Back at HQ, Val walked the dimly lit corridors, the echo of his own footsteps a steady rhythm in the otherwise silent halls.

Though the mission had been successful, the unsettling encounter with Malik had left a lingering unease, his cryptic words weighing heavily in Val's mind.

He kept his gaze straight ahead, but he felt the faint shadows of his comrades' whispers in the background, the weight of expectation and concern.

As he reached the strategic operations room, a familiar figure was waiting. Dr. Lewis leaned over a desk covered with documents, holograms of tactical data flickering above it.

"You're looking for patterns, aren't you?" Val said quietly as he approached, his voice barely above a murmur.

Dr. Lewis nodded, his eyes fixed on the floating data. "What Malik implied… Hades' Wrath and Black Lotus seem to be accelerating their plans, but it seems it's related to the relic we retrieve a year ago…" He trailed off, his gaze sharpening as he met Val's eyes.

Val's expression didn't waver. "Seems like it, since they've targeted me before, and with what Malik said about the Bellator bloodline, there's definitely a connection."

Dr. Lewis' brows knitted in concern. "Yes, and that's what worries me."

Just then, Bo, Riggs, and Fon entered, a faint air of tension clinging to them. They were quiet as they gathered around, all sharing an unspoken understanding. The atmosphere grew tense, each team member anticipating some revelation or decision from Val.

Val took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his responsibility pressing down on him. "We'll continue to analyze the documents and see if we can break any codes, but right now, we have to be on high alert. Whatever their reasons, Hades' Wrath and Black Lotus aren't going to relent."

Bo crossed his arms, his expression grim. "We need to keep our eyes on everything—their movements, the people they're targeting. They're likely trying to break us apart, one way or another."

Fon nodded, his gaze dark and intense. "Agreed. If Malik's hinting at some greater plan, they'll be looking for cracks in our defenses. We can't let anything slip through."

As the team dispersed, Val lingered behind, his gaze falling on Dr. Lewis. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Do you know anything about the ruin stones?"

Dr. Lewis looked surprised, then thoughtful. "I've read fragments of ancient texts that mention ruin stones, powerful artifacts linked to both creation and destruction. They're rarely spoken of outside the old archives. Why do you ask?"

Val hesitated, then shook his head. "Just something I came across."

Dr. Lewis studied him with a knowing gaze, but didn't press further. "If you do find any leads on these stones, be careful. They're said to require… sacrifices."

The reminder echoed in Val's mind as he left the room. He had known of the ruin stones' cost, but it was one thing to read about it and another to confront it directly.

Back at the Bellator Manor that night, Val sat by the window, staring into the vast darkness beyond the glass. He could feel Deleo's quiet presence, his shadowy form hovering just beyond the edge of perception.

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"What are you thinking, Val?" Deleo's voice echoed softly in his mind.

"About the ruin stones," Val replied internally. "About the sacrifices they demand. How do we find them? We were just lucky before, we came across two."

Deleo's shadowy figure solidified slightly, his hollow eyes watching Val intently. "The ruin stones are hidden, concealed by seals only certain bloodlines can access. Finding them won't be as simple as before, and each one will test you in ways beyond the physical."

Val's gaze drifted from the darkness outside back to Deleo. "You've mentioned the cost before. Sacrifices… one of my senses. You know how far I'm willing to go to control the Void, but what I don't understand is… why each stone requires such a price. What's the real purpose behind it?"

Deleo's form flickered as though caught in a silent struggle. "The ruin stones were forged by the Primordials as anchors—vessels for immense power but bound by their own rules. They weren't intended for mortals, and even the Bellator bloodline was only ever meant to wield fragments of that power, enough to protect, to guard, not to control.

The sacrifices? They're not just an arbitrary cost. Each one brings you closer to the Void, testing your resolve, your resilience, but also what's left of your humanity. Only by giving up pieces of yourself can you become… tempered."

Val's hands clenched as he considered the weight of Deleo's words. It was one thing to believe he could withstand the darkness within him, but another to embrace the idea that it required his own essence—his senses, his very self—to keep it in check. "You sound almost as if you're… warning me.", he muttered close to a whisper.

"I am," Deleo said, his voice carrying an unfamiliar edge. "The Void hungers for what it cannot have. And if you tread too close to its nature, it will take more than just your senses. It will take you."

Silence fell between them, heavy and unbroken, as Val turned to look back out the window, into the abyss of the night sky. The stars seemed dim and distant, as though echoing the uncertainty that now clawed at his mind.

"So this is what it means," Val murmured, his voice almost a whisper. "To carry the bloodline. To be 'chosen' by the Void."

Deleo's form shifted, seeming almost sorrowful. "You are not bound by fate, Val. You still have choices—paths that can lead you away from the ruin stones, away from this legacy."

Val shook his head, a grim determination settling in his eyes. "This is my path, Deleo. I won't let it end with me losing control, or putting anyone else in danger. If these stones are the only way, then I'll find them, no matter the cost."

Val paused, he cast a gaze downwards, with sadness in his tone. "I don't know how you could endure seeing the closest to you getting consumed by your power. I know you tried to help my ancestors, especially Reinhart. I can feel your pain, Deleo. I felt it."

Deleo's gaze softened, a shadow of sorrow flickering across his usually steady, distant expression. His voice, typically laced with the steel of purpose, softened to a near-whisper. "I was bound to them, Val. I swore an oath not just to protect, but to bear witness—to endure as they did, through the same cycles of struggle, even if it meant watching them falter or... fall."

Val felt the depth of Deleo's words settle within him, touching something raw and vulnerable beneath his own stoic resolve.

"Reinhart... he was the strongest, yet the cost was the heaviest for him. Each ancestor gave something—some, a sliver of themselves; others, almost everything. I watched them lose more than just senses or memories. I watched them lose hope."

His voice grew even softer. "To see those I guided for centuries become nothing more than hollow shells… or worse, ceased to exist... I would not wish that on anyone. Not on you, Val."

"I know."

Val turned his gaze back to the night sky, a cold determination building within him.

"I won't let that happen, Deleo. I won't lose myself. But I also won't let this power destroy anyone else. My team, my brothers, the people who trust me... they deserve better than that."

Deleo observed him in silence, the faintest glimmer of pride in his shadowed eyes. "Then you must remember, Val, that the ruin stones are only part of your journey. Strength alone isn't enough to resist the Void's pull. Each step you take toward these stones brings you closer to a reckoning—a moment where you will face what you fear most. You must be ready to confront that part of yourself... to sacrifice it, if you must."

Val gave a slow nod, the weight of his oath solidifying in his chest. "Then I'll find these stones," he said, his voice steady, unyielding. "And I'll keep my humanity, no matter what it takes. Reinhart's legacy doesn't end with suffering; it ends with redemption."