Noctis sat at a table in the dining hall, eating. With one hand he fiddled with his comm device and browsed the virtual world. A few minutes passed and he took his last spoonful. Gylani came over and sat down to eat. His face showed nothing. It had been three days since the battle with the great statue. During that time Gylani and the other awakened had been treated in the school hospital. Nara hadn't been harmed, so she simply followed the school's announcements.
Noctis hadn't left his room to eat, and because he kept his identity hidden he couldn't afford treatment. Nara joined them with a calm expression. Noctis glanced at them both briefly.
"Thanks for not telling on me," he said.
They nodded. A few seconds later Gylani swallowed his bite.
"Are you ready for the second exam?"
Noctis had been turning questions like that over in his head at night. He did not want to take the second exam. Becoming Second-Layer held no appeal for him.
"I have no reason to become Second-Layer," he muttered.
Gylani nodded lightly and looked at Nara. She swallowed.
"Honestly, I don't want to go either... but I have to."
Nara kept quiet. Noctis raised an eyebrow at Gylani. Gylani finished the last mouthful.
"I'll go. You both know I'm a clan kid... My parents were treacherously killed by a traveling-realm clan... I have to become strong to take my revenge."
Noctis's gaze fell on his empty plate. He knew something about Gylani's past. His parents had been killed by a clan. He didn't know exactly why or who had done it.
Hearing Gylani speak of his family reminded Noctis of his own. His father had been tortured and killed. His mother had escaped, but nobody knew where she'd gone. Noctis had asked his grandfather many times; the old man always said he didn't know.
Noctis wanted revenge too, but he didn't know who to target or where they were. The idea of becoming strong for his family's sake felt strange to him. Silence settled over the table.
A few minutes passed before Nara finally broke the uneasy silence in a low voice.
"The teachers said they're searching for the black statue… Even though Carlius went beyond the boundary, he wasn't expelled. The others were—but he stayed. They didn't come after us because we helped them."
Noctis nodded. The school had decided to halt all student expeditions into the realm for several days. Next time, they would enforce stricter rules against crossing borders and had already shrunk the exploration zones.
He was worried. The shadow he'd devoured from the broken statue had fed him—slightly—but his core was starting to feel that same hollow hunger again. He hoped the school would reopen realm access soon.
Gylani turned to him.
"Since we can't enter the realm, why don't we take a day off and visit your uncle Sylen's place? You could see your grandfather too."
Noctis nodded. They talked a little more. Nara finished her meal and left. Gylani and Noctis then went to Asvar to request a day's leave. After approval, Gylani contacted Sylen through his comm device.
A few hours later, they arrived in Sylen's district. Noctis had never seen his uncle's house before. It sat in the wealthier part of the region—a single-story home with a refined appearance.
They walked to the door and knocked. The woman who opened it was Sylen's wife. Her hair shone black, her eyes were soft brown, and her wheat-colored skin gave off a calm warmth. Her voice was as graceful as her appearance.
"Welcome, children."
They stepped inside quietly. Sylen was at work, so he wasn't home. After a brief conversation, they went to the grandfather's room.
The old man looked just the same. His hair was as white as snow, his skin pale, one eye covered with a bandage. He lay in bed, a faint, peaceful smile on his lips.
When Noctis saw him, his face flickered with sadness—but he quickly hid it behind a small smile. The old man straightened himself with effort, and the two boys sat beside him.
Gylani spoke first, his tone almost proud.
"Uncle, you should've seen Noctis… he fought those monsters like a wild beast."
They all laughed softly. After a few minutes, Gylani left the room, giving them privacy. Noctis met his grandfather's eyes and felt his chest tighten.
"Your soul's fractured again, isn't it?"
The old man didn't lose his smile.
"Your senses have grown sharper since awakening."
The retired soldier sighed.
"From what I can feel, there's only one piece of my soul left… my time is running out."
Noctis looked away. Silence fell between them.
"Does it hurt?" he asked quietly.
The old man said nothing.
