"Bel'Veth… One year… And if we don't comply, it will devour us?" Li Lin grimly summarized the disjointed message from the Void creature that had momentarily taken over Kai'Sa's consciousness and spoken through her.
Without waiting for a response—perhaps not caring for one—the voice released its hold on Kai'Sa after delivering its warning.
[Master, the energy interference has dissipated. Miss Kai'Sa's vital signs have returned to normal.]
As the AI's notification faded, the abnormal data on Li Lin's holographic display quickly returned to normal, as if the strange occurrence had never happened.
"Ugh…"
A soft groan escaped from Kai'Sa on the operating table, like someone exhausted and slowly waking from a long, deep sleep.
Li Lin exchanged a glance with Caitlyn before they both hurried over to check on her condition.
"Kai'Sa, are you okay?"
Hearing someone call her name, Kai'Sa's eyelids fluttered. She raised a hand to shield her eyes and then slowly opened them, looking toward the source of the voice.
"Li Lin… Caitlyn?"
She tried to sit up, but Li Lin quickly stopped her.
The gene modification surgery was only halfway done. Under normal circumstances, it should not have been interrupted, as it could lead to unpredictable consequences. However, the unexpected appearance of Bel'Veth had caught Li Lin off guard, disrupting his plans. Fortunately, Kai'Sa seemed unharmed, and the stabilizing serum still had time left. The surgery could be completed within that timeframe.
"Is the surgery over?"
Seeing both of them standing by the operating table and watching her, Kai'Sa suddenly noticed the scales still covering her body. Her expression darkened.
"Did the surgery fail?"
"No…" Li Lin hesitated for a moment. "Well, to be precise, there was a small… incident."
He stared into Kai'Sa's violet eyes, finding it hard to imagine that those beautiful eyes had, just moments ago, turned entirely white and displayed a terrifying, razor-sharp intensity.
"Incident?" Kai'Sa asked, confused.
Noticing her bewildered expression, Caitlyn raised an eyebrow, suspicion flickering in her mind. "Do you have no memory of what just happened?"
"What just happened?" Kai'Sa's confusion deepened. "I only remember the surgery beginning, and Li Lin injecting me with various serums. Then my consciousness became hazy, like everything around me was part of a dream…"
Her words trailed off before she shifted topics. "But I did experience something strange."
"What was it?" Li Lin and Caitlyn asked simultaneously.
"Well, how do I put it? It felt more like a dream… A strange scene that I'm not sure I can call a nightmare."
After a brief pause, she added, "It was a sea—a vast sea entirely colored pale violet. Schools of remora and manta rays floated in the air, traveling from one shore to another."
"My second skin communicated with me, telling me that this place was once a thriving port town in Shurima, where humans, Vastaya, and some long-lived species from Icathia coexisted peacefully."
"But then, that peaceful scene was shattered."
Kai'Sa furrowed her brow as a dull pain throbbed in her head. "In an instant, the violet sea flooded in from all directions, swallowing the town whole. Everyone, everything, was obliterated, leaving nothing but a massive, bottomless pit in its wake."
"The shattered remnants reformed into grotesque shapes, constantly shifting in a fluid, formless state as if struggling to become recognizable—maybe a creature, or perhaps a human silhouette. It was like a child assembling toy blocks."
"I don't know how long I spent in that eerie place, where time and space had no meaning, where everything was made of that violet hue… Until I found a hollow passage leading to its deepest depths."
As she spoke, a sudden fear crept into her voice, causing the data on the panel to spike once more, this time driven by her rising anxiety.
Li Lin quickly tried to calm her. "It was just a dream, Kai'Sa. There's no need to panic."
Kai'Sa nodded slightly, taking a deep breath to steady herself before continuing. "In the passage, strange lights and colors filled the space, with massive tendrils extending for miles, twisting and coiling in impossible patterns."
"Perhaps it mistook me for one of its own, as it didn't attack… It simply let me pass until I reached the end of the tunnel and entered an even vaster space."
Her breath caught, and a shiver ran through her voice. "There, I saw a monstrous being with wings as long as twenty arms—humanoid in shape."
"Suddenly, it swelled to several times its original size within seconds, transforming into a ray-like creature. Four predator's violet eyes locked onto me, its gaping maw lined with endless rows of teeth, each the size of an adult human, glinting with a menacing light!"
"As it gazed into my eyes, I realized that this pale violet sea was its cradle—the place where it had grown. Its name was Bel'Veth. It wasn't just the name of the city—it was the city itself, the amalgamation of every soul and memory it had consumed."
"It is… the Void's new Empress, Bel'Veth."
Kai'Sa grew more distressed as she spoke, until Li Lin had to administer a sedative to calm her.
