The Shackled Void

In the warm mansion's cold depths, the fate of a bloodline began to fracture.

Crossbow bolts hissed through the air, accompanied by fireballs and ice lances shattering the silence. The simultaneous projectile barrage aimed to turn the Isolation Vault into a kill zone.

For Heze, it was hell. Pure panic threatened to paralyze him, but his data-trained mind seized control. Void Grasp was too costly for every attack. Tanking hits in this body was suicide. Evasion was the only option left.

With a groan, he forced Nihil's frail body into motion. He rolled clumsily sideways, the gritty stone floor cold against him as a bolt thudded where he'd been seconds before. A fireball slammed into the wall behind him, spraying stinging heat.

He scrambled and lurched, his movements anything but graceful, toward the only cover in the room: a large, sturdy obsidian altar at its center. He slammed his body behind it, gasping for breath, as a barrage of attacks pounded the other side of his makeshift shield.

[Capacity: 3 / 15 (VERY CRITICAL)] the system notification flashed crimson in his mind. One mistake, and it was over.

High above, in a dark, hidden observation gallery, Velka Nocturne held her breath. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She'd followed Alban from afar, drawn by a terrible foreboding when the alarms sounded. Through a concealed viewing slit—a relic from an era when ancestors imprisoned enemies in this vault—she witnessed everything.

She saw her brother, Nihil, whom she'd believed died peacefully, now alive with a terrifying yet compelling presence. She saw the strange power that erased Captain Garris's sword without a sound. And most horrifyingly, she saw her elder brother Alban's face.

There was no grief or confusion there. Only cold ambition and unveiled murderous intent. Alban didn't see their lost sibling; he saw a problem to be erased.

Now, she watched Alban directing the knights to rain ranged attacks down on Nihil. This wasn't an arrest. This was an execution.

For the first time in her passive, observant life, Velka felt something powerful surge: rage. Rage at Alban's cruelty, and an unexpected sympathy for the fragile figure fighting for life below. The being down there might no longer be the Nihil she knew, but it wasn't a monster either. It was someone cornered and terrified.

Behind the altar, Heze knew he couldn't hold out forever. The knights would soon advance or flank him. He needed a distraction. An exit.

His crimson eyes scanned the room frantically, his analytical brain seeking any exploitable variable. Floor, walls, altar... then his gaze snapped upward.

A massive wrought-iron chandelier hung from the high ceiling, directly above the entrance area where Alban and most knights stood clustered. It was suspended by a single thick, rusted chain.

A desperate plan formed. He didn't need to erase the whole chandelier. Just one link.

[Analyzing Target: Ancient Iron Chain (Magically Reinforced Durability)]

[Warning: Target possesses high durability. 'Void Grasp (F)' Skill Rank likely insufficient. Failure Probability: 70%.]

A gamble. But the only one he had.

Waiting for a brief lull as the crossbowmen reloaded, Nihil peeked out from behind the altar. He stretched out his trembling hand, focusing his gaze on one specific link near the ceiling.

"Sink or swim," he rasped.

He channeled the last dregs of his Capacity, ignoring the flashing system warnings, and activated Void Grasp.

No sound. No flash. Just a moment of silence as one link in the middle of the chain winked out of existence.

For a fraction of a second, the massive chandelier seemed to hang, defying gravity. Then, with an ear-splitting metallic SCREECH, it plummeted.

CRUNCH!

The chandelier crashed onto the floor with devastating force, shattering stone tiles and spraying dust and debris in all directions. Knights yelled in shock, leaping back to avoid the impact. From her hidden perch, Velka saw Alban jump backward with surprising agility, his usually composed face twisted in pure fury at being outmaneuvered.

The chaos was the opening Nihil needed.

As dust choked the air, he didn't hesitate. Instead of running towards the now-blocked door, he turned. Behind the stone altar, a section of the wall looked different—its stones were older and cracked. One of Nihil's faintest memories whispered of servant stories regarding an ancient secret passage behind the chapel.

Summoning his last reserves of strength, he pushed against a loose stone. The wall slid inward, revealing a narrow, dark passageway smelling of damp earth.

Without a backward glance, Nihil slipped into the darkness. The stone wall slid shut behind him, swallowing him whole.

He left behind a shattered room, a furious brother, and a hidden sister whose world had just been turned upside down.