go to the meeting. He would walk into the Dimensional Guild's lair with his eyes open. He would transform himself from prey into an equal player.
With that decision, he turned and stepped deeper into the tunnel's darkness, following the direction indicated by Elara's letter, toward his uncertain fate.