"Never forget what you're fighting for. Don't give up; square your shoulders and push forward. Embrace the fear of death and use it to become stronger. After all, why should you fear something inevitable? Death comes for all."

~Unknown

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He couldn't move. His entire body refused to listen to a single command. Not that his mind was any better, not with the pain numbing his every other thought and emotion. It had been a while since he felt like this. A week, maybe more?

Shit. Leo coughed, keeping his eyes shut. With all skills going dormant, there was no way he could ignore what happened to his back and stomach any longer.

The deep cut going from shoulder to shoulder wasn't that bad. It definitely hurt like hell, but it wasn't like he hadn't survived worse. No, it was the scorched flesh from the explosion that made life almost unbearable. Even after so much time, he could still feel the light affinity on his skin, trying to burn the exposed muscles.

Bastard is good.

He snorted, happy to just lay there and let his body put itself back together. He was never happier that he had bought the regeneration mutation. Without it, he might have already died.

'Leo! Hold on, I will be there in a moment,' Nyx suddenly screamed through their link, and he smiled a bit.

Take your time. I'm fine. Mostly. He still couldn't move more than a finger, but he would live, hopefully.

'Just stay awake!' She ordered and cut them off.

"Will do," he muttered, even if she couldn't hear him anymore.

Despite not liking how Hunter sacrificed himself, Nyx really was godsend for him. Their bond was special, and he would never give it away. Though, he still didn't know why his trait said their connection's strength was weak.

An issue for another day, not now. Leo grimaced as another flare of pain spread across his abdomen. If only he had enough Essence to jumpstart Reinforcement. Maybe it could soothe the burning a bit.

Yet, before he could complain more, a loud thud came from his right. His eyes snapped open as they fell on Nyx, who just dropped three bodies next to him. A quick scan told him that only two of those were Voidlings.

What?

'Eat,' the feline ordered again. 'I will carry you to safety, but heal at least a bit first. It isn't looking good.'

Right, with his strength gone, he didn't even take a look at the wound on his stomach after collapsing. All his observations came from the constant pain he felt, which, in hindsight, wasn't helping much. It just burned and burned, trying to eat his entire body away.

Let's see.

With more effort than ever, Leo rolled on his side and glanced down.

Ah, shit. It really isn't looking good.

The dark skin on his stomach was gone entirely; hell, his upper chest didn't look much better. The firm muscles beneath became twisted and sickly. Most of the flesh turned dark green as it bubbled like boiling water. Then, there were the few spots claimed by tiny golden globs. With only a single glance at them, he knew they were the main cause of his pain.

You need to get them off. Quick. He looked at Nyx. No way I can heal properly with this shit on me. Fucker's affinity works like some sort of a poison.

'Are you sure? You really should eat first,' the feline hesitated as he again laid on his back.

"After," he hissed. "Just... just do it."

Nyx nodded, and that was all Leo needed to see to close his eyes again. However, despite knowing what was coming, nothing could have prepared him for the pain that came a moment later.

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He screamed, or maybe roared, as something cool touched his stomach and ripped out the first golden blob. Then it happened again, and this time, he howled, his blades coming out on their own.

'Almost there!' Nyx's voice punched through the cloud of misery. 'Only one more left.'

As she said that, Leo roared again, his bloodlust coming out on its own and activating its ignite stage of Ruthless Efficiency. He didn't deactivate it and instead pounced on the bodies next to him with a sudden burst of strength.

Tendrils of shadows escaped his body and shot into the corpses, Devour following soon after. The skill rode on the wave of rage and consumed everything in a matter of seconds, not leaving even dust behind.

Leo fell to his knees again, his bloodlust retreating. The pain also lessened a bit, but a single look down confirmed that he was far from healed. Sure, his flesh lost some of its green coloring, but the skin was still gone. And the less said about his almost empty reserves, the better. For some reason, Devour didn't recover them at all.

"Well, at least one good thing came out of this." He chuckled, coughing out bits of blood in between. "I think I know how to use Devour with my shadows now."

'Of course that's what you care about,' Nyx snorted and picked him up with her tails. 'Rest now. I will get us to safety. Don't worry about anything.'

"Thanks," Leo muttered, letting the darkness claim him.

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His eyes opened slowly, and he blinked as night vision activated. A moment later, pain flared across his stomach, but it was far from what he felt before falling asleep. This time, he could move and breathe without wincing and flinching every second.

'You're awake.'

Even if the voice came from their link, Leo looked up, finding the feline curled in the corner of the small room. She, too, had her head raised, her glowing eyes staring right at him.

"So I am," he whispered, leaning against the wall behind him. His back ached a bit, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

'How do you feel?' She asked, her gaze never wavering.

"Been worse," Leo shrugged lightly. "Give me a few more hours, and I can fight again. A day or two, and I will be back to normal."

'You lost a lot of blood when I carried you,' she said as if she didn't hear him. 'If not for our link, I would have thought you have died.'

"Sorry for worrying you again," he sighed and looked around the small room once more. "Where are we?"

For a moment, the feline refused to answer. 'Random building not that far from where we fought. Also, it's close to nighttime. We have at most two hours before the darkness falls.'

Leo grimaced. He just had to black out for a few hours. Not good, not good at all.

"Why not take me to Lily? Maybe she could have helped with this," he motioned to his mangled stomach. It was healing, if a bit slowly.

Nyx scoffed. 'Your sister is only one person. I don't trust anyone else there. And even she...'

"Alright, got ya," he nodded, cutting her off. Why did he even ask when the answer was so obvious.

For a time, they sat in silence, listening to the distant screeches and howls. Leo didn't mind it at all. After everything he had gone through today, he welcomed the sudden peaceful atmosphere. However, like always, it didn't last long.

'What happened?' Nyx asked, and they both knew what she was talking about.

He sighed again. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

With that said, he opened his mind to her, focusing on the memory of the battle. The feline dived right in, and it only took her a few seconds to speak up again.

'His affinity,' she muttered. 'Your shadows didn't stand a chance.'

"Yeah... And it's not only that," Leo grumbled. "He always knew what I would do next. No matter how fast I attacked, no matter how much Essence I used, he always had a way to counter me. If not for the last technique..."

'It was the Void, right? Its true affinity?'

He shuddered, still remembering how powerful the Void's small spark felt in his hand. "It was perfect. I had to channel the entire stage two of Ruthless Efficiency to make it work, but this time, nothing was missing. I know how to do it again."

Not now though, not with his bloodlust asleep again. Its primal instincts of hunger and rage were the only reason the Void affinity answered his call.

'The System?' Nyx said, bringing him back to the reality.

Leo shook his head. "Haven't checked yet."

'Maybe you should.'

"Probably," he nodded.

'So?' She prodded, even nudging him with her tail.

"Fine, fine. Give me a moment," Leo rolled his eyes but did summon the System's waiting messages.

Warning! Passive Limit Break is now inactive. Recover to enable it again.

How surprising. He snorted. Next.

You have danced with death and lived. Survivor reward: +2 Might to Limit Break. Live long and fight till your last breath.

Leo blinked. Okay, that's new. I had no idea I could get rewards for random encounters. You really are always watching, System, ain't you?

You looked into the Void, and the Void answered. Its power is now yours. Wield it well, learn, and grow. It's only the beginning.

Minor True Affinity: Ruination, trait gained.

The passive of Spark of the Void is now unlocked.

Oh...