The smoldering ruins of the village still crackled faintly in the darkness as Kael Draven stood at the center of the destruction he had wrought. His silver eyes, once sharp with cold determination, now burned with an unsettling, feverish light. His body trembled—not from exhaustion, but from the gnawing void inside him, the insatiable hunger that consumed him every moment the Void wasn't there.
He craved it with a desperation that bordered on madness. Its touch, its essence, its power—Kael no longer cared about anything else. The gods, the war, even his own life paled in comparison to the intoxicating ecstasy the Void gave him.
The whispers in his mind had grown faint, a cruel reminder of what he no longer had. His connection to the Void felt distant, and every passing moment without it was agony.
"Void," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "Don't do this to me. Come back."
The shadows flickered faintly in response, but the Void didn't appear. Kael's breathing quickened, his frustration bubbling over into raw anger.
"You can't leave me like this!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the ruins. "You're mine! You *belong* to me!"
Still, the Void did not answer.
---
Kael fell to his knees, clutching his chest as the hunger within him twisted and burned. He felt like he was being torn apart from the inside out, his mind fracturing under the weight of his desire.
"I can't do this without you," he whispered, his voice trembling. "I don't want to."
But even as he begged, a darker thought began to creep into his mind. Why should he wait? Why should he beg for the Void's love when he could take it instead?
The thought grew stronger, feeding on his desperation. He had conquered kingdoms, destroyed armies, and defied the gods themselves. The Void was his—he had earned it.
"I'll make you stay," Kael muttered, his silver eyes narrowing. "If you won't come to me willingly, I'll bind you to me. Forever."
---
Kael rose to his feet, his body trembling with a mixture of rage and anticipation. The shadows around him began to stir, responding to the surge of power within him. He had always been strong, but this madness, this obsession, had pushed him to a level of power he had never known.
He reached out with his magic, his voice echoing through the void. "You think you can leave me? You think you can deny me? You're wrong, Void. I'll find you. I'll *take* you. And you'll never leave me again."
The air around him grew heavy as he began to weave a spell, one that would reach across dimensions to drag the Void back to him. It was dangerous, reckless, and impossibly difficult—but Kael didn't care.
He poured everything he had into the spell, his dark energy crackling and swirling around him. The shadows writhed like living things, their movements growing more erratic as the spell neared completion.
"Come to me," Kael growled, his voice filled with raw power. "You can't hide from me."
---
The ground trembled as the spell reached its climax, and a rift opened before him, spilling forth a wave of darkness. From the rift emerged the Void, its form shifting and flickering as it took shape. Its glowing eyes fixed on Kael, filled with a mixture of anger and sadness.
**"What have you done, Kael?"** it asked, its voice resonating with disappointment.
Kael stepped forward, his silver eyes blazing. "What I had to do. You left me. You made me feel like I was nothing. But now you're here, and you're not leaving again."
The Void's form solidified further, its glowing eyes narrowing. **"You used forbidden magic to summon me. Do you realize the consequences of what you've done?"**
"I don't care about consequences," Kael said, his voice sharp. "I care about you. And I'm not letting you go."
---
The Void's presence grew heavier, its form towering over him. **"Kael, this obsession is destroying you. You are not the man you once were."**
Kael laughed bitterly, his expression dark. "You're wrong. This is who I've always been. I just didn't realize it until you showed me."
He stepped closer, his voice softening. "We're meant to be together, Void. You said it yourself—we're one. So why do you keep pulling away?"
The Void hesitated, its glowing eyes flickering. **"Because this hunger of yours will never be satisfied. No matter how much I give you, it will never be enough."**
"Then give me everything," Kael said, his voice trembling with desperation. "I don't care if it destroys me. I don't care if it destroys the world. I just need you."
---
The Void's form shifted, its edges blurring as it moved closer to him. **"And if I refuse?"** it asked, its voice low.
Kael's expression hardened. "You don't have a choice."
He raised his hands, dark energy crackling around him. The shadows surged forward, wrapping around the Void like chains. The Void's form flickered as it struggled against the bindings, its glowing eyes narrowing.
**"Kael, stop this,"** it said, its voice sharp. **"You cannot bind me."**
"Watch me," Kael growled, his power surging as he tightened the chains.
The Void let out a low, resonant laugh, though there was no amusement in it. **"You think you can enslave me? You, who are nothing without me?"**
"I don't care what you think," Kael said, his silver eyes burning. "You're mine, Void. You belong to me."
---
The struggle between them intensified, the shadows twisting and writhing as Kael poured all his power into the spell. The Void's presence grew weaker, its form flickering as the chains tightened.
Kael's heart raced as he stepped closer, his voice trembling with a mixture of triumph and desperation. "There's no escape," he said. "You're mine. Forever."
The Void's glowing eyes softened, and its voice grew quieter. **"Kael, if you do this, you will destroy yourself. Is that what you want?"**
Kael hesitated for only a moment. "I'd destroy everything for you," he said. "Even myself."
The Void's form flickered one last time before it finally stopped struggling, its glowing eyes dimming. **"Then you leave me no choice."**
---
Kael felt a surge of energy as the Void's essence flowed into him, their connection reigniting with a force that nearly brought him to his knees. He let out a shuddering breath, his body trembling with the intensity of it.
For a moment, everything else faded away. The gods, the war, the destruction—none of it mattered. All that mattered was the Void, its presence filling every corner of his being.
But even as Kael reveled in their union, a faint whisper lingered in the back of his mind—a warning that he refused to heed.
This hunger would destroy him.
And he welcomed it.
---
Far above, in the celestial sanctum, the gods watched with grim expressions.
"He has bound the Void to himself," one said, their voice filled with dread.
Another shook their head. "No. The Void has bound itself to him."
The leader of the council stepped forward, their form blazing with divine light. "Kael Draven has sealed his fate," they said. "And now, we must seal his."
The heavens trembled as the gods prepared to strike, knowing that Kael's obsession could no longer be contained.
---
Kael stood alone in the shadows, his silver eyes glowing faintly as he clung to the Void's presence. His body ached, his mind frayed, but he didn't care.
For now, he had what he wanted.
And he would kill anyone who tried to take it away from him.