Aiden sat in silence. The voice was ancient, hoarse, and overbearing. He could tell it wasn't a being he could offend, so he wanted to choose his words wisely.
"I want you to stop your invasion of this world," Aiden said. "It's causing a lot of problems here."
"I do not invade," the voice said. "But our connection, no matter how brief, was enough to elicit a reaction — enough to cause a ripple. The monsters who spawned are re astral creatures who seek to devour you."
"?"
"None other than you."
"I don't understand. Why ?"
"Because you do not belong to this world, making you the perfect fit to be a vessel for an astral creature — and ."
"I'm no vessel."
"The word seems to offend humans," the being noted. "But you are right to reject that proposal. No matter how fair your contract would be, it can never protect your soul."
"Is that what you want from ?" Aiden asked, his tone shifting from respectful to cautious. "You sought out to be your vessel?"
"I seek no one and nothing," the voice answered. "But I know that our partnership would serve both of our interests."
"You sound almost afraid of offending . That makes think that you need for sothing," Aiden said with a frown.
Then, the being laughed. It ca as a low rumble, like an avalanche of boulders reshaping the terrain. Aiden tried to keep his composure while facing the vibrations that almost tore him apart.
"Humans," it said. "You never fail to amuse ."
"You didn't deny what I said."
"I do not deny, because I do not hide," it said. "I cannot be heard, nor seen, nor felt. But, sohow, either by absurd coincidence or a miracle of fate, a human could hear and answer ."
"I can tell that your social skills are a little rusty. Too much monologue," Aiden said. "This feels like less of a cultivation technique and more like a job interview."
"I see what brought you here. You seek to connect to the great void, and the mark I left on your soul has brought you to ."
"You left what on what?" Aiden asked with a frown. "I have been respectful so far, but let spell it out for you: I'm not afraid."
"I can tell," it answered. "Do not worry. I shall grant you access to the great void, and you will be a cultivator of the path — but this is not our last eting."
"I sure hope it is."
"Things will change, but the prophecy never fails. You have abandoned hope and co to et , and you will sever attachnts… and then choose to destroy your soul to be immortal."
Aiden was silent.
"The creatures that have spawned to devour you are not the last," the voice continued. "It doesn't matter where you will hide — they will always find you. Face them and defeat them, and you will learn more about your destiny in this world."
"You see, I'm not a big fan of destinies," Aiden said with a grin. "I would much rather have destiny sit aside as I make my choices."
"Destiny will present the choice, but you will be the one to choose — and the one to suffer the consequences."
A violet fla appeared in the darkness. Aiden could suddenly see a giant being, as tall as the skies and as vast as the universe, standing behind it.
For the first ti, he felt fear.
The being pushed the fla forward, and it traveled faster than Aiden could react. It struck his chest, exploding into a sea of violet flas that burned through everything. Aiden fell into the darkness as the flas consud him.
No screams.
No light.
Only the darkness remained… and sothing that creates it.
[---]
Aiden snapped his eyes open to see a concerned Genevieve looking at him with worry. His mind was disoriented and he jumped in fear, rembering the feeling of being consud by the violet flas.
"You are safe," Genevieve held his shoulders as she tried to reassure him. "Nothing is going to harm you."
Aiden tried to breathe out as he began to calm down. He placed a hand on his beating heart, and listened to his erratic heartbeats calm down.
"You began to scream after binding to the Voidheart Sutra," Genevieve said. "I thought that sothing went wrong with the ditation… but it was a success."
"How… do you know?" Aiden asked.
Genevieve didn't tell him, but instead gave him a mirror that she pulled out of thin air. Aiden looked at his own reflection in the mirror and found a strange tattoo underneath his left eye.
A violet fla.
"What is this? Did you give a tattoo?"
"Why would I give you a tattoo while you cultivate?" Genevieve asked, looking like she was ready to vomit blood. "A change like this is normal when beginning your cultivation path. I have sothing like this too."
"Where?" Aiden asked as he inspected her, but there was nothing.
"That's none of your business," she said with a slight blush. "It just ans you can start cultivating and connecting your own nexus to the great void. Your cultivation journey has begun."
"If you told I would get such a tattoo, I wouldn't have agreed," Aiden said as he placed the mirror down in defeat. "People would think I did it for attention."
"A violet fla does draw attention, especially on the face," Genevieve said as she inspected it. The more she did, the more silent she beca. Aiden covered his tattoo with an inquisitive gaze. "Ah, sorry. It was just… comfortable to look at."
Aiden looked at the guild master in front of him and then smirked as he removed his hand. "I guess this has its benefits," he said. "If you like looking at my face, then go ahead!"
Aiden got a smack on the head as she rose from the ground and walked back to her chair. He rubbed his head as he stared at her pick up her book again.
"Since you can joke like that, then you can begin cultivating again."
Aiden was silent. He didn't want to face that being again, but he didn't know if he should tell her about it. He wondered if she would kill him if she knew that the monsters were here for him.
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