Koku and the girls came across something 2 hours later… "Stop." Koku demanded of the girls as he wasn't sure of just what the distorted space right in front of them might have in store for them if they walked through. "Hmmm…looks like the environment might change when crossing over", Koku thought to himself as he pondered on whether they should go in or not. Kurai spoke up and mentioned something about the necromancy, "I'm able to share the vision of my dead summons…maybe if i used it to walk through, we could see if its safe?", Kurai talked aloud as she looked at Koku with curiosity in her gaze.
"Sounds like a plan", Koku said with his own curiosity since he had wanted to see the difference between his summons and necromancy summons. That and what she might be doing wrong that shortens the usage time she has with them. Side by side, Koku and Yoru watched as Kurai closed her eyes and began muttering things under her breath; and shortly after beginning (30 seconds), a purple light began to form underneath her feet.
This purple light expanded into the shape of a circle with writing. This circle remained without any action for just about 5 seconds until a single skeleton was summoned, but In this time Koku's expression had changed from interested to worried and on edge due to something that showed itself within his mind. The words in dark purple appeared within his mind, "Let's play a game, void chosen one. I'll send you the 2 choices for this game and the end requirement for you to win." Koku seeing this in his mind and coming from the void caught him off guard.
"What? the void's never presented itself like this…", Koku thought to himself. It's as if someone or something is communicating with him through the void. Before finishing his thought process, the unknown thing that might be the void talking or something within the void talking to him had sent the two choices.
Option 1: Proceed to the Mirage Garden trials with maximum difficulties set (reward varies on performance).
Option 2: Kill your present comrades (Rewards are: gaining access to the higher void realm, and obtaining an ancient Voidfall relic).
Koku scoffed at the options saying in his mind, "It wants me to choose the second option…this bastard thinks i''ll betray them", Koku told himself as he looked at Yoru who was by this point next to Kurai with a smile looking and poking at the skeleton as she teased her elder sister (Kurai), "Option 1 is my choice and i wont negotiate with whoever you are. Now tell me who you are", Koku demanded of the unknown.
"Complete the Mirage Garden, and i'll tell you that; perhaps i'll give you something extra as a treat", after reading these words within his mind, Koku could see the words fading away and could feel whatever the presence was leaving his mind rapidly.
"I-i shouldn't let them come in with me…but if they stay out here they might get attacked…it's also turning night time", Koku muttered while looking up at the heavily mist bound sky. "Yoru! Kurai! Common we're headed in, but before we do, Kurai can you have a look inside the distorted space?", Koku asked as he looked into the distorted space that he now came to think is the "Mirage Gardens", "Sure", Kurai replied to Koku as she began to move the skeleton towards the distorted space at walking pace. "Upon having her skeleton walk in she mentioned that it looked like there was nothing apart from a bunch of mana everywhere.
"Something's up", Koku idealized thinking of what could happen for this to appear. "Let's go in", said Koku as he held Yoru's hand; and Yoru yanking Kurai's hand in the process. "Stay close, okay?", Koku lightly said as he brought them both into the distorted space.
A few seconds after entering this place, Koku felt his body become light in weight. "Hmm?", looking around himself Koku wondered as to what caused that, then a second later he noticed his hand feeling empty. "???", looking at his hand he noticed Yoru had disappeared.
After noticing this he looked around himself once again, this time trying to see his full changing surrounding. As he watched the surrounding go from pale mist colores, the full area switched to pure black, and not far off he could see a dim purple light hover right in front of a now beginning to glow up symbol.
"Wind?", Koku thought as he looked at the symbol. Right after this another purple light hovered in a different direction; after this another lit up dimly in another direction and after that one another and another, eventually there had been 8 of these dim lights hovering over these shadowed figures. "Lightning, wind, water, fire, earth, light and dark. Then…void?", Koku questioned as he could vaguely see what was behind the symbols.
"What's this about?", Koku asked aloud trying to figure out what he had been seeing. Then seconds later the lights began glowing up brightly revealing empty thrones behind every symbol. Koku seeing these was left puzzled but with a vague idea of what this might be.
After taking a good look at these thrones and empty endless black space; Koku was about to take a step forward before he heard it. Right behind himself, next to his ear he heard a whisper, "It's about your destiny", a young voice carrying no emotions said. Koku turned around quickly ready to fight but couldn't find himself facing anything once he did so. Then he heard it again, this time behind him again.
He didn't turn around this time since whatever it was, clearly had nobody to be seen, "Who are you? and where are we?", Koku asked with a glint of curiosity, even more so with a serious grasp to his voice.
The voice from seconds ago spoke up but instead of being behind him, it was everywhere. "We're alike Koku. You could even say we're the same person, though not anymore we're not." The voice mentioned this and began to form a slightly see-through body right in front of Koku's eyes. "An illusion..", Koku thought to himself as he looked at the now very familiar body of his from many years back.
"And where are we?", he asked again. "Now that you see i'm the past you, an emotionless tool, i'll tell you what you seek elder brother", Koku gave a slightly weird look to the smaller him, and didn't question it as he listened to the information being given at hand. "Call me Hollow. I'm simply a phase of you when you're emotions were suppressed by the void and your heart. As for where we are Koku, we're in the void garden. Or as you might know it the Mirage Gardens Now that you know where we are, i'll tell you the purpose of the Mirage Garden. It's quite simple, that's to give the void chosen one a clue as to the higher powers and a fundamental understanding of the void, that and to test himself against himself. Meaning the things i know are things not that i've found out, but things that are already set and stone through the void space." Hollow said peeking Koku's interest even more.
"Firstly, the thrones here represent each element of the void you conquer, and each of these thrones look empty, yet arent. Until you master your first void element, the thrones will continue to look empty, and though you may not see them, they can see you. Each of them represent a part of you that you've yet to find such as you're personality. That's to not to say you'll ever see them though…since the moment you master an element, you'll absorb the "entity" itself, which really means, you're just sucking the personality in so that no problems are caused internally, such as split personalities." Hollow kept talking for a while longer until it stopped talking and looked at Koku in the eyes.
"As for your friends. Remember…play romance all you want, you'll end up getting hurt if you seek it more than power. As for such the Mirage Gardens is currently has them under a test. A safe test. One in which it tries to improve them by fixing their mana flow, their skills that are more skill based and things of that nature." After explaining this Koku asked a question. "Now…how does the void know they're my friends, and was the void talking to me earlier or was it someone else?", after asking this Hallow began to speak once again.
"The void has no set personality. No set body, nothing and everything to call it's possession. It exists everywhere and anywhere all at the same time. It's endless hunger for expansion makes it an omnipotent power with no home or body on sight. This being said the void has no voice nor an intent apart from protecting it's body which is…you. Now as for your question, the moment you show any affection towards someone, affections of acceptance combined with another few requirements, you'll here by place the void seed within them unknowingly.
This means under any case of void tyranny or a spill of power etc, the void will not cause them any harm and deliberately try to make them stronger at a good for them pace. Now as for your last question, i cannot tell you who it is, for i myself do not know, though all i can tell you is that, the void wasn't the one who spoke with you, and that the void is separated by 2 parts. One the lower void realm, and two the higher void realm. Times short and i'm sure you have many questions, for now you have to go and face you're trials." Hollow stated as the entire place seemed to be changing, in the process pulling Hollow away from there, or Koku away from that place.