The world had changed its rules.
But Sher Shah was beginning to understand something even more disturbing—
The rules were never stable to begin with.
It started with silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The kind that felt like reality itself was holding its breath.
Sher Shah stood alone in the ruins outside what was once a city.
Broken buildings.
Dead roads.
And creatures moving in the distance like corrupted shadows.
But he wasn't looking at them.
He was looking inward.
The power inside him was growing… unstable.
Fire flickered without his command.
Water formed and disappeared.
Ice cracked the air like thin glass.
But the void—
The void was different.
It didn't activate.
It responded.
Like something was already inside it.
Watching.
Sher Shah clenched his fist.
"…What are you?"
The moment he asked that question—
The world shifted.
A crack appeared in the air.
Not like glass.
Not like space.
Like reality itself had been sliced open.
From it came a voice.
Calm.
Heavy.
And ancient.
"You are not supposed to awaken this early."
Sher Shah's body froze.
He turned slowly.
No enemy.
No monster.
Just the crack in space… expanding.
And then—
A man stepped out.
He wore no armor.
No crown.
No weapon.
Yet everything about him felt like a higher existence.
His presence alone bent the air.
His eyes locked onto Sher Shah.
And for the first time since the apocalypse began—
Sher Shah felt something unfamiliar.
Pressure.
Not from strength.
From authority.
The man tilted his head slightly.
"…So you are the one who carries multiple elements."
He paused.
Then added softly:
"And the Void."
Sher Shah stepped back instantly.
"Who are you?"
A faint smile appeared on the man's face.
Not friendly.
Not hostile.
Just… knowing.
"Names are meaningless where I come from."
"But in your language…"
He raised his hand slightly.
The air around Sher Shah began to distort.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
"…you may call me Levi."
The moment that name was spoken—
The void inside Sher Shah reacted violently.
For the first time—
It feared.
Sher Shah's breathing became heavy.
"What do you want?"
Levi looked at him for a long moment.
Then spoke quietly:
"I want to see how far you can survive… before you break."
The space behind Levi cracked further.
And this time—
It wasn't just one crack.
It was hundreds.
Thousands.
Like reality itself was being torn open from the other side.
Sher Shah's instincts screamed.
This wasn't a fight he could win.
Not yet.
Not even close.
Levi turned slightly, as if preparing to leave.
But before stepping back into the void, he stopped.
And looked over his shoulder.
"Sher Shah…"
A pause.
"…If you truly want to control the Void…"
The cracks around him began swallowing his body slowly.
"Then survive the training I will give you."
Sher Shah reached forward.
"Wait—!"
But it was too late.
Levi disappeared.
And the cracks sealed like they were never there.
Silence returned.
Too normal.
Too wrong.
Sher Shah stood alone again.
But everything had changed.
Because now he knew—
The void inside him was not his power.
It was a door.
And something on the other side had just noticed him.