The Spires of Silence trembled as the sound of a thousand armored boots echoed from the floors above. The "Holy Silence" of the Academy had been replaced by the frantic tolling of bells.
"The Origin Seed," Kaelen said, his voice low as he adjusted his grip on his resolve. "If the System is a leash, I need enough power to snap it. Lead the way, Sora."
Sora didn't nod; she simply melted into a puddle of shadow. "Don't fall behind, 'System-User'. The light up there is blinding."
Kaelen didn't use the stairs. He looked at the ceiling and channeled the [Nova Essence] he had stolen from the Princess.
[Skill Activation: Void Step (Overdrive)] [Cost: 2% Core Capacity]
BOOM.
Kaelen didn't just flicker; he blasted through the stone flooring like a dark comet. He emerged in the High Proctor's private sanctum—a room filled with floating scrolls, jars of preserved dragon hearts, and at the center, a pedestal encased in a shimmering diamond barrier.
Inside the barrier sat the Origin Seed. It didn't look like much—a small, pulsing walnut of pure, white light—but the pressure it emitted made Kaelen's skin feel like it was peeling off.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Sora appeared from the corner of the room, her hand already reaching for the diamond casing. "The life force of a thousand stars, trapped in a box by old men who are afraid to use it."
"Wait!" Kaelen warned. "The barrier is—"
[Warning: Divine-Grade Trap Detected!] [Countermeasure: 'Heaven's Judgment' triggered.]
The air in the room turned to gold. Beams of searing light shot from the walls, intersecting at the pedestal. Sora hissed as a beam clipped her shoulder, turning her shadow-flesh into grey ash.
"My Void can't eat Divine Light!" she spat, her eyes wide with rage. "It's too... 'full'!"
"But mine can," Kaelen realized. His System wasn't just a leash; it was a filter. It could process what her raw hunger could not.
[New Mission: Absorb the Heaven's Judgment.] [Reward: Evolution of 'Void Aegis' into 'Sovereign Mantle'.]
Kaelen stepped into the path of the beams. He didn't use his hands; he opened his chest, metaphorically and spiritually. The Void Core began to spin at a frequency that made the very air hum.
"Come on then," Kaelen roared. "If I'm a tool, use me!"
The beams hit him. The pain was absolute—like being filled with molten lead. But instead of disintegrating, Kaelen's body became a conduit. The golden light entered his chest, was stripped of its "Divine" properties by the System, and was converted into raw, dark energy.
[Core Capacity: 20%... 40%... 60%... 85%!] [Status: GORGING.]
The diamond barrier began to hairline fracture. The light beams dimmed as Kaelen sucked the room dry. Sora watched, her expression shifting from mockery to genuine fear. She had never seen a Void consume with such... efficiency.
With a final, shattering crack, the diamond barrier exploded.
Kaelen reached out, his hand glowing with a violet-black aura, and snatched the Origin Seed.
[Origin Seed Acquired!] [Warning: Massive Mana Spike detected by the High Proctor.] [Estimated time to arrival: 15 seconds.]
"We have to go. Now!" Kaelen grabbed Sora's hand.
"Where?" she asked, looking at the door that was about to be blasted open by the most powerful mages in the kingdom.
Kaelen looked at the Origin Seed in his hand, then at the ceiling. "Up. We're leaving the planet."
"You're insane," Sora laughed, but she didn't let go. "I like it."