Shinji darted through the dense forest, his breath steady despite the sting in his lungs. The world blurred past — ancient trees loomed like silent sentinels, their branches clawing at the sky. Each footstep echoed softly against the damp earth, the distant hum of a waterfall growing louder.
Then — a blur of shadow.
From the corner of his eye, Shinji saw the figure lunge. Fast. Too fast.
He twisted his body, instincts honed by years of training with the Mitsume Clan. The dark figure lashed out with a spinning kick — Shinji ducked, countering with a sharp roundhouse aimed at his attacker's ribs. Their blows met in a flash of movement, the impact rippling through Shinji's arm like a sudden shockwave.
The figure leapt back, revealing himself in the thin beam of moonlight that broke through the canopy — Junri Mitsume.
Shinji's older brother. His superior in every way.
Junri's silver hair fell over his calm, calculating eyes — eyes that bore the mark of their clan: the faint outline of the Third Eye etched into his forehead like a dormant scar. His expression, as always, was unreadable.
"Too slow, little brother," Junri said coolly. "Had I been an enemy, you'd be dead."
Shinji wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "And if I were an enemy, you'd be missing a rib right now."
Junri's mouth twitched — not quite a smile, more like a ghost of approval.
Without warning, Junri surged forward again, his form splitting into two identical copies. Qi clones — a technique Shinji had seen before but still struggled to counter. The two Junris attacked in unison: one aiming a punch at Shinji's gut, the other going for his neck.
Shinji's Qin: Ethereal Third Eye flared to life.
A burning sensation licked at his forehead, and for a brief moment, his perception fractured — seeing not just his brother's movements, but the ripples of Qi flowing through them. The clones shimmered, their energy unstable.
There.
Shinji shifted his stance. As the first Junri's fist connected with his side, Shinji's ability activated — mutating the clone's attack. The Qi that formed the clone suddenly unraveled, and instead of striking Shinji, the clone imploded — dispersing into a gust of energy that lashed out at the real Junri, sending him stumbling back.
Junri's eyes narrowed, his real form now exposed. "You mutated my Qi clone…"
Shinji grinned despite the pain in his ribs. "Looks like I'm learning."
Junri's expression darkened — but not with anger. With something else. Concern.
Before Shinji could process it, Junri blurred forward again — this time faster, sharper. He grabbed Shinji's arm, twisted him around, and pinned him against a tree, his knee digging into Shinji's back.
"Learning isn't enough," Junri said, his voice quieter now. "Your Third Eye — it's changing."
Shinji blinked, the ache in his arm forgotten. "What?"
Junri released him, stepping back. His gaze lingered on Shinji's forehead, where the faint outline of his Third Eye now pulsed softly — but within the familiar symbol was something new. A faint, dark crack running through the mark.
Like a fracture.
Before either could speak, a low rumble shook the ground. The distant waterfall seemed to roar louder. A ripple of Qi passed through the air — a whisper of something dark.
Junri's hand went to the hilt of his blade. "We need to go. Now."
Shinji didn't argue — but as they ran back through the forest, his mind spun.
His Third Eye wasn't just adapting anymore. It was mutating.
And deep down, a voice he couldn't quite recognize echoed in his mind:
The chains are breaking."
The path back to the Mitsume Clan's compound twisted through the forest like a coiled serpent. Moonlight trickled through the leaves, and the air buzzed with an unnatural tension.
Shinji kept pace behind Junri, his brother's movements precise and fluid — not a single step wasted. Every time Shinji's gaze drifted to Junri's back, he felt the weight of their last exchange.
Your Third Eye… it's changing.
Shinji gritted his teeth. He could still feel the lingering burn on his forehead — a faint pulse, like a second heartbeat just beneath the surface of his skin. He shoved the thought aside. It didn't matter now.
As the brothers neared the compound, a sudden shift in the air stopped them both cold.
A ripple.
Not wind. Not Qi. Something else entirely.
"Junri… what was that?" Shinji asked, his voice low.
Junri didn't answer. His hand hovered over the hilt of his blade, his Qi flaring ever so slightly — a thin layer of blue energy rippling across his skin.
Then the sky itself seemed to crack.
A dark line split open in the air, twisting and writhing like an open wound. Shinji's stomach lurched as a suffocating pressure poured out from the rift — cold, hollow, and… hungry.
A Void Fracture.
Out of the tear stepped a figure — or rather, something that once resembled a person.
Its skin was a swirling, ink-like black, with veins of glowing violet running beneath its surface. Its eyes were empty voids, each one swirling like a miniature galaxy. Tendrils of smoke-like darkness coiled from its fingertips.
A Void Person.
Shinji had heard of them — stories told by the clan elders. Beings born from the Void Fractures, twisted reflections of those who had been consumed by the nothingness beyond. But seeing one up close sent ice down his spine.
Junri's blade was out in a flash. "Stay behind me."
Shinji's instincts screamed otherwise. "I can fight."
The Void Person tilted its head at the brothers, as if studying them. Then, with a sound like tearing cloth, it vanished — reappearing behind Junri.
"Junri—!"
Junri spun, slicing through the air — but his sword met only mist. The Void Person melted away like smoke, reforming several feet away.
Its voice echoed, distorted and broken. "The chains… breaking… king… calls…"
Junri's jaw tightened. "Shinji. Go back to the compound. Now."
But before Shinji could protest, the Void Person lunged.
Shinji's Third Eye flared open again — not by choice, but as if reacting to the creature's presence. The fracture running through his mark darkened, spreading like a crack in glass.
Pain exploded behind Shinji's eyes, a searing heat flooding his head. His vision twisted — the forest around him distorted into an endless black void, with countless glowing eyes staring back at him.
And somewhere in that abyss… a voice.
"He sees you."
Shinji staggered back, gasping. The world snapped back into place, but the pain remained.
Junri didn't notice — he was too busy slicing through the Void Person, his Qi-laced blade managing to cleave through its shifting form, though not without effort.
The creature shuddered, its body dissolving into tendrils of black mist. Before it faded completely, it spoke once more:
"Void King… watches…"
And then it was gone.
Silence.
Junri remained tense for a moment longer before lowering his blade, his Qi slowly dimming.
Shinji clutched his forehead, the pain finally beginning to fade.
Junri turned to him. "Are you hurt?"
Shinji didn't answer right away. How could he explain what he saw? That voice?
"No… I'm fine," he finally muttered.
Junri studied him — his gaze lingering on the crack in Shinji's Third Eye — but said nothing.
"We need to tell the clan," Junri said at last, sheathing his sword. "The fractures… they're spreading."
Shinji followed his brother, but his thoughts remained locked on the words the creature spoke.
The Void King watches.
And somewhere deep in his mind, something — or someone — watched back.