"... Dad?"
My breath hitched.
The man standing in front of me looked exactly like my father: the Same sharp features and the same tired eyes that once held warmth.
But my father was dead.
This… This thing was not him.
I took a slow step back, my body still shaking from the encounter with the Shadow earlier.
The air around him felt wrong, like a presence that shouldn't exist in this world.
The man- No, the thing wearing my father's face, tilted his head slightly as if amused by my reaction.
"Who are you?"
I ask again, my voice hoarse, while my fingers tighten into fists.
A pause.
Then he smiled. Too familiar yet too wrong.
"Mikail…"
He spoke my name in a way that made my skin crawl.
"I never thought we'd meet like this"
I felt something cold slither up my spine.
My instincts screamed at me, this wasn't real. This wasn't human.
I gritted my teeth.
"… Answer me!"
His smile didn't fade, but his gaze darkened, something ancient flickering behind those familiar eyes.
"I am your father, remember?"
My mind blanked for a second.
What?
No.
No, this had to be a trick, or something worse.
My heartbeat pounded in my ears.
I took another step back, ready to run, to fight but then the lights went out.
A rush of darkness swallowed the room.
The air shifted.
And suddenly.
I couldn't move.
It was like the shadows themselves had wrapped around me, holding me in place.
Trapped.
A low chuckle echoed in the darkness.
"There's no need to be afraid"
The thing wearing my father's face whispered.
The pressure around me tightened, like unseen hands gripping my limbs.
Cold sweat trickled down my temple.
I clenched my jaw.
"... Screw you"
I gathered every ounce of strength I had left and fought back.
My body burned with resistance. My mind screamed.
MOVE!
And then.
A new system notification flashed before my eyes.
[TITLE: THE CHOSEN ONE ACTIVATED, NEUTRALIZES ALL KINDS OF BAD EFFECTS]
After that notification, the darkness around me shattered.
I broke free.
And when I looked up,
The thing with my father's face looking at me, but his face distorted, there's no smiling face just a flat face with a cold stare.
The silence stretched between us.
My breath came in short gasps, my chest rising and falling as I steadied myself. The weight of the shadows had vanished, but the lingering sensation of their grasp still clung to my skin.
And him, the thing that called itself my father, was just standing there, watching.
His expression had changed.
The unsettling smile was gone.
In its place was something worse.
A hollow, unreadable stare.
I swallowed hard, my fingers twitching at my sides.
"…What the hell are you?"
I forced out, my voice sharper this time.
That man or whatever this thing was didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he took one step forward.
I stiffened.
My instincts screamed at me to run, but I stood my ground.
Then, he spoke.
"I see"
His voice was calm, unnervingly so.
"So that's why the will of Shadows Realms wanted you to die... So, you're the one?"
The way he said it was like he was confirming something, which sent a chill through me.
"… What do you mean?"
I demanded.
He didn't answer. Instead, he raised his hand, then.
Darkness rippled from his fingertips.
A cold, suffocating energy spread through the air, making the very walls of my room tremble.
And then.
A second system notification flashed before my eyes.
[ WARNING: HIGH-LEVEL ENTITY DETECTED ]
[ SYSTEM ANALYSIS FAILED: UNKNOWN EXISTENCE CANNOT BE IDENTIFIED]
My stomach dropped.
Even the system didn't know what he was.
Mahesa exhaled softly, lowering his hand. The darkness that had surged around him faded as quickly as it came.
"…Interesting"
His gaze bore into mine.
"... But you must die because your existence is a threat to us... The Hollowed"
My body went rigid.
The air grew heavier, pressing against my skin like an invisible weight.
"…A threat? Hollowed?"
I echoed, my voice barely above a whisper.
That thing which called itself The Hollowed expression remained cold and detached like he wasn't talking about killing a person but simply removing an obstacle.
I took a slow step back, my muscles coiled, ready to react.
Then-
He moved.
A blur of darkness.
Faster than anything I'd ever seen.
Instinct took over.
I barely dodged as something sliced through the air where my neck had been a second ago.
I hit the ground hard, rolling to my feet just in time to see that thing arm outstretched, his fingers curved like claws, dripping with writhing shadows.
If I hadn't moved, I'm sure, I would've been dead.
A new system notification flashed.
[DANGER! IMMEDIATE EVASION RECOMMENDED!]
No shit!
I pushed off the floor, forcing myself to move.
