Max awoke to darkness—not the absence of light but a void so oppressive it felt alive. His limbs were stiff, his skin cold, and the shard he clutched pulsed faintly like a dying heartbeat.
The world around him had changed again. The smooth, metallic walls of the previous chamber were gone, replaced by jagged surfaces that seemed carved by chaos itself. Tendrils of black mist writhed across the ground, dissipating whenever they neared the shard's glow.
A single path stretched before him, narrow and suffocating, leading to what appeared to be a faint, blue glow in the distance. He pushed himself to his feet, clutching the shard tightly.
The voice of his father still echoed in his mind, fragmented and cryptic. "You can't undo it… but you can survive it."
Survive what? The Void? The creatures? Or something even worse?
Max shook his head and started walking. Every step felt like an eternity, the oppressive darkness gnawing at his senses. His thoughts twisted in strange patterns, fragments of memories flashing before his eyes—his childhood, his father's disappearance, his mother's quiet sorrow.
Focus, Max. Focus.
As he approached the source of the blue light, he saw it emanated from another chamber, its walls lined with massive, glowing crystals. Unlike the others, these were fractured, their surfaces marred by deep, jagged cracks.
At the center of the room stood a figure—unmistakably human.
Max froze, his breath catching in his throat. The figure was shrouded in shadow, but its posture and movements were familiar. Slowly, it turned to face him.
"Maximilian," the man said, his voice soft but filled with an overwhelming sadness.
Max's heart pounded. "Dad?"
The figure stepped closer, and the light from the crystals illuminated his face. It was Viktor Kron, but not as Max remembered him. His features were gaunt, his eyes sunken and glowing faintly with an unnatural light. His once-proud posture was stooped, as if weighed down by an unbearable burden.
"Is it really you?" Max whispered, tears welling in his eyes.
Viktor nodded, his expression unreadable. "It's me. Or what's left of me."
Max took a hesitant step forward. "What happened to you? What is all this? The Void, the creatures, the shard—what does it all mean?"
Viktor raised a hand, his movements slow and deliberate. "There isn't much time. The Void is a hunger, an ancient force that consumes everything it touches. I thought I could control it, harness it for something greater. But I was wrong."
"You unleashed it," Max said, his voice trembling.
Viktor nodded, his expression etched with regret. "I thought I was unlocking the secrets of existence, but all I did was invite destruction into our world. The Void is alive, Max—an entity older than anything we can comprehend. It doesn't just consume. It corrupts."
Max's grip on the shard tightened, its faint hum steady in his hand. "But why, Dad? Why build the portal? Why risk everything?"
Viktor's glowing eyes flickered with a mix of pain and desperation. "I was searching for something… something beyond death, beyond limits. A way to save your mother when she got sick." His voice broke, and for a moment, he seemed fragile, more a shadow of a man than the towering figure Max remembered.
"She didn't even know, did she?" Max asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"No," Viktor admitted, his gaze falling to the floor. "I was desperate. I thought I could bargain with the Void, but it doesn't bargain. It twists everything it touches."
Max stepped closer, his anger bubbling beneath his fear. "And now? What am I supposed to do? You left me with this… this thing. You left me with questions, nightmares, and no answers!"
Viktor met his son's gaze, his expression darkening. "You have the shard. That means it chose you. It's the last fragment of the seal that keeps the Void from fully breaking through. But its protection is fleeting, Max. The Void knows you now. It will come for you."
Max felt the weight of Viktor's words, the crushing inevitability of what lay ahead. "What do I do? How do I stop it?"
"You can't stop it," Viktor said, stepping back as shadows began to coil around his legs. His voice grew faint, as though something was pulling him away. "But you can learn to wield its power… without losing yourself. Seek the Convergence Point. There, you'll find the truth—and a choice."
Max reached out as Viktor's form began to dissolve into the shadows. "Wait! Don't go! I need more—"
His father's final words were little more than a whisper, carried away by the swirling dark. "Remember… it's always watching."
The room plunged into silence, the light from the crystals fading until only the faint glow of the shard remained. Max stood alone, his thoughts a storm of confusion, anger, and dread.
He sank to his knees, gripping the shard tightly. "The Convergence Point," he muttered, staring into the abyss ahead. "What the hell does that mean?"
A low growl echoed from the corridor behind him. The air grew colder, the oppressive presence of the Void creeping closer.
Max rose to his feet, determination hardening his expression. He didn't have all the answers, but he couldn't stop now. He had to keep moving—into the darkness, into the unknown, into the jaws of whatever horror awaited him.
He had to survive.