The Void was quiet.
Too quiet.
Masszio stood still, staring into the distance where space itself seemed to shift and bend. Artermis hadn't moved, but her presence brought something back.
Memories.
Not slowly.
Not gently.
They forced their way in.
---
Five Months Earlier
The first time he entered this place—
He was weak.
The Void didn't accept him.
It crushed him.
The ground twisted under his feet. The sky above him kept breaking apart, like glass that never stopped cracking. Every step felt wrong, like he was somewhere he wasn't meant to be.
And his power—
Didn't listen.
He tried to lift a piece of debris.
It shook.
Then dropped.
He tried again.
Nothing happened.
"…why isn't it working…?" he muttered, his breathing uneven.
Then—
The voices began.
Faint.
Distorted.
Like echoes of something far away.
Things that shouldn't exist.
Or maybe things that did.
He kept moving.
No direction.
No control.
Just walking.
Until—
He saw her.
---
First Encounter
She stood in the distance.
Still.
Watching him.
Masszio didn't move at first.
"…you…" he said quietly.
She tilted her head slightly.
"…you shouldn't be here."
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
Around her, thin strands of blood floated in the air, moving slowly like they were alive.
Masszio stepped closer.
"…what is this place?"
She paused.
"…a mistake."
Before he could ask anything else—
The Void broke.
Striders appeared.
But these weren't like the ones from the real world.
They were worse.
Bigger.
More unstable.
More aggressive.
And they didn't hesitate.
They attacked immediately.
Masszio reacted on instinct.
He raised his hand—
Nothing happened.
The Strider lunged—
And he couldn't stop it.
Then—
It split apart.
Clean.
Instant.
Artermis had moved.
Her blood had formed a blade.
It was already dripping.
She didn't even look at him.
"…stay back."
Then she moved again.
Fast.
Precise.
Every Strider that came near—
Was cut down instantly.
No wasted movement.
No hesitation.
Masszio could only watch.
"…she's stronger than them…"
But something felt off.
Not just her strength—
Her presence.
The Void around her felt calmer.
Like it knew her.
Like it listened.
---
The Training
After that—
She didn't leave.
And neither did he.
"…if you want to survive," she told him once,
"…stop fighting it."
Masszio frowned.
"…what?"
She looked directly at him.
"…your power."
A short pause.
"…you're forcing it."
She stepped closer.
"…that's why it keeps breaking."
Masszio clenched his fist.
"…then what am I supposed to do?"
Silence.
Then—
"…listen."
---
Learning Control
Time passed.
Days.
Maybe weeks.
It was hard to tell.
Time didn't feel normal in the Void.
Artermis didn't teach with long explanations.
She showed him what to do.
Then forced him to figure it out.
Striders attacked again.
And again.
Each time—
Masszio tried.
Failed.
Got back up.
Tried again.
Until—
One moment—
He lifted something.
Cleanly.
No shaking.
No resistance.
Just control.
His eyes widened slightly.
"…I did it…"
Artermis watched him.
"…you stopped fighting it."
A pause.
"…that's the difference."
---
What He Learned
His power wasn't just raw force.
It wasn't about pushing harder.
It was about connection.
To space.
To matter.
To the Void itself.
The more stable his mind became—
The more his power responded.
The less he forced it—
The stronger it became.
---
What Artermis Is
One time, after a fight, Masszio looked at her.
"…what are you?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Then—
"…something that survived."
She raised her hand. Blood formed around it.
"…and something that changed."
Her eye flickered slightly.
Not human.
"…this place takes from you," she continued.
"…or it makes you stronger."
A pause.
"…sometimes both."
Masszio said nothing.
Because he understood.
He was changing too.
---
Final Memory
The last time before he left—
They stood in silence.
"…you're not ready," she said.
Masszio frowned.
"…for what?"
She didn't answer right away.
Instead, she looked deeper into the Void.
"…for what's watching."
A pause.
"…and it's watching you."
---
Present — Void Layer
Masszio blinked.
The memories faded.
But the feeling stayed.
He looked at his hand.
Steady.
Controlled.
Then he looked at Artermis.
"…you trained me."
She didn't deny it.
"…you survived."
A short pause.
"…that's enough."
Masszio shook his head slightly.
"…no."
He turned his gaze toward the deeper Void.
"…it's not."
The pressure returned.
Stronger than before.
Something moved in the distance.
Masszio didn't look away this time.
"…I'm ready now."
Artermis watched him.
Silent.
Then—
"…we'll see."
The Void trembled.
And something—
began to emerge.