"Hunter?" Leo muttered, gazing up at the eyes full of intelligence. He then shook his head lightly, the feminine voice still echoing in his mind. "No... not Hunter... Nikra... You woke up?"

'No...' The voice spoke once more right into his head. 'I am neither the Old One you call Nikra nor your Apex aspect you named Hunter. I'm more and less than them...'

"Wha... You're not making any sense," Leo growled, rising from the ground on trembling legs. "Where is Hunter? Why do you sound like Nikra?"

'Careful,' the huge beast murmured, her three tails wrapping around Leo for support. 'You have questions, I know. You will get your answers, but please rest for now... Your last Takeover almost killed you.'

Leo blinked even as the beast's tails lowered him to the ground. Killed me? But I don't feel anything except-

'Exhaustion. Precisely...' The unknown finished for him. 'When combined with Reinforcement, Limit Break, and Focused Bloodlust, that last move was close to bringing you over the edge.'

That doesn't make sense. Leo narrowed his eyes, almost glaring at the beast. This was Hunter's idea, and he always warned me if there was no point in taking over Voidlings. What is going on here?"

'Your Apex aspect was correct,' the beast spoke up, answering Leo's thoughts again. 'With your synchronization complete, you two should have crushed the previous host of my body... Unfortunately, there was a complication.'

As the familiar voice once more reverberated through his head, Leo swallowed. He had a few ideas of what the complications could be.

"Nikra... What did she do?"

'Good. You catch on quickly. As expected from Hunter's Mortal aspect.' The Voidling gave him a large feline grin. 'Nikra's consciousness was dying... Over the years, she spent a lot of power adjusting the world around her. And then, when you finally found her shard, it all went wrong.'

"You mean..." Leow whispered, clenching his fists. "You mean she planned to betray me anyway? That her story was just a bunch of bullshit? And here I almost felt bad fo-"

'No!' The beast hissed. 'Everything the Old One told you was true. However, she miscalculated, terribly at that... Nikra thought she understood the System, understood evolutions, but she was wrong, so very wrong.'

Without giving Leo a chance to process the new information, the Voidling continued. 'The instant shard bonding with you was her first mistake, and the forceful advancement of your Install item the next one. At that point, she should have stopped trying to contact you and recovered. Yes, it would have left you in the dark for longer, but at least this way, her consciousness wouldn't become trapped after your evolution, slowly dying as her power refused to regenerate.'

"Hold up!" Leo furrowed his brow, not even looking at the beast any longer. "How can I trust you're not lying? And how is all of this even possible? She was a fucking goddess, an all-powerful being capable of destroying planets with the wave of her hand."

The beast sighed, lying down next to him. 'You are forgetting a crucial fact, Leo... This Nikra was just a shard, one of three. It might have housed some of her consciousness and power, but it was far from enough for everything she had planned. The Old One was just too blind to see it, too focused on her rebirth. Or at least she was until the end...'

'As for me lying?' The Voidling whispered, her bright eyes peering into his. 'Tell me, Leo... When you hear my words echoing through your mind, through your soul. What do you feel?'

Frowning, Leo closed his eyes and dived towards the link with the beast. Unlike right after using the Void technique, the connection wasn't just another tiny speck in his mind. No, this one shone brightly, with emotions and thoughts constantly traveling through it. The link even carried a familiar weight, one he had grown used to with Hunter in his mind.

'See now?' The beast uttered softly, the words wrapping around Leo like a blanket. 'I might not be Hunter anymore, but his legacy still lives on. Just like you and him, we are one, bonded forever. We will fight and die together. That I promise you.'

No feeling could hide from Leo as the Voidling spoke, her warmth, honesty, and protectiveness almost overflowing his mind. It truly wasn't any different from the moment when he and Hunter synchronized for the last time.

"Fine..." Leo muttered, almost inaudible. "What really happened then? Spare no details."

The beast laid her head upon her paws, reconnecting the eye contact. 'When you used Minor Takeover, Nikra tried to escape into this body. It was compatible and quite strong for this stage of the Outbreak. The escape might have worked too if it wasn't for one other being.'

Hunter...

'Indeed.' The beast tilted its head. 'You need to understand that Hunter is a part of every Akirian's defense system. Those separate consciousnesses are meant to protect, teach, and fight alongside their hosts. They are the ultimate predators, Apexes that will never betray their Mortal aspects.'

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Despite all that had happened, Leo smiled. So that's what you really were, Hunter. There was never a reason to fear you, eh? At least not as long as I accepted you... You always had my well-being in mind... But if that's the case, then why interfere?

'Because Nikra's escape didn't come without a risk,' The Voidling quickly explained. 'When she used Takeover to escape, the technique got overpowered and began draining way too much Essence. That itself isn't a problem, but at some point, it tried to use a part of your soul for fuel... Hunter didn't like that and acted.'

"So I really would be dead now if it wasn't for him..."

The beast nodded. 'That's the most likely outcome, but I can't be sure. There was a chance you could have ended up crippled or just injured for a time. Not like Hunter could accept any of those outcomes.'