Mahesa didn't give me a chance to breathe.
The moment my feet touched the ground, He was already in front of me.
My eyes widened.
Impossible!
I barely managed to twist away, but his fingers grazed my shoulder.
Agony exploded through me.
A sharp, burning pain ripped through my nerves like my very existence was being corroded.
A strangled gasp tore from my throat as I stumbled back, clutching my shoulder.
When I looked down.
My skin was turning black.
Like it was being devoured by pure darkness.
[ WARNING! FOREIGN ENERGY DETECTED! CRITICAL CONDITION IMMINENT!]
My heartbeat pounded in my ears.
Mahesa watched me, his head slightly tilted.
There was no satisfaction on his face.
No rage.
Just acceptance, as if my death was already decided.
No.
I clenched my teeth.
I wasn't dying here.
I refused to die here!
The system had saved me before.
There had to be something, anything!
Desperation fueled my thoughts.
"Come on…!"
I hissed under my breath.
And then.
A new notification appeared.
[ EMERGENCY SKILL ACTIVATED: SOULBOUND RELEASE ]
For a split second, I felt something snap inside me.
Like invisible chains breaking apart.
A surge of light erupted from my body.
That Hollowed eyes narrowed.
The darkness around my wound shattered and burned away as if it had never existed.
The pain vanished.
The Hollowed took a slow step back, watching me closely.
"…So that's your answer"
He murmured.
The shadows around him pulsed, twisting violently.
But this time, I wasn't afraid, I met his gaze head-on.
My body felt lighter and stronger as if something inside me had finally woken up.
I didn't know what had just happened.
But one thing was clear.
This fight wasn't over.
Not by a long shot.
--------
The moment Soulbound Release activated, something changed.
Mikail felt it, a surge of raw energy flooding his veins, a power so unfamiliar yet instinctively his.
His body, once wracked with pain, now hummed with newfound strength.
The Hollowed took a single step back, his hollow gaze locked onto Mikail.
"Interesting..."
The Hollowed murmured, his voice laced with something resembling curiosity. Then said again.
"You resist the Hollowing, yet you wield something beyond it"
Mikail didn't reply. His instincts screamed at him to move.
Mikail shot forward, faster than before. The world blurred around him as his body responded with perfect precision. He didn't even think, he just acted.
A fist aimed straight for The Hollowed's face.
But-
The Hollowed vanished.
Not dodged. Not stepped away.
He basically just ceased to exist for a split second.
Mikail's punch struck only air before a crushing force slammed into his ribs, sending him hurtling through the room.
He twisted mid-air, forcing himself to land on his feet.
A system notification flickered before his eyes.
[DANGER! UNDEFINED MOVEMENT PATTERN DETECTED!]
Mikail barely had time to read it before The Hollowed reappeared, inches away from him, hand raised.
'SHIT!'
Instinct took over. Mikail ducked, just as a wave of pure darkness slashed through the air where his head had been.
The wall behind him erupted into blackened dust, the very fabric of reality dissolving under The Hollowed's touch.
Mikail spun away, his mind racing. This isn't a normal fight. This wasn't just speed or strength.
This thing, Hollowed's movements, ignored logic.
Another attack. Another step into nothingness, The Hollowed flickered out of existence and reappeared right behind Mikail.
But this time, Mikail was ready.
The moment Mahesa materialized, Mikail's body moved on its own.
A blinding light erupted from his fingertips, coiling around his fist. Without hesitation, he punched backward.
A direct hit.
A shockwave tore through the space between them as Mikail's fist connected with The Hollowed's chest.
The Hollowed didn't react, but something in the air shifted, and his body trembled for the first time.
And then.
The Hollowed lurched backward.
Not by choice. By force.
A sharp, unnatural sound cut through the air, like the wail of something ancient and furious.
Mikail didn't let up. He lunged forward, his movements fluid, instinctual, a blur of attacks fueled by the power coursing through his veins.
Each punch, each strike, sent waves of golden energy crashing against The Hollowed's form. The Hollowed stumbled.
Then, for the first time-
He smiled.
A slow, deliberate expression.
"... Good"
The Hollowed whispered.
Then, a dark pulse erupted from him, shattering the ground beneath them.
Mikail skidded back, breathing hard. His hands clenched into fists.
This wasn't just survival anymore.
This was a war.
And he refused to lose.
....
...
..
.