THE WORLD BEYOND
Darkness swallowed her.
Cold.
Endless.
Aria felt like she was falling—but there was no ground, no sky, no direction. Just an infinite void stretching in every direction.
The moment she tried to breathe—
The air burned.
Her silver power flared instantly around her, forming a protective barrier that kept the crushing darkness from consuming her completely.
Her body slammed onto something solid.
Hard.
She gasped, coughing as she pushed herself up slowly.
The world around her was… wrong.
The sky above wasn’t a sky.
It was a swirling mass of darkness, streaked with faint, glowing cracks like broken glass holding reality together.
The ground beneath her feet looked like stone—but it pulsed faintly, as if it were alive.
Aria stood slowly.
Her silver aura flickered, adjusting to the strange environment.
“…The Void.”
Her voice sounded different here.
Echoing.
Like the world itself was listening.
The Primordial spirit inside her stirred uneasily.
This place rejects life.
Aria looked around carefully.
There were shapes in the distance.
Tall structures that looked like ruins—twisted towers rising out of the dark ground.
Nothing moved.
But she could feel something.
Watching her.
Waiting.
She took a step forward.
The ground beneath her rippled slightly.
Then—
A sound echoed behind her.
Slow.
Heavy.
Footsteps.
Aria turned sharply.
Her silver eyes flared.
A figure stood several feet away.
Tall.
Thin.
Familiar.
The Void Lord.
Lucian’s voice echoed in her mind for a brief second.
Stay alive.
Aria straightened.
“You followed me.”
The Void Lord tilted its head slightly.
“This is my world.”
The darkness around them pulsed.
“You stepped into it.”
Aria clenched her fists.
“Then I’ll end it here.”
The Void Lord didn’t move.
“You still do not understand.”
Aria’s silver aura grew brighter.
“Then explain.”
The creature stepped closer slowly.
“In your world, you fight to survive.”
Its glowing eyes burned softly.
“Here… survival does not exist.”
The ground beneath them shifted again.
More figures began emerging from the darkness.
Dozens of white-eyed creatures appeared, surrounding them from a distance.
Aria’s gaze hardened.
“Then I’ll change that.”
The Void Lord stopped a few steps away from her.
“You are brave.”
Its voice deepened.
“But bravery will not save you here.”
Aria raised her hand.
Silver power gathered instantly.
“I’m not alone.”
The Primordial energy surged violently through her body.
For the first time since entering the Void—
It didn’t feel suppressed.
It felt stronger.
The Void Lord noticed.
“…Interesting.”
Aria’s silver eyes burned brighter.
“This is where the first wolf sealed your world.”
The creature nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Aria took a step forward.
“Then this is where I’ll finish it.”
The Void Lord’s gaze sharpened.
“You cannot seal what has already been opened.”
Aria’s voice turned firm.
“Watch me.”
She released her power.
Silver energy exploded outward like a storm.
The darkness around them recoiled violently.
The white-eyed creatures hissed and backed away.
The ground cracked beneath her feet.
For the first time—
The Void reacted to her presence.
The Void Lord stared at her.
Its expression shifted slightly.
Not fear.
But recognition.
“You truly are…”
“…the reborn one.”
Aria stepped forward again.
Her power rising higher.
“Take me to the center.”
The Void Lord didn’t answer immediately.
Its glowing eyes studied her.
“Why?”
Aria’s voice was steady.
“Because that’s where this ends.”
Silence stretched between them.
Then—
The Void Lord slowly turned.
It began walking deeper into the darkness.
“Follow me.”
Aria didn’t hesitate.
She stepped after it.
But as they moved deeper into the Void—
The ground beneath them trembled again.
A low, distant roar echoed across the endless darkness.
Aria froze.
That sound…
It was far worse than anything she had faced before.
The Void Lord stopped.
Its voice came out quieter this time.
“…It has noticed you.”