Chapter Seventeen: The Void's Heir
Kael's fingers touched the Voidheart.
The world detonated.
A pulse of raw energy erupted outward, shattering the air. Crimson light carved through the darkness, and the earth cracked beneath his feet. Ciaran was hurled backward by the shockwave, skidding across the stone as dust and debris rained down.
Kael fell to his knees. The crystal's energy was inside him now, alive, and it burned. Fire, he thought. Ice. It was both, flowing through his veins like a living storm. The shadows that had once obeyed him now clawed at his mind, tearing through his thoughts with violent hunger.
"You are mine."
The voice thundered, deep and ancient, not in the room but inside him, behind his eyes and beneath his skin. It was the Void. He knew it now—a will so vast it could drown the world.
Kael screamed, clutching his head as the world around him faded to black.
A World of Shadows
When he opened his eyes, he was somewhere else—standing on nothing, surrounded by an endless sea of writhing shadows. The air here was heavy, vibrating like a drumbeat. At the center of it all, the Void loomed: a titanic, formless shape that towered above him, stretching into the endless dark. Its eyes burned, twin suns of molten crimson.
Kael couldn't move. He could barely breathe.
"You think you are worthy?" the Void's voice whispered, soft but suffocating. "You think you can resist me?"
Shadows erupted from the ground, tendrils whipping toward him. Kael tried to step back, but they coiled around his arms, his legs—pinning him. It was as if the void itself was alive, dragging him deeper.
Then the memories came.
Flashes of his past burned through his mind:
• The fire. His village in flames. The cries of those he couldn't save.
• His brother's lifeless body in his arms, his voice trembling with promises he couldn't keep.
• Himself—monstrous and alone—his reflection warped and hollow, swallowed by shadows.
The Void whispered, its voice smooth and coaxing. "I can take it all away. The failures, the weakness. I will make you whole."
Kael's chest heaved. For a moment, the weight of the offer tempted him, the pain of his past overwhelming every thought. What if I could change it? he thought. What if I could stop all of this?
The shadows coiled tighter. The Void's laughter echoed like thunder.
"Bow, little vessel."
Something cracked inside him. A spark.
"No."
The shadows froze. The Void's eyes narrowed.
Kael gritted his teeth, rage igniting through the pain. "I won't let you win. I won't let you have me."
The spark became a blaze. Kael forced his legs to move, inch by inch, pushing himself upright against the weight of the Void's will. The shadows hissed, tightening, but Kael roared, breaking through them.
"You don't own me!"
The shadows around him exploded outward. They coiled in the air like serpents, then turned and flowed back toward him—not to attack, but to serve. They wrapped around his arms, his back, his shoulders, solidifying into dark, jagged armor that hummed with power.
Wings erupted from his back—massive, blackened wings of pure energy that flared with red veins of light, tearing through the darkness like a blade. Above his head, the shadows twisted and sharpened into the faint outline of a crown, flickering like a living flame.
The Void recoiled. "You defy me?"
Kael raised his hand, shadows pooling into his palm, forming a blade—sleek and pulsing with molten red light. He pointed it at the figure towering before him.
"I'm not your heir," Kael said, his voice steady and cold. "I'm your master."
The Void roared, its shape twisting violently as Kael swung the shadow-blade. A torrent of light and energy erupted, crashing into the Void with the force of a storm. The darkness splintered, cracks of crimson light rippling through the formless figure.
"This is not over!" the Void howled, its voice breaking as it was consumed. "Others will come. You will see—"
The vision shattered.
The Collapse
Kael's eyes snapped open, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. The Voidheart was gone, reduced to shards of black crystal that lay scattered around the altar, their glow extinguished.
The ground trembled violently. Cracks raced across the chamber, splitting the walls and ceiling. Chunks of stone began to fall, smashing into the ground with deafening crashes.
"Stormcloak!" Ciaran's voice cut through the chaos. Kael turned to see him sprinting toward him, his face pale. "We need to move!"
Kael pushed himself to his feet. The shadows coiled around him like smoke, but they were calm now—controlled. He staggered after Ciaran, sprinting through the crumbling chamber as the Sanctum began to collapse.
Stone rained down around them, the ground shaking so violently Kael almost fell. He pushed harder, the shadows bursting from his legs to propel him forward.
They emerged into the open air just as the entrance to the Sanctum collapsed behind them, the ruins disappearing into a cloud of dust and rubble.
For a long moment, there was silence. Then Kael dropped to his knees, the weight of everything crashing down on him.
The World Has Changed
Ciaran stood, his gaze fixed on the sky. "Stormcloak," he said, his voice low. "Look."
Kael lifted his head. The sky above the Sanctum was wrong. The clouds had darkened, swirling unnaturally, streaked with faint lines of crimson energy that twisted like veins across the horizon. The very air felt heavy, buzzing faintly with lingering power.
Kael's hands trembled. The shadows still lingered at his fingertips, waiting, alive.
"You changed something in there," Ciaran said, his golden eyes sharp. "And whatever it is, the world felt it."
Kael didn't answer. He could still hear the Void's final words echoing in his mind. "Others will come."
From somewhere deep within the forest, hidden by the trees, a figure watched them. Their cloak rippled with shadows, crimson runes etched across the fabric. A faint smirk curled their lips.
"So… the heir rises," the figure murmured, before vanishing into the darkness.
Kael's Resolve
Kael slowly stood, the shadows swirling faintly behind him. His body still ached, his breaths ragged, but his eyes were sharp.
Ciaran approached cautiously, studying him. "What happens now, Stormcloak?"
Kael turned toward the horizon, where the storm clouds churned like an omen of what was to come. The shadows curled behind him, rising in faint, jagged outlines of wings.
"Let them come," Kael muttered, his voice quiet but unshakable. The shadows flared in his wake, alive and waiting. "I'll show them what the Void's heir really is."
End of Chapter Seventeen