The city was behind us, swallowed by Wrath's storm. Crimson lightning still split the sky, but distance dulled its roar. My Origin Power burned in my veins, restless, but I forced it into silence. Freedom wasn't just defiance—it was control.
Kael trudged beside me, his steps uneven, his face pale. He had seen too much for someone his age. Yet he hadn't run. That mattered.
We crossed into the outer ruins, where the crystal veins of the System no longer pulsed. The air was quieter, but heavy, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
[System Notice]: Cycle destabilization increasing.
Warning: Entity stirring.
Designation: Envy.
Location: Eastern Depths.
The words burned into my mind. Another Sin was waking.
Kael's voice trembled. "Wrath wasn't enough? Now there's… another?"
I nodded. "Envy. It feeds on desire, on what people lack. Wrath consumes anger, but Envy corrodes the soul."
The boy shivered. "How do we fight something like that?"
"We don't fight it alone," I said. "That's why the System gave me a quest. Allies. A covenant."
Kael frowned. "But who would follow you? The Angelics call you heretic. The Demonics want to claim you. The people fear you."
I stopped, turning to face him. "And yet you're still here."
His eyes widened, but he didn't look away.
Before he could answer, the ground trembled. A fissure split the earth ahead, glowing with sickly green light. Shadows spilled out, not Wrath's crimson fury, but something colder, hungrier.
Figures emerged—citizens twisted by longing, their eyes hollow, their bodies frail. They reached toward us, whispering in broken voices.
"I want… what you have…"
"Give me… your power…"
"Why are you chosen… and not me?"
Kael recoiled. "They're… empty."
"Envy's touch," I said. "It strips people of themselves, leaves only hunger for what they lack."
The System trembled again.
[System Notice]: Influence spreading.
Envy corruption detected.
Directive: Null must be terminated.
I clenched my fists, Origin Power swirling. Light and shadow twisted together, forming a barrier. The corrupted recoiled, their whispers turning to screams.
Kael's voice was barely a whisper. "You're fighting the world itself."
I nodded. "And winning means rewriting it."
The fissure widened, the green light intensifying. A shape began to rise—taller, sharper, eyes burning with cold desire. Envy was awakening.
The System screamed.
[System Notice]: Critical Error.
Multiple Entities active.
Cycle collapse imminent.
Warning: Null influence spreading uncontrollably.
I smiled, despite the storm, despite the hunger in the air. "Good. Let it collapse. That's how freedom begins."
Kael stared at me, fear and awe mingling. "You're insane."
"Maybe," I said. "But I am Orion Vale. Null. Origin. And I will not bow."
The fissure erupted, green flames tearing the sky. Envy's voice whispered