Kieran didn't sleep after the match.
Not because he couldn't—his body was exhausted enough—but because every time he closed his eyes, the Voidblade whispered.
Not words.
Memories.
Hands not his own gripping weapons long broken. Faces blurred by time and pain. The sensation of kneeling before something vast and uncaring while power poured in and took something irreplaceable in return.
[SOUL RESIDUE: INCREASED]
WARNING: EMOTIONAL DULLING DETECTED]
Kieran sat upright on his slab, jaw clenched.
"So this is the price," he murmured.
The walls did not answer.
When the summons came, it came quietly.
No horn. No guards.
Just a new prompt hovering in the air when he blinked.
[OPTIONAL ENGAGEMENT AVAILABLE]
FACTION INTEREST: HOLLOW COVENANT]
REWARD: SIGNIFICANT]
RISK: UNDISCLOSED]
Kieran stared at it.
Lyra had warned him—never answer unsolicited faction calls. Especially not them. The Hollow Covenant didn't recruit.
They claimed.
And yet—
The System pulsed, expectant.
Declining would be noted.
Accepting would be dangerous.
Kieran exhaled slowly and selected ACCEPT.
The world folded.
He emerged into a cathedral built of bone and silk.
Towering pillars curved upward like rib cages, their surfaces etched with spiraling runes that drank in light. Crimson drapes hung between them, swaying gently despite the lack of wind. The air was warm, perfumed faintly with iron and something floral.
At the center of the hall stood a throne woven from living shadow.
And upon it—
A woman.
She wore no armor. Only layered black robes stitched with threads that glimmered like captured souls. Her skin was pale, flawless, her long dark hair cascading freely down her back.
Her eyes opened as Kieran stepped forward.
They were gold.
Not glowing. Not artificial.
Alive.
[ENTITY IDENTIFIED]
NYX AURELIAN]
TITLE: QUEEN OF THE HOLLOW COVENANT]
THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME]
"Well," Nyx said softly, smiling as if greeting an old friend. "You're smaller than I imagined."
Kieran resisted the urge to reach for his blade. "You dragged me here."
"I invited you," she corrected. "You accepted."
Fair.
"Why?" he asked.
Nyx rose from her throne, descending the steps with unhurried grace. With each step, Kieran felt pressure build—not force, but expectation. Like the world itself was leaning in to watch.
"Because," she said, circling him slowly, "you're breaking the rules in a way the System cannot correct."
Her gaze lingered on Nihra.
"That sword," she murmured. "It remembers gods."
Kieran stiffened. "You know what it is."
"I know what it will become," Nyx replied. "If you let it."
She stopped in front of him, close enough that he could smell the faint sweetness on her breath.
"You're being starved," she continued. "Restricted. Balanced. Chained."
Her fingers brushed the air near his chest—not touching, but close enough that his skin prickled.
"I could remove those limits."
The System flared violently.
[SYSTEM WARNING]
HOSTILE PERSUASION DETECTED]
Nyx laughed quietly. "Oh hush. You brought him here."
Kieran clenched his fists. "And what would it cost?"
Nyx's smile sharpened.
"Honesty," she said. "Something your System struggles with."
She gestured, and the air rippled.
Images flooded the space around them—visions of Hollow Covenant members devouring enemies and allies alike, their power surging with every soul consumed. They grew monstrous, beautiful, terrible.
"Power costs lives," Nyx said calmly. "We simply refuse to pretend otherwise."
"And the Vanguard?" Kieran shot back. "They abandon the weak. The Inquisition executes anomalies. The Freebound butcher each other."
Nyx tilted her head. "Exactly."
She stepped closer.
"We are the only ones who don't lie about it."
The Voidblade pulsed violently, drawn to her presence.
[VOIDBLADE RESPONSE: SYNCHRONIZATION ATTEMPT]
Kieran forced his hand away from the hilt.
"What happens to your people?" he asked. "In the end."
Nyx's expression softened—just a fraction.
"They burn brightly," she said. "Then they burn out."
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, Kieran shook his head. "I won't become that."
Nyx studied him for a long moment.
Then she smiled—wide, delighted.
"Good," she said. "Neither did I. At first."
Her hand snapped out, fingers curling around his wrist faster than thought.
Pain exploded.
Nyx's eyes flared gold as threads of light burst from Kieran's arm, wrapping around her fingers.
[SOUL CONTACT INITIATED]
ERROR: RESISTANCE]
Kieran screamed as memories were ripped to the surface—his death, his fear, his rage, his first kill in the arena.
Nyx inhaled sharply.
"…Ah," she whispered. "There it is."
She released him.
Kieran collapsed to one knee, gasping.
Nyx stepped back, eyes gleaming with something dangerously close to admiration.
"You didn't break," she said. "Not even when I touched your core."
The System blared.
[FORCED TERMINATION OF INTERACTION]
The cathedral began to collapse into shadow.
Nyx's voice echoed as the world dissolved.
"We will meet again, Voidbearer. When you're tired of pretending you can save everyone."
Kieran reappeared in Crossreach Bastion's lower tier, collapsing against a wall as nausea overtook him.
[SOUL RESIDUE: SPIKE DETECTED]
NEW CONDITION: HOLLOW MARK (DORMANT)]
Lyra was there within seconds, blade already drawn.
"What did you do?" she demanded.
Kieran wiped blood from his nose. "I said no."
Lyra froze.
"…You refused them?"
"Yes."
Something unreadable crossed her face—relief, fear, perhaps both.
"Good," she said quietly. "Because if you hadn't…"
She didn't finish the sentence.
They stood in silence.
Kieran finally looked up at her. "She wasn't lying, you know."
Lyra's grip tightened on her sword. "No. She never does."
Their eyes met.
For the first time, Lyra didn't look away first.
Far above the city, unseen by both—
The System recorded the encounter.
[ANOMALY STATUS: ESCALATED]
MULTIPLE FACTION INTEREST CONFIRMED]
And somewhere in the dark—
Nyx Aurelian smiled.