Leo chuckled. "So what did he do?"

'After leaving almost all of his power with you, Hunter attacked Nikra's consciousness. He tried to force her back into your soul, but he could only do so much against an Old One, no matter how weakened she was.'

The large feline offered Leo another grin. 'Of course, that wasn't enough to stop Hunter. He channeled the strength of Prime's Rage and this time, he pushed both himself and Nikra out, using the power he generated to fuel Minor Takeover.'

"So that's what you meant by Hunter's legacy living on," Leo commented. "You are a combination of Nikra and Hunter."

The beast shook her head. 'Not exactly. With two passengers and a technique so primitive, the transfer shattered their minds into pieces. All would have been lost if, at the end of the road, Nikra hadn't realized there would be no winning this fight... With the remnants of her power, she collected all the remaining pieces and glued them together with the soul and mind of the Voidling you defeated.'

'So even if it was Nikra's fault, she gave me life,' she muttered, looking into the vast Void above them. 'I won't waste it. I will fight for it with tooth and claw, with Essence and blood. I will help you devour the world if needed. Nothing will stop us.'

Bold words, Leo chuckled as the beast's unwavering conviction flowed through their link. There was no way he could say anything against her vow, nor did he want to. I will miss you, Hunter, but I am glad that at least a part of you lives on... Until we meet again, mate.

Ignoring the fact that the beast definitely heard his thoughts, Leo spoke up. "So what shall I call you. Gonna inherit Nikra's name?"

'No,' she shook her head. 'I'm not her and never will be. I shall create my own path with you, Leo. That's why I want you to give me a name, just like you did for Hunter.'

Ah shit... Leo grimaced. "You know I'm pants at naming anything, right? Hunter was an exception, not the rule."

The unnamed entity chuckled, the soft and musical laughter spreading through their minds. 'I know, but I count on you, Leo. Just like you can count on me.'

Laying it a bit thick, aren't we? Leo snorted even as he plunged into his memories, searching for a good name. Overall, just like he expected, there weren't many acceptable ideas and even fewer good ones.

However, just as he was about to give up, Leo glanced at the darkness amongst the red and violet of the Void. A certain memory flashed before his eyes, pulling a small smile onto his face.

"Nyx," Leo whispered. "The Lady of the Night... I think it's fitting, considering our situation."

The large feline blinked, rolling her tongue over her sharp teeth. 'Nyx... Yes, I see. It shall be my name from now on, and one day, I will surpass its meaning. Thank you, Leo.'

"The pleasure is mine," he shrugged. As long as she didn't hate the name, it was okay with him. Nyx is definitely much better than Leonardo; can't argue with that.

Clearing his throat, Leo stopped the onslaught of happiness and eagerness through the link. "I've been meaning to ask. Nikra's power. Do you have it?"

As Nyx rose to her six legs, she shook her head. 'No, I might carry a bit of her Essence, but it isn't even a tiny spark compared to the shard in your body. Remember, I was born out of broken pieces. Shattered memories and instincts are almost all I inherited.'

Not what I wanted to hear, but maybe those memories can help us. Void knows I have plenty of questions to ask. Leo frowned. "And what about Hunter's. Will I be fine without him if you only received pieces?"

Nyx's head fell suddenly, her eyes refusing to meet his. 'I won't lie... Despite the full synchronization carrying over, our partnership will never be the same as yours and Hunter's. I have my own body, while you now have full access to the bloodlust and rage once hidden in your mind.'

"So that's what I felt back then..." Leo noted silently. "I take that shouldn't have happened."

'No,' Nyx whispered. 'The rage of the Prime, the hunger for blood you now feel constantly, should always be carefully managed by an Akirian's Apex side. Without this buffer, it might overwhelm you one day.'

As Leo opened his mouth, Nyx beat him to the punch. 'But you're not alone, Leo. I promised to carry Hunter's legacy, and I will. Don't forget it. Just give us some time, and we will find a workaround.'

It's always time. Leo snorted, climbing to his feet now that his legs stopped shaking. I just hope we won't run out of it. Not now, not ever.

'Leo,' Nyx nudged him with her snout. 'It will be fine.'

Giving the feline an awkward pat on the head, Leo smiled as best as he could considering the situation. "Love the confidence. Just make sure you don't leave it behind."

'I won't!' Nyx shouted, her tails swishing wildly. 'But before we go, I have something to show you.'

Leo quirked a nonexistent eyebrow, waiting for Nyx to continue. Yet, even though he was aware of his surroundings, nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.

Suddenly, something snatched Leo's consciousness out of his body and threw it into the Void. Colors flashed in front of his eyes, ever-changing. Darkness, space, violet, and red. He had seen it all as the journey continued.

Then, just as quickly as the trip began, it stopped just as fast, freezing the world around Leo. Only shades of grey surrounded him, all of them blurry and distorted. Yet even then, one thing remained as clear as the sky.

Well fuck...