The Call of the Void

Meanwhile, in another world...

A temple hung in the sky, perched atop a world no mortal could have ever imagined.
The clouds stretched out like oceans of frozen cotton, and silent lightning slashed across an endless firmament.

At the heart of the sanctuary, obsidian pillars held up an invisible dome, chained to the heavens by vast orichalcum links that thrummed with power.
Floating runes, etched into the air itself, pulsed with spectral light — as if time bent to a will older than the stars.

Around a living flame — blue and beating like a heart — stood a circle of hooded figures. None had faces. Only their voices carried the weight of eternity.

— "The imbalance approaches," said a deep voice, echoing from the bowels of the earth.
— "The Eastern boundaries have been broken. Three armies have fallen."

— "The Abyss is rising," murmured a higher voice, ethereal and barely human.
— "The ancient walls no longer hold..."

A silence followed. Heavy. Sacred.
Then a third presence spoke — calm, commanding, imperial:

— "It is time... to summon new bearers."

The blue flame began to spin, absorbing the runes, the lights, the very essence of hope.
Then it surged upward in a golden blaze.

— "Activate the Veil of Selection."

A tablet of pure light floated into the fire’s center. Names appeared, written in an ancient language — yet all understood.

TAKEDA RIOSHI
HARADA JUN
MITSUKI AYA
KAWASAKI SOUTA
…and dozens more.

— "They are young. Many. Full of potential."
— "But this world needs… only one hero."
— "And for that, we created… the Évolis."

At those words, a sphere rose from the flames, hovering gently above the fire. Its glow shifted between deep blue, silver, and ink-black.
It pulsed with a rhythm not of this world.

— "Let him be chosen… by the void.
And let him become… his own answer."

Back in the real world.

The end-of-day buzz filled Shinsei Academy’s halls. The bell had just rung, and students were packing up, eager to leave.

In class 3-C, a student scanned the attendance sheet.

— “Where’s Takeda?” she asked, frowning.
— “Didn’t show up again?”
— “Is he planning to ditch all semester?”

But they didn’t know.
Rioshi was there.
Late, as usual.

He walked alone down the now-empty hallway. The flickering neon lights cast long shadows across the lockers.
His steps were slow. Measured.

He stopped in front of classroom 3-C.
Placed his hand on the door handle.
Breathed in.

Then opened it.

Silence.

The room was empty.

No chairs.
No bags.
No voices.

Only a strange breath — almost organic — drifting between the walls.

Rioshi blinked. Took one step inside. Something was wrong.

A cold wind crawled up his spine. He turned around.

The hallway behind him… was gone.

Replaced by a black void, scattered with floating shards of light — like pieces of shattered glass.

The ceiling cracked.
The floor rippled.
Reality unraveled like torn canvas.

Rioshi tried to move — but couldn’t.
The world wasn’t falling.
It was dissolving.

And in the absolute silence…

He vanished.

He opened his eyes.

Damp soil. Sticky leaves. The stench of rot and saturated moss.

He lay on his side, gasping. Shirt soaked. Hair stuck to his forehead.

Slowly, he pushed himself up, hands sinking into spongy earth. All around him: a vast, twisted forest. The trees bent unnaturally, as if in pain. The sky above was a black mist, streaked with silent lightning.

A distant animal cry echoed. A growl.

— “Where… am I?” he whispered.

No signal.
No phone.
Nothing.

He searched his pockets. Empty. Not even his wallet.

He stood, eyes scanning the shadows. Every tree seemed to watch him. Every bush, ready to move. The air was thick — as if the forest itself was breathing.

And then...

A voice.

Not an audible one — but one that echoed inside his bones.

[Connecting to Évolis…]
[Host identified: Takeda Rioshi]
[Initiating adaptation protocol…]
[Mental analysis: anomaly detected]
[Emotional status: persistent void]
[Compatibility: 99.9%]

Rioshi clutched his head, startled.
A blue light glowed in his left eye.
Data hovered in the air — a transparent interface.

— “What is this…? Am I dreaming?”

[No. You are awake.]
[Welcome, bearer.]

Something was awakening inside him.
Something ancient. Dormant.
As if part of him had been waiting for this moment all his life.

He clenched his fists.
This world… wasn’t his.
And yet, he felt no fear.
No panic.

Only… an eerie sense of belonging.

[Évolis activated.]
[Immediate skill acquisition recommended.]

From the shadows, something moved.

Red eyes.
Fangs.

Rioshi stepped back.

The game… had just begun.