Void Core: The Last Awakener

11. The Void Child

The assassin’s trembling voice echoed throughout the shattered corridor.

“…The Void Child…”

Silence followed immediately afterward.

Kael froze near the center of the room while Leon’s eyes narrowed sharply beside him. Even the guards rushing through the western wing suddenly hesitated after hearing those words.

The assassin stared directly at Kael with visible horror.

Not fear toward the Veyr Clan.

Not fear toward Leon.

Toward Kael.

The man instinctively stepped backward.

“That face… those eyes…”

His grip around the crimson blade trembled slightly.

“It’s true…”

Leon frowned immediately.

“You know him?”

The assassin ignored the question entirely.

Instead, his horrified gaze remained locked onto Kael as though staring at something impossible.

“No…” the man muttered shakily. “You should not exist.”

Kael’s chest tightened painfully.

Again.

Those words again.

Before anyone could react further—

BOOM!

A violent surge of crimson mana exploded from the assassin’s body instantly.

The surrounding walls cracked apart while killing intent flooded the corridor. Several nearby guards were blown backward immediately.

Leon reacted at once.

“MOVE!”

Wind exploded around his body as he instantly pulled Kael aside moments before the assassin’s blade pierced through the floor where Kael had stood.

CRASH!

Stone shattered violently.

The assassin’s expression twisted unnaturally.

“I must kill him before it awakens completely!”

Leon’s silver eyes sharpened instantly.

“You’re targeting Kael?”

The assassin lunged forward again without hesitation.

But this time—

Leon intercepted him directly.

CLANG!

Wind-enhanced blades collided against crimson mana as shockwaves exploded throughout the corridor. The force alone shattered nearby windows while servants screamed from distant hallways.

Leon slid backward slightly before regaining balance.

The assassin was strong.

Far stronger than ordinary intruders.

“You’re not a normal assassin,” Leon said coldly.

The man laughed harshly.

“I serve the Abyss.”

The moment those words echoed through the corridor—

Kael felt freezing pain surge throughout his chest.

“…Abyss…”

The whisper inside his mind stirred violently.

“…Enemy…”

Black veins surfaced faintly beneath Kael’s skin once again.

His breathing became uneven.

Leon immediately noticed.

“Kael?”

The assassin’s eyes widened in excitement the moment he saw the dark veins.

“Yes…”

The man grinned crazily.

“It truly exists.”

Crimson mana erupted violently around him.

“The Abyss Lord was right.”

Leon’s expression darkened.

“Abyss Lord?”

But before the assassin could answer—

Multiple powerful mana signatures suddenly approached rapidly from the corridor outside.

Magnus Veyr arrived alongside several clan knights.

The atmosphere instantly shifted.

Golden mana pressure flooded the western wing while the assassin’s grin disappeared immediately.

“Lord Magnus!”

Magnus’ eyes swept across the destroyed corridor before stopping on the assassin.

Then—

On Kael.

The faint traces of black veins beneath Kael’s skin had not disappeared completely yet.

For a brief moment, Magnus’ expression darkened slightly.

The assassin noticed it immediately.

And laughed.

“Even his own father fears him,” the man mocked coldly.

Golden mana exploded outward instantly.

BOOM!

Magnus moved so fast the corridor itself cracked beneath the pressure. In a single motion, his sword pierced directly through the assassin’s chest.

Blood splattered across the broken walls.

The assassin coughed violently while trembling.

Yet despite dying—

He continued staring at Kael.

“The seal weakens…” he whispered weakly.

Dark blood spilled from his mouth.

“The Void Child… will awaken the end…”

Then finally—

The assassin’s body collapsed lifelessly onto the shattered floor.

Silence filled the corridor once more.

The guards looked visibly disturbed after hearing those final words. Some instinctively glanced toward Kael nervously before quickly looking away.

Even the atmosphere itself felt heavier now.

Leon slowly lowered his weapon while staring silently at the dead assassin.

The Abyss.

Void Child.

Seal.

None of this sounded normal.

Meanwhile, Kael remained frozen near the chamber doorway.

His chest still hurt violently.

The whisper inside his mind had gone silent again.

But somehow—

That silence felt worse.

Magnus slowly turned toward Kael.

The coldness within his golden eyes returned immediately.

“What did he mean?”

Kael lowered his gaze.

“I don’t know.”

“Lies.”

The sharpness in Magnus’ voice caused Kael to flinch slightly.

“I-I’m not lying…”

Magnus stepped closer.

“The assassin recognized you immediately.”

Kael instinctively stepped backward.

“I never met him before.”

The guards surrounding the corridor exchanged uneasy looks.

Nobody understood what was happening anymore.

But one thing had become obvious tonight—

Kael was connected to something dangerous far beyond the Veyr Clan.

Seraph suddenly arrived moments later, his expression immediately darkening after seeing the dead assassin.

“…An Abyss servant.”

Magnus looked toward him sharply.

“You know about them?”

Seraph’s face remained grim.

“Only from ancient records.”

The old mage slowly approached the assassin’s corpse before inspecting the crimson markings burned across the man’s arm.

Then Seraph’s expression changed slightly.

“…This symbol…”

Leon frowned.

“What is it?”

Seraph looked up slowly.

“Abyss cultists.”

Silence followed instantly.

Magnus narrowed his eyes.

“I thought those fanatics disappeared centuries ago.”

“So did everyone else,” Seraph replied quietly.

Kael stared silently at the corpse on the floor.

The assassin had looked terrified when seeing him.

Not hateful.

Terrified.

As though Kael himself represented something catastrophic.

“…Monster…”

The whisper returned faintly inside his mind once more.

Kael clenched his fists tightly.

Leon noticed immediately.

His silver eyes narrowed slightly while observing Kael carefully again.

More and more questions continued appearing around him.

Questions nobody could answer.

Finally, Magnus spoke coldly.

“This changes nothing.”

Everyone looked toward him.

Magnus’ gaze remained fixed on Kael.

“From this point onward, security around the western wing will double.”

Kael’s chest tightened.

“You will remain confined until further notice.”

The words felt less like protection—

And more like imprisonment.

Kael lowered his gaze silently.

“…Understood.”

Leon frowned slightly.

“He was attacked too.”

The guards nearby looked surprised Leon spoke at all.

Magnus’ expression remained cold.

“And yet the assassin came specifically for him.”

No one could deny that.

The corridor fell silent once more.

Rain continued pouring heavily outside while thunder echoed across the distant mountains.

Eventually, Magnus turned away.

“Remove the body.”

The guards immediately obeyed.

As the corpse was dragged through the corridor, the assassin’s lifeless face remained turned toward Kael until the very end.

Fear still frozen within his dead eyes.

That image stayed inside Kael’s mind long after everyone left.

Later that night, Kael sat alone once more inside his damaged room while staring blankly into darkness.

The western wing had become quieter than ever.

Even the guards outside sounded nervous now.

Kael slowly hugged his knees against his chest while replaying everything repeatedly inside his mind.

Void Child.

Seal.

Awaken.

What did any of it mean?

Then suddenly—

“…You heard them…”

Kael froze instantly.

The voice returned.

Clearer than ever before.

“…They already know…”

The shadows throughout the room trembled faintly.

Kael lowered his head weakly.

“…What are you?”

For several moments—

Silence.

Then finally—

The voice answered softly.

“…I am the end they tried to bury…”

A freezing chill spread across Kael’s body.

“…And you…”

The darkness along the walls slowly twisted unnaturally.

“…are my vessel.”