Void Core: The Last Awakener

9. The Darkness Revealed

Silence filled the shattered chamber.

Rain continued pouring heavily outside while cold wind entered through the broken windows. Cracks spread across the walls and floor while fragments of glass glittered beneath the dim moonlight.

At the center of the destruction—

Kael knelt trembling on the floor.

Thin traces of black energy still lingered faintly around his body before slowly fading into the darkness.

Magnus Veyr stared at him coldly from the doorway.

Beside him, Leon’s silver eyes remained fixed on the shattered room with visible disbelief.

Neither of them spoke immediately.

Grand Elder Seraph slowly lowered his staff while blue sealing symbols faded from the air around Kael. The old mage’s expression looked unusually grim.

The silence itself became suffocating.

Finally—

Magnus spoke.

“What exactly did I just witness?”

His voice sounded calm.

Too calm.

Kael instinctively lowered his head further while his hands trembled slightly against the floor.

Seraph answered before the boy could speak.

“An unstable reaction,” the old mage said carefully. “The child lost emotional control.”

Magnus’ sharp gaze shifted toward the shattered walls.

“Do not insult my intelligence, Seraph.”

The temperature inside the chamber seemed to drop instantly.

Leon remained silent while quietly observing Kael. Earlier, he had sensed strange mana fluctuations from the western wing and followed Magnus toward the disturbance.

But what he saw upon arriving—

Was not mana at all.

It felt colder.

Emptier.

Wrong.

Magnus slowly stepped into the room.

His heavy footsteps echoed sharply against the cracked floor while overwhelming mana pressure filled the chamber.

Kael’s breathing became uneven immediately.

Then Magnus stopped directly in front of him.

“Look at me.”

Kael slowly raised his head.

For a brief moment—

Magnus saw it again.

Those dark violet eyes.

The same eyes that stared back at him the night the black storm swallowed the heavens.

The memory instantly resurfaced within his mind.

Shattered mana crystals.

Monsters attacking the territory.

The disappearance of mana itself.

Curse.

Magnus’ expression darkened slightly.

“What are you?” he asked quietly.

Kael’s chest tightened painfully.

“…I don’t know.”

The answer only deepened the silence.

Then suddenly—

A faint shadow beneath Kael’s body shifted unnaturally.

Leon immediately noticed it.

His eyes narrowed sharply.

Magnus’ mana pressure intensified instantly.

The shadow immediately stopped moving.

Kael flinched slightly as fear spread across his face.

“I-I didn’t mean to—”

“Enough.”

Magnus cut him off coldly.

For several moments, nobody spoke.

Only the sound of rain striking broken glass echoed softly through the chamber.

Then finally—

Magnus turned toward Seraph.

“You knew about this.”

It was not a question.

Seraph remained silent briefly before answering.

“…Yes.”

The atmosphere became heavier instantly.

Leon’s eyes widened slightly while Magnus’ expression turned colder than before.

“How long?”

“Several years.”

Magnus stared at the old mage silently.

“You hid this from the clan.”

“I was trying to understand it first,” Seraph replied calmly. “Panic without answers would only create disaster.”

Magnus looked toward Kael again.

“And now?”

Seraph’s grip around his staff tightened slightly.

“…Now the situation is becoming harder to contain.”

Those words caused Kael’s chest to sink heavily.

Contain.

Like he was some kind of dangerous creature.

Leon finally spoke for the first time since entering the room.

“That energy…” he said quietly. “It wasn’t mana.”

Nobody answered immediately.

But the silence itself became confirmation enough.

Leon’s expression slowly darkened.

“What is he?”

Kael instinctively clenched his fists tighter.

Again.

That question again.

Not who.

What.

Seraph exhaled slowly before speaking.

“There are ancient records describing powers that existed before modern mana systems,” he explained quietly. “Forbidden forces erased from history after bringing catastrophe upon the world.”

Leon frowned slightly.

“You think Kael possesses one of those powers?”

Seraph’s silence answered him.

The rain outside intensified while thunder echoed faintly beyond the mountains.

Inside the chamber—

The atmosphere grew increasingly suffocating.

Magnus looked down at Kael coldly.

“From this moment onward, you are forbidden from leaving the western wing without permission.”

Kael’s eyes widened slightly.

“You will not approach the training grounds. You will not interact with other clan members unnecessarily.”

Each word felt heavier than the last.

“Until we understand what you truly are…”

Magnus paused briefly.

“You will remain under observation.”

Kael lowered his gaze silently.

He wanted to explain.

Wanted to say he never asked for any of this.

That he was scared too.

But no words came out.

Because deep down—

Even Kael feared himself now.

Magnus turned away toward the shattered doorway.

“Seraph,” he said coldly, “you will personally ensure this power remains controlled.”

The old mage nodded slowly.

“…Understood.”

Without another word, Magnus left the chamber.

Leon remained standing near the doorway for several moments longer.

His silver eyes quietly observed Kael.

Not with mockery this time.

Not even disgust.

Only uncertainty.

Then eventually—

Leon spoke softly.

“…You should’ve told someone.”

Kael’s chest tightened painfully.

“How?” he asked quietly. “Even I don’t understand it.”

Leon remained silent briefly.

Then finally—

“…People fear things hidden in darkness.”

Kael forced a bitter smile.

“They feared me long before this.”

Leon could not deny that.

For several moments, silence filled the ruined chamber once more.

Then eventually, Leon turned around and walked away without another word.

Only Seraph and Kael remained.

The old mage slowly approached before placing a hand gently against Kael’s shoulder.

“You must stay calm now,” Seraph said quietly. “Tonight changes everything.”

Kael lowered his head.

“…Are they going to lock me away?”

Seraph did not answer immediately.

And once again—

That silence became terrifying enough.

Far beneath the endless darkness of the Abyss, enormous chains trembled violently while ancient black energy surged endlessly across the void.

The crimson eyes hidden within the darkness slowly opened wider.

The whispers throughout the prison grew louder.

Excited.

“…The seal weakens…”

And deep within the endless abyss—

Something ancient smiled as the child of the Void took his first step toward darkness.