Two weeks passed.
Kael's body transformed.
Not dramatically.
But steadily.
Muscle mass increased.
Reflexes sharpened.
His eyes became calm.
Too calm for a child.
Hollow capacity: 0.8%Stored:– Aura fragment (Bronze)– Corrupted Greed Core
Kael learned something new.
The Hollow didn't just store energy.
It stored concepts.
Greed.
Death.
Strength.
Emotion.
Meaning.
Everything in existence had a conceptual layer.
And he could eat it.
One night, someone entered the orphanage.
Not Rolan.
Not a noble.
A woman.
Black cloak.
Silver eyes.
Shadow itself seemed to bend around her.
Assassin.
Kael felt it instantly.
The Hollow trembled.
Not fear.
Recognition.
The woman stopped in the hallway.
"…Interesting."
Kael was already awake.
He met her gaze.
"You're not here for me."
She smiled slightly.
"Correct. But now I'm curious."
She stepped into the moonlight.
"Name's Nyx. I work for people who eliminate anomalies."
Kael blinked.
"Am I an anomaly?"
Nyx studied him.
"Aura-less child. Spirit-defective. Yet you're alive, calm, and radiating something… wrong."
Kael smiled politely.
"So what now?"
Nyx drew a dagger.
"Now I test you."
She vanished.
Kael didn't move.
The Hollow did.
Time slowed.
Not reality.
Perception.
He felt the intent.
The killing will.
He turned.
Caught her wrist.
Nyx froze.
Her eyes widened.
"That's impossible—"
Kael placed his hand on her throat.
The Hollow activated.
But didn't devour.
It linked.
New interaction detected.Spiritual resonance established.Contract possible.
Nyx felt it.
A connection.
A pull.
Not control.
A bond.
"What did you do to me…?" she whispered.
Kael smiled.
"I offered you a deal."
The Hollow formed its first contract.
Nyx – Shadow-type entityBound by Hollow Contract (Level 1)Relationship: Companion
Nyx dropped to one knee.
Not forced.
Instinctively.
"…Master?"
Kael flinched.
"Don't call me that."
She looked up.
"Then what should I call you?"
Kael thought for a moment.
Then said:
"King works."
And somewhere deep within reality, the Hollow pulsed.
Satisfied.