Time slowed.
Yuuji didn't think—his body just moved. A cold instinct flared through his veins, and the world blurred.
---
[Skill Activated: Echo Blink]
---
In an instant, he vanished.
The creature slammed into where he'd stood, tearing up moss and dirt in a blast of shadow. Yuuji reappeared behind a gnarled tree trunk five meters away, gasping. His heart pounded like a war drum in his chest, every beat screaming survive.
"What the hell was that?" he whispered, his voice muffled in the eerie silence.
---
[Cooldown: 9… 8… 7…]
---
The number ticked in the corner of his vision like a HUD overlay. His mind reeled, but the creature wasn't waiting. It turned, eyes locking onto him again with a chilling intelligence.
It moved this time—not like a beast, but like a predator with purpose.
Yuuji took a shaky breath and raised his hands. "Okay, okay. Think, think—"
---
[Skill Ready: Whisper Veil]
---
He whispered the words without meaning to, and the air warped around him. Sound vanished. The wind. His breath. Even the creature's growls were silenced—swallowed whole by the veil.
It lunged again—but this time Yuuji rolled aside, narrowly missing another swipe of claws. The Whisper Veil gave him cover, muting his movements as he scrambled away, deeper into the woods.
The moment the veil faded, sound came rushing back—and with it, a howling screech.
Yuuji turned just in time to see the creature slam into an invisible barrier—an ancient stone arch wrapped in glowing roots. Runes across it flickered, activating on contact.
The creature recoiled, snarling, unable to pass.
Yuuji stumbled through the archway, falling to his knees in a clearing. He didn't even notice the old man until a gnarled cane thunked against the earth beside him.
"That class of yours will be the death of you, boy," came a voice like dry leaves. "Or something worse."
Yuuji looked up. The man was ancient—cloaked in midnight blue, eyes like candlelight flickering behind a thousand years of fatigue.
"Who… are you?"
The old man stared at him for a long moment.
"I am the Keeper of Broken Paths," he said. "And you, Voidbound Whisperer, are a walking calamity waiting to happen."
Yuuji opened his mouth to speak, but the old man raised a hand.
"No time for questions. The forest will wake soon—and there are worse things than shadowhounds lurking in Vesvara's heart."
He pointed toward a spiral of glowing stones in the center of the clearing.
"Step into the Ley Ring. It will take you to the Sanctuary. Your binding isn't complete—and until it is, this realm will hunt you."
Yuuji hesitated, still catching his breath.
But then he heard it.
Dozens of howls—deep, echoing—answering the one that had chased him.
The forest was calling.
And it wasn't friendly.
Yuuji stood and ran toward the stones.
Yuuji didn't look back as he crossed the boundary of the Ley Ring.
As soon as his foot touched the center, a surge of light spiraled upward, and his body felt like it had been snapped into thread and woven across space. There was no wind, no falling sensation—just a moment of weightlessness, of being nowhere.
Then, gravity returned.
He stumbled forward into a stone chamber, coughing. The air here was different again—warmer, tinged with something floral and spiced, like incense burned in sacred rituals. Moss grew along the carved walls, and soft light drifted from crystal sconces embedded in the ceiling.
A sanctuary, just like the old man said.
He turned, half-expecting to see the forest again—but the portal had closed. Only stone stood behind him now, the arch sealed with pulsing glyphs.
Yuuji backed away, heart still pounding.
"What the hell is this place…"
---
[Ley Travel Complete]
Sanctuary: Whispering Hollow
Safety Status: Temporary
Binding Progress: 17%
---
He stared at the floating system prompt.
"Seventeen percent? What happens if it doesn't finish?"
No answer. Only silence, save for a quiet chime from deeper in the sanctuary.
Drawn forward, he moved through the narrow halls, hand brushing the cold walls. As he walked, he began noticing murals—etched scenes of warriors cloaked in shadow, creatures half-real and half-nightmare, and a dark figure with glowing eyes seated on a throne of nothingness.
Each image tugged at something in his chest. Not memory—something older. Familiar in the way a dream feels real after you wake.
He turned a corner and entered a circular chamber. In the center stood a pedestal with a small, floating orb of black crystal. The moment he stepped inside, the crystal pulsed—and the voice returned.
---
"Initiating Soul Sync Protocol. Do not resist."
---
Yuuji didn't even have time to panic. The crystal burst apart in a vortex of shadow, and tendrils of black mist lashed into him—piercing through skin, bone, memory. He screamed, not from pain, but from overload.
His past unraveled.
Memories surged: school days, nights behind the counter at the konbini, train rides blurred into monotony. The loneliness. The numbness. The mask he wore, smiling just enough to avoid questions. Then—
A crack.
Something inside him broke, and light flooded in.
Not golden. Not holy.
Voidlight.
