As soon as Kaen said the word "I accept" the floating inscription in front of his eyes disappeared. It was replaced by a circular icon with a dot moving around its perimeter, as if it were loading something.
After a few seconds, another message appeared:
[Synchronization complete. HUD starting].
"Excellent!" the demonic voice shouted, enjoying the moment. Kaen swallowed empty, still thinking of his brother. Riven had died alone; the Archmage had to pay for what he had done.
----(VOID SYSTEM HUD)----
[Void Resonance: 1%]
[Mana Density nearby: HIGH]
[Humanity: 99%]
[Fragments of Null: 0]
[Fragments of Mana: 0]
-------------------------------------
"Humanity?" Kaen asked. Why was there a percentage of humanity in that weird interface?
The demonic voice laughed sinisterly. "The Void is not magic, Kaen. It requires pain, suffering. You were denied your mother's love, you were denied peace. You were denied your brother. But you are not broken, not yet."
"Now the world around you must break."
After those words, Kaen felt a burning in his arms, then in his chest, and finally in his legs. He looked at every part of his body, but nothing had changed. The blood, the scratches, everything was still there. It was as if something had changed in his guts, in his body, in his mind.
Kaen felt a sensation he had never felt before. Calmness, strength. No fear of dying.
"You will become everything the world fears, Kaen. Less than a man, more than a God. You will slowly forget joy, pity, happiness. The more your humanity is consumed, the more you will make room for the Void" the voice of the Void replied.
This detail was not meaningless. Losing his humanity meant giving up everything that made Kaen who he was when Riven was still alive. But what was the point? That life no longer existed. As long as he did not have to live any longer, he would gladly accept his death.
But inside, the desire for revenge and anger were too strong. What if the power the voice spoke of was real? What if it could counter magic? He could have avenged his family and destroyed everything that had made Aetherra a rotten world.
"I have no interest in humanity. The Mages must pay, I will exterminate them all, from the first to the last. I have no use for mercy" Kaen's answer was one of conviction. The decision was made, the Void System was bound to him forever. "How can I do that? How can I use the powers of the Void if I don't know them?"
"The mana" the voice replied. "The mana is the substance that nourishes the Void. You don't need to know anything else, you will know everything at the right time. Expel all the anger you feel, Kaen, even more. Exorcise your rage."
As soon as the Void finished speaking, a new earthquake-like tremor shook the ground of that otherworldly place. Kaen's ears began to ring and his head seemed to burst, so much so that he was forced to kneel and try to resist the pain.
...
His eyes slowly opened as he realized he was back on the scaffold, kneeling before the crowd.
The Grey Mantle with the black mustache had probably already announced his death, and the executioner was ready to chop off his head. The only difference? The HUD was still there; it had not been a dream! The encounter with the Void had been real!
Every muscle in Kaen's body was activated, a wave of adrenaline washed over him. The worst wounds, like the bullet in his calf, were healed!
He felt the air displacement of the falling axe and rolled nimbly to the side. He dodged the blade as it stuck into the hard wood of the gallows under the astonished eyes of everyone.
Rising, he leaned toward the sharp blade of the ax and quickly cut the rope binding his wrists. Before him was the angry gaze of the guards and the two Guardians of the Seal, the wizards who flanked the Archmage.
"What are you going to do?! Get him!" the leader of the Grey Mantle shouted, pointing at Kaen with his crutch, risking a fall. Three guards ran up, ready to aim their rifles at the fugitive.
-------------------------------------
[Recommended Action: Reflect/Defect]
[Available abilities: Mana Flare Inversion]
-------------------------------------
Kaen read the interface of the Void System that appeared before his eyes. It was as if he could determine with his mind where to place it in his field of vision, following every movement.
Not knowing what to do, he sprinted forward and attacked one of the guards frontally. Like the previous night, the Grey Mantles were not ready for Kaen's speed and agility, and in a matter of seconds, he landed a direct punch on one of them, sending his rifle flying.
Kaen grabbed the weapon and fired two shots, hitting the second guard in the chest and neck. The splash of blood sent the crowd into a frenzy: now they seemed to be cheering him on!
The third guard stepped back and fired.
With an unnatural twist of his upper body to the side, Kaen dodged the bullet. "What the fuck!" he thought aloud. Even after his training, he would never have been able to act with such quick reflexes. He felt his body more powerful than ever.
-------------------------------------
[WARNING]
[Mana Density Nearby: HIGH]
[Recommended Action: Reflect/Defect]
-------------------------------------
As the writing on the HUD changed, Kaen turned sharply toward the Archmage. He was still sitting on his throne, impassive, his fingers still crossed. The sight of a condemned man who had just murdered three guards in cold blood didn't faze him.
"How dare you challenge the Archmage?! Die, Nullborn!" one of the two Mages bent his arms and brought his hands up to his belt. In a few moments, a trail of mana flowed from his arms to his hands until it formed a glowing sphere.
"Fuck!" Kaen thought, helpless before the scene. "If the Void really exists, then it is time to use it!"
Suddenly, the Archmage rose from his throne. He had sensed something unusual, something that even an arcane power like his should fear.
The crowd fell silent. All eyes were on Kaen.
His face had changed: his eyes were completely black, his pupils dilated like the eyes of a shark. The blackness even extended to the outline of his eyes, cutting across his cheekbones with thin dark threads.
Concentrating on channeling the spell, the mage threw the mana sphere at Kaen.
With a flick of his arm, as if swatting a buzzing fly, Kaen struck the mana sphere with his palm, causing it to deflect and explode into the air. The Void System had worked! He had just managed to deflect a spell!
The crowd gasped in astonishment. No one could believe what had just happened. No one, not even Kaen.
The boy looked down at his hands and arms to see if he had suffered any damage. Nothing, not even a scratch. He turned his dark gaze on the Archmage.
"Get ready, you bastard. I'm coming."