Immortal Mythos: Bound by Void

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One blink.

That's all it took.

Haru had been standing beside the others—listening to Aiko, watching the darkness pulse—and in a flash, the world twisted. There was no sound, no sensation. Only a sudden, hollow silence.

When he opened his eyes, he wasn't in the same place anymore.

The air was heavier here. Thick with pressure, like every breath had to be fought for. The ground was black glass, stretching infinitely in every direction, reflecting nothing but his own fractured image. Shadows moved beneath the surface, mimicking his steps but not quite in sync.

Haru's instincts screamed.

His hand hovered over his blade, but he didn't draw yet.

Then he heard it.

A whisper—his own voice—but distorted. Echoing with something… older.

> "Do you think you can protect him?"

He spun, but there was no one.

> "You think training him will prepare him for what we became?"

The voice came again. This time, it was clearer. And it was him. But not. There was a coldness, a twisted version of his confidence.

A figure stepped from the edge of the black glass. His face mirrored Haru's—but pale, hollow-eyed, and cracked like porcelain. Its body flickered, shifting between solid and void, leaking tendrils of black mist that evaporated midair.

"You're not real," Haru muttered, readying his stance.

"I'm what you could become," the echo replied. "What you will become… if you keep holding back."

They clashed in an instant.

Steel met shadow, energy humming through the glass beneath them. Haru struck hard, fast, but every blow landed with a strange delay—like hitting water that snapped back. His echo was faster, stronger, driven by something primal.

"You trained Yuki to fight," the echo snarled. "But have you ever trained yourself to lose?"

Haru gritted his teeth and pushed harder, drawing on his raw mythic energy. Wind cracked the surface beneath their feet, shards of the glass-like ground floating upward. The prison responded, pulsing with their fight.

The echo smiled.

"You don't belong here," it said. "Not yet. But they brought you in early. The prison wants to know if you're ready."

With a shout, Haru unleashed a burst of wind that shattered the ground around him, sending the echo flying back.

The figure hit the void wall and dissolved, laughter echoing as it faded.

Everything went still.

A breath. Two.

Then the ground lit up beneath Haru's feet—symbols glowing like firebrands, a spiral forming around him.

He tensed, preparing for another battle—but this time, something rose from below.

A monolithic door. Ancient. Sealed with hundreds of markings. And one glowing lock in the center that pulsed with familiar energy.

Yuki's energy.

The door responded to him.

Haru stepped forward and placed a hand on the seal.

And in that moment, he understood.

This prison wasn't just built to contain darkness.

It was built to test the ones connected to the void… and only those who passed would be able to reach the true center.

And Yuki was already headed there.

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"If we hit 50 power stones, I'll drop a Yuki vs Haru training chapter with extra banter and hidden lore about Ren's past. Let's gooo!"