The Shackled Void

The night at Nocturne Manor deepened, concealing newly awakened secrets and charting fresh paths of destiny.

The darkness within the secret passage was total and suffocating. The air hung cold and damp, thick with the scent of earth and stone untouched by light for centuries. As the stone wall sealed behind him, the sounds of chaos from the chapel muffled into distant echoes, then vanished entirely.

Nihil slumped against the rough wall, his body finally giving out. His legs buckled, and he slid down onto the uneven floor. Overwhelming exhaustion, deeper than mere physical fatigue, flooded him.

A notification appeared in his mind, unprompted this time.

[Capacity: 0 / 15 (DEPLETED)]

[Warning: Extreme Physical and Mental Fatigue Detected. Immediate Rest Recommended to Initiate Capacity Regeneration.]

He had survived. Heze's analytical mind repeated the fact over and over, trying to digest it. He, a cognitive economist with zero combat experience, had survived six trained knights and a ruthless nobleman. Not through brute force, but through observation, strategy, and one successful gamble. This small victory felt more tangible than anything he'd achieved on Vega Terra.

In the silence and temporary safety, he realized the Nihility Code wasn't just a curse. It was a tool. A weapon. The only thing standing between him and death.

"I need to know more," he whispered into the darkness. Focusing his mind, he summoned the system's main interface, this time intent on studying it carefully.

A complex holographic window materialized in his consciousness. Several tabs were visible: Status, Skills, Quests, and one blinking ominously in red: Curse.

He opened the Status tab.

```

Name: Nihil Aethernis Nocturne / Heze

Lineage: House Nocturne (Cursed)

Level: 1

---

[Core Attributes]

Strength: F

Agility: F+

Endurance: E-

Intelligence: A (Heze Soul Impact)

Magic: - (Rejected by Curse)

---

[Affinity Attributes]

Void Affinity: SSS

```

Heze almost laughed. His physical stats were pathetic. No wonder this body felt so weak. But Intelligence: A and Void Affinity: SSS were glaring anomalies. That was his power.

He switched to the Skills tab. Only [Void Grasp (F)] was active. Below it, several slots were greyed out: [Void Memory (Locked)], [Sovereign's Afterimage (Locked)]. Requirements were listed beside them: [Void Sync 10% Required], [Depth 3 Required]. It gave him a clear roadmap for growth.

Finally, he opened the blinking Curse tab.

```

[Active Curse: Shackles of Nihility]

Effect: Rejects all external energy. Severs empathic connections. Propels user toward Singularity.

[Current Void Sync: 1.6%]

```

The percentage had risen slightly after the fight. The curse seemed to grow stronger with stress and power usage. It was a double-edged sword.

Back in the shattered chapel, Alban's fury smoldered amidst dust and debris.

"Find him! Tear that altar apart! I want every rat hole in this manor searched!" he barked at his still-shaken knights.

"That's enough, Alban."

A calm yet authoritative voice cut through his rage. From the shadowed corridor, an elderly man in black silk robes stepped into the wreckage. His face was lined with weary wrinkles, but his eyes were sharp and calculating. Valerius Nocturne, the Patriarch, had arrived.

He didn't look at Alban. His gaze swept the destruction – the erased sword, the fallen chandelier, and most importantly, the slightly ajar secret passage behind the cracked altar.

"Father," Alban growled. "The aberration escaped. It's stronger than we thought. I'll lead the hunt myself."

"You will do no such thing," Valerius countered, his voice flat. He finally turned his gaze to his eldest son, and it held cold disappointment. "What do you think this is? A hunt for a wild beast? You triggered alarms throughout the manor. You let it display its power. You acted rashly and emotionally."

"It must be eradicated!" Alban protested.

"Of course it must," Valerius said, walking towards the chandelier wreckage. "But not by you. Not like this. If word spreads that 'the cursed Nocturne son has risen from death with terrifying powers,' what do you imagine the Empire will do? Or worse, the hunters from the Umbra Venari? They'll come knocking. The reputation I built over decades will crumble overnight."

Valerius stopped and fixed Alban with a piercing stare. "Our priority isn't execution. Our priority is containment and secrecy."

He turned to one of his trusted head stewards waiting anxiously in the doorway.

"Lock down the entire lower wing. Double the guards. No one enters or leaves without my express permission," he ordered. Then, lowering his voice to barely a whisper, he added, "Go to my chambers. Use the communication mirror behind the painting. Contact 'The Silencer'."

The steward swallowed hard, his face paling further.

"Tell him," Valerius continued, his weary eyes now glinting with hidden cruelty, "our 'valuable asset' has slipped its leash. Request he come to retrieve it. Usual fee."