Null stood among the remains of the Void Spawn, his form shrouded in darkness and raw energy. The rift above still flickered with traces of corrupted light, as though it couldn't decide whether to burn out or split further. The Hollow Core pulsed gently within him, as if savoring the feast he had just indulged in. The echoes of the devoured Void Spawn lingered in his senses, their power absorbed and melded into his very essence.
His transformation was undeniable. His Void Devourer class had upgraded yet again, and the Hollow Core felt heavier inside his chest, as if it were swallowing reality itself.
[Skill: Soul Forge – Acquired.][Skill: Reality Tear – Acquired.][Class Evolution: Unbound Sovereign (Stage 1)]
"Unbound Sovereign…" Null muttered the title to himself. It was a strange name, one that suggested freedom, yet it felt more like a curse than a gift.
Null didn't know much about the Sovereigns—beings who had once been the rulers of the old worlds. He only knew that they were legendary, feared, and revered. But in this fractured world, their presence was only whispered about in the dark corners of old books and tales of lost civilizations.
As the last of the Void Spawn vanished into the winds of destruction, Null's thoughts shifted to the rifts that continued to tear at the fabric of time and space. It was all connected—the timeline fractures, the devouring of realities, and his emergence as something far beyond a mere mortal.
There was no going back now. Null was no longer just a boy who had been rejected by fate. He had become something new. Something dangerous.
—
Suddenly, a voice broke through the air, thick with power and barely-contained wrath.
"You're not the only one who's awoken, child of the void."
Null whipped his head around, his hand instinctively raised in preparation for a strike. But instead of an enemy, he saw a figure stepping from the shadows, clad in tattered, arcane robes. His presence exuded a cold, ancient energy—a Sovereign who had weathered the storms of time.
The man's face was concealed by a dark veil, but his eyes shone with a golden light that sent a chill down Null's spine.
"I am Skaar, Sovereign of the Forgotten Realm. You will not stand alone in this—nor will you stand unchallenged. The Void is only the beginning."
Null studied Skaar for a long moment, his mind racing. His first instinct was to devour this new entity—to absorb his essence, to grow even more powerful. But something told him that this Sovereign wasn't like the Void Spawn. This being carried an intelligence that could challenge the Hollow Core's dominance.
"You are weak, child." Skaar's voice echoed through the ruins, as if the very earth trembled beneath it. "But your power… it will grow. You will devour everything in your path. But you will not be the only one to awaken, and not everyone will bow to your hunger."
Null felt a surge of confusion, but also intrigue. This wasn't just some mindless being talking. Skaar knew something—something about the Core, the rifts, and the mysterious powers they were both tapping into. But what?
Skaar raised a hand, and the air around them seemed to bend. The rift overhead tore open further, revealing a massive, floating city—distant, but tangible. Its towers crackled with the same corrupted light that Null had seen in the rift above.
"That, child, is the Citadel of the Sovereigns, where the last of our kind have sealed themselves away. But soon, they will rise again. And they will not accept your existence. The rift is calling them. And soon… it will call you.**"
Null's mind whirled. His instincts told him to destroy this Sovereign before he could grow stronger. But Skaar's words rang true—the Citadel. The Sovereigns. The rift. His journey was far from over.
And he wasn't the only one who had become something new.
[Skill: Sovereign's Wrath – Acquired.][Skill: Void Expanse – Acquired.]
Skaar's eyes narrowed as Null absorbed the last of the skills.
"You will come to the Citadel, whether you want to or not. You will face the Sovereign Council, and they will judge you. But know this: You are not the only one with the power to reshape the world."
Null stood silent. The Void Expanse skill pulsed within him—an ability that could expand his presence across dimensions, stretching reality like a web. He could feel his power extending, ready to consume whatever came next. But deep down, an unsettling feeling tugged at him.
The Sovereigns. The Citadel. Was he walking into a trap, or was this the path he was meant to follow? A path of power, yes, but what would it cost?
Skaar's figure slowly faded into the rift, his final words lingering in the air.
"We will meet again, Sovereign of the Hollow. And when we do, you will either consume or be consumed."