It wrapped around his spine like a second soul.
---
[Binding Update: 42%]
New Skill Unlocked: Shadow Lure – Create a decoy in shadow form. Draws enemy attention for 6 seconds.
New Trait Awakened: Void-Touched – Immune to fear and illusion-based effects.
---
Yuuji collapsed to his knees, gasping. The system faded, and he was left in silence again—until footsteps echoed behind him.
He whirled around.
The old man from the forest.
"You survived. Good." His eyes narrowed. "And you didn't resist. Better."
Yuuji rose shakily. "You could've warned me."
"If I warned you, your soul might have fought back. That would've… complicated things." The Keeper stepped closer, leaning on his cane. "You are changing. Not just in body or power—but in essence. The Voidbound path isn't about strength. It's about surrender."
Yuuji frowned. "Surrender to what, exactly?"
The Keeper studied him. "To yourself."
Before Yuuji could respond, a low rumble shook the chamber.
The old man cursed under his breath and turned. "They've found us. I was hoping the sanctuary would hold longer."
Yuuji's blood ran cold. "More of those shadowhounds?"
The Keeper shook his head. "Worse. Sentinels."
He moved to the far wall and placed a hand against the stone. Glyphs lit up beneath his palm and the wall slid open, revealing a winding staircase descending into the earth.
"Come," he said. "We'll speak as we move. If you die now, all this was for nothing."
Yuuji followed.
As they descended, the Keeper spoke in hurried tones.
"Vesvara was once ruled by the Twelve. Gods, kings, monsters—depends who you ask. When the world fractured, each took a piece of reality with them. But one was cast out."
"The Void King," Yuuji muttered, remembering the throne in the mural.
The Keeper looked back, eyes sharp. "Yes. And your class—Voidbound Whisperer—is tied to him. Forbidden. Suppressed by the High Orders. They fear what you might become."
They reached a door of metal and bone. The Keeper placed a ring of keys into a living socket—it blinked once, then clicked open.
"Welcome," he said, stepping through, "to the last place in Vesvara that still remembers the truth."
Yuuji entered behind him and stared in awe.
A cavern stretched before him, lit by bioluminescent roots and ancient lanterns. Dozens of figures moved through it—warriors in armor, mages cloaked in dark blues and grays, children practicing shadow dances under watchful eyes.
The Keeper turned. "This is the Hollow Enclave. Every person here was once deemed an enemy by the Orders above. And now, they look to you."
"Me?"
"You're the first natural Voidbound in centuries. You didn't inherit it. You became it. Your presence means the seals are weakening."
Yuuji shook his head. "I'm not… I'm not some chosen one. I'm just a guy who was on a train."
The Keeper chuckled. "And the Void loves nothing more than lost things."
From above, the cavern trembled again. Dust drifted down like snow.
The Keeper's voice darkened.
"They're coming."
---
[Binding Progress: 59%]
Mission Update: Survive the Sentinel Assault
Optional Objective: Unlock the Void Armament
---
Yuuji clenched his fists.
No more trains. No more routines. No more sleepwalking through life.
He didn't understand this world—not yet.
But he knew one thing:
If it wanted to break him, it would have to try a hell of a lot harder.
Yuuji stood at the threshold of the Hollow Enclave, his heart hammering in rhythm with the distant tremors above. For a moment, the chaos of his arrival quieted beneath the sheer scope of what lay before him.
Families with eyes like pools of ink. Warriors sharpening obsidian-forged blades. Scholars inscribing runes into living bark. There were even children weaving shadows between their fingers like thread.
Not just survivors—an entire society. Living, hiding, thriving.
The Keeper gestured for him to follow, and together they descended a winding stone path into the Enclave's heart. "You'll need gear. Instruction. Allies. And answers," he said, voice low but steady. "We don't have much time."
As they passed under an arch of twisted blackstone, a woman stepped into their path. She was tall, draped in dark leathers etched with silver runes, hair shaved on one side and braided on the other. Her eyes glowed faintly violet—the same color as the sky above Vesvara.
"Keeper," she said curtly. Her gaze shifted to Yuuji. "So this is him."
"He is not ready, Seraya," the Keeper replied.
"None of us were," she snapped. "When the Sentinels arrive, they won't care about readiness."
Yuuji cleared his throat. "I'm right here, you know."
Seraya turned to him, arms crossed. "Then listen, Voidbound. You have three hours until this sanctuary becomes a war zone. Learn fast, or die faster."
With that, she walked away, her cloak trailing shadows that moved independently of her body.
Yuuji blinked. "Charming."
"She's right, though," the Keeper murmured. "Come."
---
They reached an alcove near the lower levels—half-smithy, half-library. A squat man with goggles perched atop a spiraling horn looked up from an anvil of molten glass.
