Kaelen shares Malakar's message with his inner circle Lira, Arcturus, Elder Yun, Joren, Shen, Cassius, Dr. Vera, and Grand Elder Theron. "It's obviously a trap," Joren says immediately. "Obviously," Arcturus agrees. "But traps can still be informative. Why this trap? Why now?" "Because we've been effective," Elder Yun suggests. "We've disrupted the other Corruption Lords. Maybe Malakar is concerned we'll actually succeed in slowing corruption enough that his observation won't matter." "Or," Cassius offers darkly, "he's bored again. We entertained him once with our 'humanity demonstration.' Now he wants entertainment of a different kind." "What if he's serious?" Dr. Vera asks. "What if he genuinely wants to show Kaelen something important?" "Then it's still a trap," Lira says firmly. "Just a more sophisticated one. Corruption Lords don't do 'genuine.' They manipulate." Everyone looks at Kaelen,waiting for his assessment. "I think..." Kaelen says slowly, "...he's both sincere a

Five days before Malakar’s deadline:Kaelen sends a formal invitation to every faction in the cultivation world.“In five days, Corruption Lord Malakar returns to judge humanity’s worthiness.This judgment affects everyone. Therefore, everyone should witness it.The Silverwood Grove invites all parties. Reformed Council members. Conservative Council members. Independent cultivation sects. Civilian representatives. Even those who consider Voidborn enemies.Come. Watch. Judge for yourselves whether the solution we propose has merit.Location: Silverwood Grove.Time: Dawn, five days hence.Rules: No violence. No sabotage. We face divine judgment together.”The response is overwhelming.More than two hundred cultivators confirm attendance, including twelve Conservative Elders, Korvan among them. Over four hundred civilians request permission to observe. Fifteen independent sects send delegates. Even neutral parties who have avoided Council politics entirely express interest.“We’re going

The Restoration Accord implementation begins immediately.Announcements spread across the cultivation world.“The Voidborn Restoration Initiative seeks volunteers with latent Silent Vein potential.Applicants must be sixteen years or older and capable of enduring rigorous training. Demonstrated nullification ability is required, with testing provided. Psychological stability is mandatory, with screening enforced. Participation must be voluntary. No coercion will be tolerated.Training duration ranges from six to twelve months. Compensation will be provided during both training and active service. All training will take place at the newly established Silverwood Grove Training Academy.”The response is overwhelming, but not entirely positive.Eight hundred and forty seven people apply, far more than the one hundred needed. Two hundred and three test positive for Silent Vein potential. Eighty nine pass psychological screening. One hundred and twelve withdraw voluntarily after learning th

Dr. Vera works frantically on Kaelen.“His Silent Veins are ruptured. The amplification technique tore them. Metaphysically, not physically, but the damage is real. He is bleeding internally, but with void energy instead of blood.”“Can you fix it?” Lira demands, her composure breaking completely.“I don’t know. This is beyond medical cultivation. This is reality-level damage. His connection to the void has been damaged or severed. I need the Faceless Sage, or someone with reality manipulation abilities.”The Faceless Sage is summoned and arrives within minutes. He examines Kaelen, and his expression darkens.“The technique he used is called Void Echo,” the Sage says. “It allows mortals to temporarily access former power. But it always has a cost.”“What is the cost this time?” Theron asks.“His Silent Veins are permanently damaged. Not destroyed, but fractured. He will never nullify cultivation at the level he once could. Perhaps thirty to forty percent of his previous capacity. And

Kaelen stumbles out of the portal back at the Silverwood Grove and immediately collapses. Not from injury, but from overload. Nihara’s parting words trigger something deep inside him. In the place where he absorbed the First Voidborn, locked memories begin to surface all at once. “Kaelen!” Lira catches him as he falls. “What happened? Are you...” “Memories,” Kaelen gasps. “Locked memories. The First Voidborn. There’s more. So much more. I need the Sage. I need to access them.” The Faceless Sage arrives within seconds. “Take him to the meditation chamber immediately,” he orders. “He is experiencing spontaneous memory integration. If we do not guide it, his consciousness could fragment.” They carry Kaelen to the deepest chamber beneath the Heart Tree. The Sage, Dr. Vera, and Lira guide him into deep meditation. Lira refuses to leave. “The First Voidborn’s consciousness was not fully integrated when Kaelen absorbed it,” the Sage explains. “Part of it remained dormant, locked beh