Chapter 12: The Void Encounter

In the previous chapter, you, Mateo, Luar, Ofurd, and Kamil were taken to a hotel. You meet a man named Gramwaer, who escorts you to your selected floor. Gramwaer gives each of you key cards to access your rooms and then leaves.

You turn to Mateo. “Hey, Mateo,” you say, “I’m feeling a little sleepy. I should rest for a bit.”

Ofurd and Kamil agree. “Yeah, we should take some rest for now, at least.”

You think, Well, if they’re sleeping, I might as well sleep too. Time drifts on, long and slow.

Then, suddenly, you wake up. You get up and walk to the bathroom to wash your face. When you try to use the faucet, nothing comes out. Uhh, dammit… whatever, you mutter. Then you remember something—this happened to you once before, ten years ago. Shaking it off, you go back to your bed and try to sleep again.

But sleep doesn’t come. You think, Maybe I should go to Luar’s room… he probably wouldn’t mind.

You open the door, only to freeze. “Wha…t? Not again. No. Why is he here?”

There’s nothing. Just a void. The hotel carpet stretches infinitely. There are no windows. Rocks float in the sky as if there’s no gravity. The emptiness is overwhelming.

Then, a voice echoes, laughing. “Welcome back, my good sir.”

You call out, “Who summoned me here? Why have I been summoned?”

A man appears, clad in black. He looks imposing.

“Welcome, The Traitor King,” he says.

You tense. “What do you want? Have you come to take my abilities, Void King?”

The man laughs. “Hahaha. Don’t call me the Void King.”

“But you just called me the Traitor King,” you argue. “Don’t ever call me that name again.”

“Fine,” he replies. “What do you want… Erevos?”

Erevos raises an eyebrow. “What name are you using?”

“I am using a weird name, but it’s none of your business,” you answer.

“I have been told to take your abilities from you,” Erevos says. “It is very dangerous. The chief warned that you might do the same as you did many years ago.”

You respond firmly, “Only on one condition—I will still keep my immortality.”

Erevos laughs, harsh and bitter. “You say this planet has become what it is, and yet you still seek life? That is… sad.”

“My friend,” you tell Erevos, “I am going to put an end to all of this. I have prepared… someone who looks like me, or perhaps my inaction has created this. You mean to say that you want life in this void?”

“How long will that take?” Erevos asks.

“It will take time,” you reply.

Erevos smirks. “If that day had come, you would have had the full clan as your chance to live like this.” He sighs. “Mateo… remember when we used to go hunting together?”

“Okay… now go on, and do what you brought me here for,” you command.

Erevos disappears, only to return a second later. “I made some changes,” he says.

“What changes?” you ask.

“You will continue living forever. But if you get killed, or if you age, you will die,” he explains.

You open your eyes slowly. “Tell me everything in detail.”

Erevos hesitates. “I… I don’t know too much either…”

“Stop calling him ‘he.’ Why not say his name, huh, Erevos?”

Erevos looks nervous. “Why do you want me to say his name? You know when I say it, I lose part of my memory.”

“Fine,” you say. “I will say it. You can only call him whatever you want—Mal’dureth.”

Erevos screams, pain evident. “Say it again, please! The pain will go away if you say it.”

You say slowly, “Mal’dureth.”

“How does that feel?” you ask.

Erevos shudders. “I found out how to give this curse to someone else.”

You frown. “Never mind that. Tell me everything I need to know before I leave.”

He continues. “I can give you these powers. But before that, I will take all of your abilities and your immortality, and they will be passed to someone else—the one who takes your life, or… the one who…”

You feel a chill run down your spine. This is only the beginning, you think.