The unsettling encounter with the cloaked figure left Arin's mind swirling. His grip on the concepts of Void was already tenuous, and now this cryptic warning lingered, fueling his unease. Who was that shadowy presence? And why had Enacra, so powerful and wise, stood by silently? Arin had countless questions, but no answers.
For hours, they walked in silence, Enacra seemingly unconcerned by the recent encounter, while Arin wrestled with his thoughts. His frustration simmered beneath the surface. He had mastered Fire and Earth faster than anyone could have imagined, but Void—the very essence of space—seemed to elude him entirely. His impatience gnawed at him.
As the sun began to dip beyond the horizon, they reached the edge of a wide ravine. Jagged rocks lined the sides, and a faint mist rose from its depths. Beyond it, dense forest stretched on endlessly.
"This is where we camp tonight," Enacra said, his tone matter-of-fact. "You will have time to think."
Arin frowned. "Time to think? What does that mean?"
"You're frustrated," Enacra observed, settling beneath a twisted tree, his wooden form merging with the roots. "You believe mastering Void is a matter of force, as it was with Fire. But Void requires subtlety, patience. It's about finding the balance between control and surrender."
"I understand the words," Arin muttered, "but every time I try, it slips away. How can I surrender to something I can't even feel?"
Enacra's eyes narrowed slightly, though he remained still. "You feel the Void more than you realize. Even now, it is all around you. Your desire to control it blinds you. The figure you encountered—he saw it in you. You are afraid of what lies beyond your current limits."
Arin opened his mouth to protest but stopped short. There was truth in Enacra's words, though it was difficult to admit. Fear—whether of failure, or of what mastering Void would truly mean—was something he hadn't faced directly.
"So what do I do?" Arin asked, his voice laced with irritation.
"Tonight, you will face that fear," Enacra said calmly. "We are in a place where the boundaries between the elements are thinner. This ravine is known as the Shaded Abyss, where the Void touches the world more openly. The voidlings often roam here."
"Voidlings?" Arin's eyes narrowed.
"Creatures of the Void," Enacra explained. "They are born from the space between worlds. They are intangible, difficult to perceive, but tonight, they will seek you out."
Arin stiffened at the thought. "And I'm supposed to... fight them?"
"You cannot fight them in the traditional sense," Enacra replied. "You must learn to move with the Void, or they will overwhelm you. This is your next challenge."
"Great," Arin muttered under his breath, feeling both dread and anticipation rise within him.
As the last of the sunlight disappeared and the moon emerged, casting an eerie glow across the ravine, Arin felt the air around him shift. A deep, unsettling stillness settled in, as if the very space between each breath had stretched. Enacra had closed his eyes, his body blending almost perfectly with the tree roots, leaving Arin alone to face whatever was coming.
Moments passed, and then the shadows at the edges of the ravine began to move. The mist thickened, and from it emerged shapes—faint, ghostly, and ever-shifting. These were the Voidlings. They resembled flickering silhouettes, their forms wavering between visibility and nothingness. There was no malice in their presence, but there was an undeniable sense of danger.
Arin's pulse quickened. Instinctively, he summoned the elemental energies he had learned—Fire crackled at his fingertips, and he felt the steady pull of Earth beneath him. But something about the Voidlings threw him off. His attacks would pass through them without harm. He tried to strike with a bolt of fire, only for it to be swallowed by the mist as if it had never existed.
"They cannot be harmed by the elements of matter," Enacra's voice drifted from behind him. "You must learn to move with the Void itself."
Arin grit his teeth. He knew Enacra was right, but how could he defeat something he could barely comprehend? He stood there, uncertain of what to do, as the Voidlings moved closer, their whispering forms closing in around him.
"You must trust in the space around you," Enacra continued, his voice steady but distant. "Become one with the Void. Let go of your need to dominate the elements and allow yourself to exist between them."
Arin took a deep breath, calming his mind. He couldn't rely on brute strength or speed. This was different. He closed his eyes and focused not on the creatures themselves but on the emptiness surrounding them—the gaps between their forms, the space they moved through.
Slowly, he let go of his instinct to attack. Instead, he extended his awareness into the Void, feeling the subtle currents of space. His senses began to shift, and the once-elusive Voidlings became clearer, not as enemies, but as part of the fabric of the world around him.
For the first time, Arin felt the Void truly. It wasn't a force to be controlled but a state of being to flow with. The Voidlings moved closer, but now, instead of fear, Arin felt... stillness. He took a step, and the creatures seemed to pause. Another step, and they flowed around him like water around a stone.
He was moving within the Void, a part of it.
The Voidlings shifted again, but this time, Arin moved with them, his body light and fluid, untouched by their presence. He wasn't fighting them—he was existing alongside them. The tension in his muscles eased, and his mind quieted. He had found the rhythm of the Void, the silence between motions.
And just as quickly as they had appeared, the Voidlings began to dissipate, their forms fading back into the mist.
Arin opened his eyes, his breathing steady, his mind clear. He looked around at the now empty ravine, then back at Enacra, who stood observing him with an approving gaze.
"You've taken your first step," Enacra said, his voice deep with pride. "The Void is not conquered, but understood. Tonight, you have learned that not all challenges are met with force."
Arin smiled faintly, the thrill of his success buzzing beneath his skin. For once, he didn't feel overwhelmed or inadequate. He had tapped into something deeper, something fundamental. Void was not about what was there—but what wasn't.
"Come," Enacra gestured. "There are more trials ahead, and you will need rest for what comes next."
As they moved away from the Shaded Abyss, Arin couldn't help but feel a flicker of excitement. The Void, once so elusive, had begun to reveal its secrets. Yet, a lingering question remained at the back of his mind—the shadowy figure and the warning he had left.
But for now, Arin felt stronger. The path ahead was still dangerous, but for the first time, he felt like he truly understood a part of the journey he was on. The power of Void was within his grasp.
And soon, he'd need it more than ever