But the silence told Noctis everything. He couldn't feel the pain his grandfather endured—but he knew it must be immense.
The pain of the soul was said to be the greatest of all.
The magic was slowly eroding the old man's soul — a condition so rare that most mages only whispered about it. As far as anyone knew, those afflicted by it were people who had once committed great sins. Yet, no one ever spoke of what those sins were.
The old man never did either. Noctis often wondered what kind of sin his grandfather could have committed, but every time he looked at him, he found it impossible to believe that this man had ever done anything wrong.
They talked for a few minutes before the old man said he was feeling sleepy. Noctis quietly left the room. He and Gylani ate the meal Sylen's wife had prepared. The food tasted wonderful — yet Noctis couldn't feel the flavor.
Hours passed. Sylen came home from work and chatted with them. When night fell, Noctis stepped outside and looked up at the lonely moon hanging in the starless sky.
On the night of his first exam, he had climbed onto the crumbling roof of his house to watch that same moon — his only solace.
For several minutes, he thought about nothing at all, just stared at the moon's soft, silent glow. Then he sighed, summoned the runic script, and read the words that shimmered faintly in the dark.
[ Heavy Sentence: Devoured by the Void. ]
[ Sentence Description: You have been devoured by the Void. The Void demands that you consume shadows. You are condemned to feed upon them. ]
'What is this Void that demands such a thing from me? The Void I know is nothingness... so how can it want anything?'
He dismissed the runes and looked around. Slowly, he blinked. First, his gaze rose to the moon, then drifted to the dark streets. The night was deep, yet he could see clearly. There were streetlights, yes — but Noctis knew that wasn't why.
He quickly summoned the runes again.
[ Marks: Shadow Hunter. ]
[ Shadow Hunter Mark Description: Your mind and body have been enhanced to hunt shadows. ]
'Mind and body... So even my eyes have changed. I never noticed since awakening…
It feels like it's always been a part of me.'
His vision wasn't like daylight, but it was far sharper than before. He stared into corners untouched by lamplight and could see faint outlines moving in the dark. He couldn't yet grasp the full difference, but he knew it was real.
After a few more tests, he went back inside. Sylen and his wife had already gone to bed. Gylani was asleep on the couch. Noctis took the other one and slowly drifted off.
---
When Noctis opened his eyes, the black skeleton stood before him. He felt nothing upon seeing it — no fear, no confusion. He couldn't tell how far or near it was. Those two endless hollow eyes stared straight into him. And Noctis felt no urge to move.
He felt no urge to look away — only to stare into the hollow eyes of the black skeleton.
He didn't know where he was. It was a place that resembled darkness, yet he couldn't even be sure it was dark.
The black skeleton took a single step, and suddenly it was beside him. It leaned forward, peering into his eyes as if trying to reach his very soul. Noctis felt nothing — no fear, no surprise — only emptiness reflecting emptiness.
The skeleton straightened and turned its head to the side. Even though Noctis didn't want to look, his gaze followed. There, in the distance — or perhaps right beside him — was a silhouette.
He couldn't tell if it had limbs, or even a head.
Its body seemed to both exist and not exist.
Noctis wasn't even sure he was seeing it, yet somehow he felt compelled to respect it — a wordless reverence blooming in the void of his heart.
He didn't know how long he stared.
It could have been a second, or an eternity.
The shadow-like figure drew closer — or maybe Noctis only thought it did.
---
Noctis slowly opened his deep blue eyes.
Morning light spilled through the window, glimmering softly against his irises.
He sat up without feeling anything.
Walking to the sink, he washed his face and returned to the couch. Tilting his head up, he gazed blankly at the runic script shimmering faintly before him.
[ Minor Sentence: Blind Eyes ]
[ Sentence Description: Devour three shadows before sunrise.
Failure will result in death. ]
'Death…'
His eyes drifted toward Gylani, who slept in an awkward position nearby.
Then he looked back at the runes.
'I hope this is just a dream... There's no other explanation. It says minor sentence — but if I fail, I die.'