The air around Arin grew heavier, charged with a malevolent energy as the masked figure advanced. The ground beneath his feet seemed to shift in and out of existence, and Arin could feel his own connection to the Void slipping, as though it were being torn from him.
Arin had faced many strong opponents since the beginning of his journey, but this masked figure was different. The sheer control the man exhibited over the Void made Arin feel like an amateur. Every attempt to reach out and grasp the Void was met with a forceful pushback, as if the masked figure's mastery was actively rejecting him.
"You're struggling," the masked figure observed with a dark grin. His form seemed to blur, flickering between reality and the Void itself. "The Void does not take kindly to those who seek control."
Arin's heart pounded as he focused, trying to recall Enacra's words: The Void is not something you use. It is something you become. He had felt it once before, that brief moment of connection. Now, in the midst of this chaos, he had to find it again.
But before he could steady himself, the masked figure made his move.
With a wave of his hand, the world around Arin twisted. The trees, the grass, the sky—everything bent and distorted, warping into a swirling vortex of shadows and emptiness. The masked figure stood at the center of it all, his control absolute.
Arin barely had time to react as the ground beneath him vanished. He fell, his body suspended in an endless void of nothingness. Panic surged through him, but he forced himself to focus. This was the Void. He had to embrace it, not fight it.
He closed his eyes and let go.
Suddenly, the sensation of falling stopped. He felt weightless, floating in the vast expanse of the Void. It was still disorienting, but this time, Arin didn't resist. He let the Void wash over him, becoming a part of it rather than trying to control it.
In that moment, something clicked.
He wasn't falling. He was moving—through space, through the Void itself. He wasn't bound by the laws of the physical world anymore. And just as quickly as it had started, the sensation ended.
Arin opened his eyes and found himself standing once again in the forest clearing. The swirling vortex had disappeared, replaced by the familiar surroundings. The masked figure still stood across from him, his grin widening.
"You managed to return," the figure said, sounding almost impressed. "But can you handle this?"
Before Arin could respond, the masked figure unleashed a torrent of Void energy, hurling it toward him. The blast distorted everything in its path, erasing reality itself as it shot toward Arin.
Arin's instincts screamed at him to dodge, but instead, he reached out—not with his body, but with his mind. He tapped into the Void, just as he had done moments before, and shifted.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
The Void blast passed harmlessly through where Arin had been standing a second ago. He reappeared behind the masked figure, his heart racing but exhilaration surging through him.
"I see you're learning," the masked figure said, not bothering to turn around. "But you're still far from mastering the Void."
With a flick of his wrist, the masked figure sent another wave of energy crashing toward Arin. This time, Arin was ready. He shifted again, dodging the attack, but this time he felt the strain. Each use of the Void was taxing, and he knew he couldn't keep it up for long.
But he had an idea.
The Void wasn't just about dodging. It was about becoming one with the emptiness, about moving between the spaces that others couldn't perceive. If he could control it—not by force, but by understanding—he might have a chance.
Arin focused, reaching deeper into the Void. He didn't try to bend it to his will. Instead, he allowed it to guide him, to show him the way.
And then he shifted again.
This time, he didn't just dodge the masked figure's attack. He moved closer, his body flickering in and out of existence as he closed the distance. The masked figure's eyes widened in surprise, but before he could react, Arin struck.
With a burst of fire energy, Arin's fist connected with the masked figure's chest, sending him stumbling back. The force of the blow was amplified by the Void, allowing Arin to strike with speed and power far beyond what he could have achieved normally.
But the masked figure wasn't done.
Recovering quickly, the man's grin returned, though there was a hint of anger behind it now. "Impressive. But you're still a long way from defeating me."
Arin prepared himself for another attack, but instead, the masked figure raised his hand, and the Void around them seemed to collapse. The entire clearing was consumed by darkness, and Arin found himself once again floating in the endless abyss.
This time, however, the masked figure was with him.
"I am the Void," the masked figure said, his voice echoing in the darkness. "And you... are nothing."
The pressure around Arin increased, crushing him from all sides. His connection to the Void flickered, weakening under the masked figure's immense power.
But Arin wasn't ready to give up.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to focus. He had touched the Void before, and he knew he could do it again. He just needed to stay calm, to let go of his fear.
And then, just as before, he felt it.
The Void.
It wasn't a place or a thing. It was a state of being. And in that moment, Arin became one with it.
The crushing pressure around him disappeared, and he floated freely in the abyss. The masked figure's voice grew faint, as if he were speaking from a great distance.
"You think you've won?" the figure snarled, his form beginning to blur.
Arin didn't respond. He didn't need to. He had found the Void, and with it, he had found his strength.
And then, with a final surge of energy, Arin shifted.
He reappeared in the clearing, the darkness vanishing around him. The masked figure was gone, his presence reduced to a faint whisper on the wind.
Arin collapsed to his knees, exhausted but victorious. He had won—barely—but he knew this was only the beginning. The Void was still a mystery, one that he would need to understand if he wanted to survive the battles ahead.