The swirling darkness of the portal enveloped Zami, dragging him into a realm unlike any he had traversed. His senses were assaulted by the unfamiliar: no sound, no smell, no weight. It was as if the very essence of existence had been stripped away.
As he stepped forward, the air solidified beneath his feet, forming a faint pathway of white stone amidst an endless expanse of black and violet void. Above, shards of light floated aimlessly, flickering like dying stars. This was the Void Deux a liminal realm where reality and the void bled into one another—a place where the will of the entities lingered.
Karesh's voice broke through the oppressive silence, low and steady within Zami's mind. "This is it, the threshold of the entities' domain. Beyond here lies the Void Nexus."
Zami's silver eyes flickered as he scanned his surroundings, his voice calm yet probing. "Karesh, the being from before... who was it? The one who showed me the shadows of my past and spoke of the Eternal Hunger?"
Karesh hesitated, an unusual pause that Zami had come to recognize as the prelude to something significant. "That being," Karesh finally replied, his voice tinged with reverence, "was the Messenger. A creation of the entities, a vessel of pure purpose. It exists not to fight but to guide, to ensure that those who dare walk this path understand the gravity of their journey."
"The Messenger," Zami repeated, his hand resting on the hilt of his katana. "So, it's not a vessel?"
"No," Karesh said. "It is something beyond. The vessels were forged to manifest the entities' will in the material world, but the Messenger exists in the void. It carries the knowledge of the entities, their whispers and commands. Its purpose is singular: to prepare you for what lies ahead."
Zami's expression remained stoic, but his mind raced. The Messenger had shown him his past, his potential, and his reality. It had forced him to confront the truth of his existence, to wrestle with the purpose behind his endless battles.
"Why me?" Zami asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Because you are unlike any other," Karesh answered. "You were shaped by death and rebirth, by struggle and survival. The entities have chosen you, whether you accept it or not. The Messenger's appearance confirms that your path is intertwined with theirs."
Zami clenched his jaw, his steps unwavering as he continued through the Void Deux. The path beneath him twisted and turned, forming intricate patterns that pulsed with light. He could feel the weight of countless eyes watching him from the shadows, unseen yet undeniably present.
"Karesh," Zami said after a moment, "if the Messenger is meant to guide me, why does it feel like it's testing me instead?"
"Because that is its nature," Karesh replied. "Guidance is not always gentle. The Messenger pushes you to your limits because it must. Only those who prove their worth can hope to confront the Eternal Hunger."
The name sent a shiver through Zami, but he suppressed it. His grip tightened on his katana as he glanced at the floating shards of light above. Each one seemed to pulse with an alien rhythm, their movements erratic yet purposeful.
The Void Deux was alive, a breathing, shifting manifestation of the entities' will. Zami could feel its weight pressing down on him, its presence seeping into his mind. It was testing him, even now.
As he walked, a low hum began to resonate through the air. The path ahead split into three, each route veering into the unknown. Zami paused, his sharp eyes scanning each option. The hum grew louder, more discordant, as if urging him to choose.
"Which way?" Zami asked, his voice calm but edged with tension.
Karesh remained silent for a moment before speaking. "The paths are not meant to be clear. They are part of the test. Trust your instincts, Zami. The Void Deux will not make this easy for you."
Zami exhaled slowly, his silver eyes narrowing as he stepped toward the middle path. The moment his foot touched the ground, the world around him shifted violently. The stone beneath him disintegrated, and he plummeted into the abyss below.
Darkness swallowed him, and for a moment, he felt weightless, unmoored from reality. Then, with a sudden jolt, he landed on solid ground.
He looked up to find himself in a vast chamber, its walls shimmering with an iridescent light. In the center stood a towering figure, its body composed of swirling shadows and fragments of light. Its presence was overwhelming, its gaze piercing through Zami as if seeing into the depths of his soul.
The figure spoke, its voice echoing with the weight of the void itself. "Zami Agatoru. You have entered the Void Deux. Prove your worth, or be consumed by the emptiness."
Zami drew his katana, the weight of the Bone Monarch and Wailing Dread shards emanating from the blade. His body ached from his previous battles, his arms still recovering from the strain of his techniques. But he stood tall, his determination unwavering.
The test of the Void Deux had begun.