"Ah! This must be the Whisperer." His voice was a gravelly purr. "About time one of you woke up."
"Varnak," the Keeper said, "arm him. He'll need a conduit."
Varnak grinned and motioned Yuuji forward. "Void doesn't give power without a price. But it does let you shape the way you pay. Choose your armament."
He led Yuuji to a pedestal where six objects floated, each radiating different energies.
A dagger made of shadowglass.
A gauntlet of woven night.
A longcoat that shimmered like oil on water.
A mask without eyeholes.
A book that whispered in a voice he almost recognized.
And a shard of nothingness—jagged, humming, alive.
Yuuji reached out.
The shard pulled to him like a magnet.
---
[Void Armament Selected: The Shard of Never]
Weapon Type: Adaptive
Bond Level: 1
Passive Effect: Manifest form based on intent
Warning: Sentient. Use with caution.
---
The shard melted into his palm, wrapping around his forearm like living ink. It pulsed once—then settled.
"Of course you chose the dangerous one," Varnak muttered, half-impressed. "You Voidbound are all the same."
The Keeper looked at Yuuji, eyes grave. "You've made your mark. Now come—we'll begin your attunement."
---
Over the next two hours, Yuuji trained under the Enclave's pressure-cooker rhythm. Seraya showed him how to channel the veil to silence footsteps. Varnak explained how to feed the shard fragments of shadow to grow stronger. Children taught him how to see echoes—residual moments left behind by strong emotion.
He was a fast learner—he had to be.
And yet, each lesson left him more aware of something gnawing beneath the surface.
His binding was changing him.
His senses sharpened. His shadow moved a half-second behind his body. His thoughts occasionally doubled—one voice panicked, the other calculating.
The Whisperer class wasn't just power. It was… perspective. The longer he wore it, the more he felt like he was becoming someone else. Or maybe just more of himself—parts he never noticed rising to the surface.
---
[Binding Progress: 77%]
New Skill Unlocked: Echostep – Dash backward in time by 2 seconds. 30-second cooldown.
New Passive: Void Hunger – Absorb ambient magic from kills. Increases regeneration speed.
---
The warning bells rang at 2 hours, 48 minutes.
The cavern dimmed. People stopped moving. All eyes turned to the upper levels.
From above, light cracked like lightning. Then it shattered.
Sentinels fell through.
Nine of them—tall, faceless beings of mirrored armor and burning halos. They hit the cavern floor like meteors, each strike rippling the ground and turning air to smoke.
One of them raised a hand. A beam of golden energy speared through a barricade, vaporizing three defenders in an instant.
Chaos exploded.
"Whisperer!" the Keeper shouted from across the field. "To the Veil Core!"
Yuuji ran—darting between combatants, activating Whisper Veil to dodge an incoming lance. A Sentinel locked onto him, eyes glowing red. It raised its arm—
Echostep.
Time rewound. Yuuji reappeared two seconds earlier, just behind a column. The beam struck empty air. He gasped, adrenaline burning cold through his veins.
The shard on his arm pulsed. It whispered:
> Unleash me.
He dove into the fray, this time not running—but aiming. He reached toward the Sentinel's shadow, summoned it into form—
A phantom double struck the enemy's side, distracting it. Yuuji closed the distance, the shard reshaping into a blade as he plunged it into the crack beneath its helm.
The Sentinel screamed—not a sound, but a psychic screech that rattled the very walls. It dissolved into light.
He turned, panting.
More were falling.
The Keeper's voice echoed again. "The Veil Core! We must seal it—or all of Vesvara burns!"
Yuuji didn't hesitate. He sprinted toward the altar at the cavern's heart—a swirling vortex of shadow and magic that held the protective wards in place. But it was fraying, unraveling under the strain.
The shard surged. The voice whispered again:
> You can bind it. But you must give more.
Yuuji reached the core—and without fully knowing why, pressed his palm into the spiraling veil.
---
[Binding Complete: 100%]
Class: Voidbound Whisperer (Ascended)
New Title: Harbinger of the Hollow
Skill Gained: Veil Collapse – Sacrifice all shadow energy to create a 20-meter silence void. Stuns and weakens enemies for 10 seconds. One use per day.
---
The cavern exploded with shadow.
The Sentinels froze, caught mid-attack. Warriors surged forward, striking them down while they hung in stillness.
The battle turned.
Ten seconds later, the veil receded. Yuuji fell to one knee.
The silence ended in roaring cheers.
The Enclave had survived.
He stood slowly, breath ragged, as people gathered around him. Even Seraya looked stunned. The Keeper stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You are no longer lost," he said.
Yuuji looked up.
"No," he whispered. "But something tells me the ones looking for me now won't stop until I'm buried."
The Keeper nodded. "Then let's make sure they never find your body."
Segment 3 in coming let me know if you want part 3