Val woke with a start, a searing pain tearing through his left eye. His vision blurred, and he felt as though a red-hot knife was carving through his skull. Gritting his teeth, he sat up, struggling to catch his breath as the agony intensified, each pulse worse than the last.

'This is it,' he realized, each breath like swallowing shards of glass. 'The fifth seal is calling.'

He pushed himself to his feet, barely able to see as he staggered out of his quarters, clutching his left eye. The hallways of HQ spun around him, the world tilting as he forced himself toward the command center. He couldn't do this alone—not this time.

Dr. Lewis spotted him immediately, his gaze sharp and filled with worry as he hurried to Val's side. "Val, what's going on? Are you—"

"It's the fifth seal," Val grunted, his voice rough with pain. "I… I need the sublevel chamber. Now."

Dr. Lewis's eyes darkened with understanding. He didn't ask questions, only gave a curt nod, placing a steadying hand on Val's shoulder. "Then let's go. I'll unlock it for you."

Together, they made their way to the chamber deep within HQ. Val's vision continued to blur, his eye throbbing with an intensity that left him breathless. He could sense the weight of Dr. Lewis's concern, though the doctor said nothing. Just before he entered the chamber, Dr. Lewis paused, his hand lingering on the door panel.

"Val…" he began, his voice low. "Whatever lies within this seal, remember that you are not alone in facing it. We're all here."

Val nodded, a faint, determined smile tugging at his lips. "Thank you, Doc. I'll… I'll come back."

Dr. Lewis nodded, stepping back as the chamber doors closed behind Val, sealing him within the cold, sterile darkness. The silence was absolute, the weight of the upcoming ordeal pressing down on him like a physical force.

"Deleo?" Val called out, the words barely more than a whisper.

A familiar presence settled over him, calm yet tinged with a rare tension. "I'm here, Val. The fifth seal will be… unlike any you have encountered before. This is the final lock, the one meant to truly test your resolve."

Val swallowed, steeling himself. "Then guide me. I'm ready."

"Very well," Deleo's voice softened, a note of sadness weaving through his tone. "But be cautious. This test is not just about strength—it's about everything that makes you who you are."

The world around him faded, the chamber's cold walls dissolving into a vast, empty whiteness. Val felt himself drifting in the strange, boundless expanse, his footsteps echoing softly in the silence. In the distance, he saw two faint figures, shrouded in purple flames—the souls of his brothers, Ember and Exeo, their forms suspended and surrounded by the fiery barrier that marked their bond.

But standing beside them, his figure dark and menacing, was the Void itself. A twisted smile spread across its face, eyes gleaming with a hunger that made Val's blood run cold.

"Valens," it purred, its voice slick and taunting, laced with a dark amusement. "How brave of you to come this far. And for what, really? To retrieve a power you can barely understand?"

Val's fists clenched, his breathing harsh as he forced himself to meet the Void's mocking gaze. "I'm not here to bargain or play your games. I'm here for my brothers. Nothing more."

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The Void laughed, a sound that echoed in the white emptiness, cold and bone-chilling. "Oh, Valens… you truly believe yourself capable of saving them, don't you?" It leaned forward, its eyes gleaming with malicious delight. "And yet, you continue to rely on a power that you barely control. You're just like all the others—doomed to fall."

Val's jaw tightened, rage flickering in his chest. "I'm not like the others. I'll break through this seal. I'll defeat you, you basard!"

The Void's smile widened, its expression twisting into something dark and sinister. "Is that so? Then let's put your conviction to the test."

It snapped its fingers, and a dark, swirling mass of energy erupted from its hand, twisting into a writhing tendril that snaked toward Ember and Exeo's souls.

"No!" Val shouted, his body moving instinctively as he leaped in front of them, raising his arms in a desperate shield.

The Void's laughter rang out again, a mocking, cruel sound that grated against Val's nerves. "Pathetic," it sneered, sending another tendril of dark energy crashing toward him.

Val grunted, his body jolting with pain as the impact rattled through his bones. Blood trickled down his arm, staining the whiteness beneath him, but he held his ground, refusing to let the Void break his resolve.

"You… won't… touch them!" he spat, his voice a growl of defiance.

The Void tilted its head, feigning interest. "Such bravado, but for how long, I wonder?" With a flick of its hand, it unleashed a torrent of energy, a dark wave that crashed against Val like a storm, knocking him to the ground. Pain lanced through his body, sharp and searing, yet he forced himself to rise, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"You are but a speck in my vastness," the Void taunted, its voice cold and empty. "Your brothers' souls… they could be mine with a single thought. And yet here you are, fighting for them like a fool."

Val wiped a trickle of blood from his lip, his teeth bared. "You'll never have them. I'll burn this entire space to ash before I let you take them."

The Void's expression twisted into a sneer, its tendrils lashing out, faster this time, coiling around Val's body like snakes. He felt their cold, suffocating grip tighten, squeezing the air from his lungs as they dug into his flesh. Pain shot through him, a white-hot agony that left him gasping, his vision blurring as he struggled to free himself.

"Is this really worth it?" the Void whispered, its voice slithering into his mind like poison. "You already hold the title of ARM user. What more could you want? Power? You have it. Glory? It's yours. Why risk everything… for them?"

Val gritted his teeth, his voice a hoarse whisper as he fought against the suffocating grip. "Because… they're my family. They're my reason. And I'd burn a thousand times over for them."

The Void's smile faded, replaced by a dark, simmering fury. "Fool," it spat, its tendrils tightening, pressing into his flesh until blood began to seep from the wounds. "You would sacrifice yourself for them? You would give up everything you've fought for, everything you've become?"

"Yes," Val gasped, his vision darkening as he forced himself to hold onto that truth, that unwavering resolve. "Because without them… none of this means anything."

The Void's expression twisted with rage, its tendrils tightening in a violent, bone-crushing grip. "Then suffer, Valens. Suffer for your foolishness!"

With a flick of its wrist, the Void released him, sending him hurtling backward, his body slamming into the ground with brutal force. He groaned, coughing as pain wracked his body, blood trickling from his mouth. His limbs felt heavy, his vision blurred, but he forced himself to rise, his breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps.

"Is that all you've got?" he taunted, his voice a rasp but laced with defiance. "Come on, you bastard… show me what you're really made of."

The Void's eyes narrowed, its expression twisting into a mask of pure fury. "You want to see my true power, Valens? Then so be it."

A massive, violent tornado of dark energy erupted from the Void's body, twisting and writhing like a beast unchained. Val's eyes widened as the monstrous force surged toward him, its size and ferocity beyond anything he could comprehend.

He raised his arms, bracing himself, but the tornado struck with unrelenting force, slamming into him with the weight of a thousand storms. His body was tossed like a rag doll, his screams swallowed by the deafening roar as he was pulled into the eye of the storm. He struggled to shield himself, but the darkness was all-encompassing, pressing in on him from every side, suffocating and endless.

His vision faded, the world dissolving into pure, consuming darkness—the Void itself, swallowing him whole.