Once the serum took effect and Kai'Sa's breathing returned to normal, Li Lin fell silent, lost in thought.
The Pale Violet Sea…
The Void Empress, Bel'Veth…
Could there really be an entity in Runeterra that embodies the will of the Void itself?
In the Void, it was said that only the Watchers were the true incarnations of its will.
In other words, the Void Watchers are essentially the Void itself.
They have no physical form and no concept of time or space; once they enter the material realm, irreversible distortions occur.
Li Lin was skeptical of the message conveyed to Kai'Sa. He believed that the so-called "Void Empress" was merely exaggerating her importance. Most likely, it was just an exceptionally powerful Void entity, far stronger than ordinary ascended beings.
After all, it had consumed the town of "Bel'Veth" and replaced it, being a creation of the Void from its own domain, not comparable to the Watchers.
Li Lin estimated that Bel'Vethwas probably only superior to the Void entities he currently knew, and it might even fall short compared to the ancient Void Eye, Vel'Koz.
The reason it could control Kai'Sa from such a distance was probably because it sensed that her Void skin was being removed, coupled with the connection between Void entities. It had to use this method of communication out of necessity.
From the fragmented speech earlier, it seemed it wasn't very adept at using this ability.
Once Kai'Sa's consciousness faded again, leaving her almost speechless, Caitlyn pulled Li Lin aside and asked in a low voice, "What exactly is going on? What does this… Bel'Veth want from you?"
Li Lin shook his head, indicating that he was unsure as well.
His limited understanding of Bel'Veth came from the lava beast, Malphite.
"I suspect that the reason Kai'Sa survived her encounter with the Void and ended up in this symbiotic state might be because of that entity."
Caitlyn furrowed her brows, not fully grasping his meaning. "But didn't Kai'Sa say that this situation was completely accidental…"
Before she could finish, she seemed to realize something and fell silent.
"So, an ordinary girl struggling to survive in the Void, I can understand her barely managing to kill a Voidling out of sheer survival instinct.
"But the fact that she was possessed by a Void shell without her will being consumed is quite peculiar.
"What is the essence of the Void? Devouring everything."
Li Lin watched Caitlyn's thoughtful face and continued, "Even deceased Void creatures, if encountered by a regular person, will immediately corrupt and devour anyone who touches their remains, as long as there is residual Void energy."
"Moreover, Kai'Sa had just slain a Voidling at that time, and if the shell was still on her, the Void energy would not have dissipated…"
He didn't finish his sentence, but Caitlyn, being perceptive, quickly grasped his implication.
"You mean that Kai'Sa's current state is because of this Bel'Veth?"
Caitlyn looked up at Li Lin. "She wants to use Kai'Sa for something in the future, and by disturbing her Void essence, you've provoked Bel'Veth, causing it to come after us prematurely."
Li Lin nodded gravely.
Even Caitlyn, who was usually composed no matter the situation, felt a rare sense of urgency and panic. "What should we do now?"
"I don't know, but it said we have a year to meet it with Kai'Sa…"
"No! That's too dangerous! What if something happens to you…"
Caitlyn paced the room, lowering her gaze as she tried to think of a solution.
Li Lin sighed, stepping in front of her and placing his hands on her shoulders to bring her focus back to him.
"But you heard it. If we don't go, it will come to Piltover... Do you think Piltover's current strength can withstand a Void entity that nearly destroyed an Ascended Empire?"
"We could go to my mother and have her…"
"Don't be foolish, Caitlyn. The Council won't believe us, and right now, we have no means to face that creature!"
Li Lin's sharp reprimand brought Caitlyn's thoughts back to reality.
Tears glistened on her cheeks, her swollen eyes and sorrowful expression making Li Lin's heart ache.
This isn't Caitlyn's fault. I can't blame her or vent my frustration.
"But at least from what it's indicated, it won't act against us for now." His tone softened considerably.
"Still, can't we think of another solution?"
Caitlyn sniffled, her voice choked, "We still have a year. You worked with the Academy to develop Gaboga in just a few months. Even if Gaboga can't threaten it, with your intelligence, you should be able to create a new weapon to deal with Beelvis, right?"
Li Lin's voice was hoarse, and his expression was bitter. "I…"
That would be a being surpassing even the gods.
And with my current abilities, even dealing with a sealed Darkin is a matter of careful planning.
Perhaps advancing my profession to become a "Mechanic Warlord" and raising my level as much as possible might provide a solution.
"I don't know… maybe." Li Lin sighed, "But now isn't the time to think about that."
His gaze shifted back to Kai'Sa, still lying on the operating table.
"Right, go and disinfect Kai'Sa's transitional garments… Time is of the essence; I need to finish this surgery first."
(End of Chapter)
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