Nyx woke up slowly… but something was different.
He didn't feel the bedsheets, nor the warmth of the room, not even his own weight on the ground.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in absolute darkness.
No ground.
No sky.
No sound.
No time.
Only… a void that swallowed everything.
He took a deep breath, trying to sense anything around him, but the emptiness was so silent it felt like it could swallow a soul.
Then suddenly… a massive throne appeared before him.
Majestic, carved from a dark material unlike anything he had ever seen.
Its only light came from a strange aura orbiting it, as if the throne itself was alive.
Nyx froze.
He knew it.
It was the same throne from before.
As he stared, the darkness behind the throne began to move… gathering into a colossal figure sitting calmly, its form wrapped in thick layers of black mist.
And then the voice came…
Deep.
Heavy.
Dripping with a terrifying authority.
"Welcome back, Nyx Fairn."
The moment Nyx heard that voice… his lungs froze, refusing to let air in.
He forced out: "Y… you…"
The being replied quietly: "I see you have adapted quickly to your new world… and to your new body."
Nyx didn't look relieved. Instead, he answered bitterly: "Did you give me any other choice?
If I didn't get stronger, I would've died."
A brief silence followed.
"What do you want from me this time?"
The being spoke in an emotionless tone: "As you know… this world is destined to fall.
I do not desire that.
So I summoned you… to help the Hero of Light."
Nyx frowned. "And why should I do that?
This has nothing to do with me."
The being didn't change its tone: "True… but it will become your concern if you desire what I can grant you."
Nyx's eyes sharpened. "…And what can you give me?"
The next sentence struck like a blade.
"Any wish… whatever it may be."
Nyx stopped breathing.
He almost felt the nonexistent ground shake beneath him.
His voice cracked: "I… is that… true?"
"Yes."
His mind didn't even have time to resist.
The walls he built around his heart for years shattered instantly.
And the tears came.
Real tears.
Raw, honest, painful tears, like a door long sealed had been forced open.
His voice broke: "C… can you… bring… back…"
He didn't finish.
And the being didn't need him to.
"Yes, Nyx Fairn. I can bring back your family."
Time stopped.
His breath.
His tears.
Even his heartbeat paused for a moment.
The words repeated inside him again and again…
I can bring back your family.
I can bring back your family.
I can…
He looked up with trembling eyes. "What do you want in return?"
The being answered calmly: "My request is simple.
Save this world… and something else you will learn later."
Nyx stepped forward. "What is the other thing?"
A quiet laugh echoed… not joyful, but ancient and bottomless.
"You will not know until you reach rank SSS.
Before that… you are not worthy of the answer."
Nyx opened his mouth to speak—
But the being cut him off.
"We will meet again.
By then… I hope you've mastered at least one or two forms of your sword art."
And before Nyx could process anything…
Everything vanished.
The throne.
The darkness.
The mist.
The being's voice.
All gone.
---
Nyx opened his eyes suddenly—finding himself back in his bed, breathing fast, cold sweat dripping down his neck.
He sat up, hands gripping his head as memories hit him.
His family.
The promise.
The voice.
Tears burst out again.
It wasn't weakness.
It was the cry of someone whose heart had been crushed for years… only to feel a spark of hope again.
He didn't know how long he stayed like that.
Eventually, he wiped his tears and took a deep breath.
He looked out the small window and whispered:
"Mother… Father…"
His fist tightened, a burning resolve rising within him.
"Wait for me.
I will bring you back… no matter the cost."
That moment…
A new motivation was born.
A fire that would never die.
A resolve that could not be broken.
Nyx Fairn was no longer just a survivor.
He had something worth fighting the entire world for.
_______
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