"Who are you?!" Leo growled even as his body still refused to move. "What did you do to me?"

The red lizard humanoid rolled its eyes and walked around him. "I told you, child, to control yourself. Don't let your bloodlust cloud your judgment; don't let it control you. You are a Prime. Act like one."

He scowled. "Like that means anything to me! It's just a title attached to my evolution, nothing more."

The creature chuckled. "Nothing more? My dear Void, you really are clueless. But what else did I expect from a former human?" It spat the last word like venom before letting out a sigh. "Very well... While you work on putting your bloodlust to sleep, I will enlighten you."

Leo narrowed his eyes as his body turned against his will to face the red ghost again. His rage begged for him to fight, to slaughter the last enemy in sight, but no matter how well he channeled this anger, he still couldn't move even a finger.

Motherfucker. Sooner or later, you will die. He vowed, taking a few calming breaths. "I'm listening, whoever you are."

"My name is not important. I'm just a shade of a long-dead Akirian," the creature explained and sat down on the ground. "Now, where was I? Ah yes... As you may have already found out, there are two special evolution types in the Void. Apex and Prime."

"The truth behind Apex evolutions is simple. Those creatures are just stronger and a bit more unique versions of Voidlings. Nothing else, nothing more, as you put it," the ghost shot him a mocking grin. "Now Primes... That's a title that can only be attached to an Akirian, to the greatest race in existence."

He snorted, interrupting the monologue. "And yet, you're dead. Where is that greatness of yours?"

The red shade snarled, appearing right in his face. "Hold your tongue, child. You know nothing about the life I've led."

For the first time since he appeared here, Leo felt a chill travel down his spine as he looked into the fiery eyes before him. Even his bloodlust backed off a bit, returning more clarity to his mind.

"Sorry," he muttered.

The ghost took a few steps back, shaking its head. "Apology accepted, young Akirian. You must also forgive me… We have waited for the birth of a new Prime since the last universe collapsed. To learn that you were once a human is..."

"Disappointing?" Leo supplied.

"No, never that," the shade quickly denied with a sharp look. "Confused is a much better way to describe how the ten of us felt when we arrived here. Maybe a bit angry too."

His brow furrowed. "The ten of you? You mean?"

The creature nodded. "Indeed. All of us were Prime Akirians before we died."

Huh. Leo blinked, trying to come up with a response to that. He failed and so decided to change the subject. "So Primes. What are we really?"

The shade's eyes lit up at that. "To put it simply, we are one of the most unique creations in the whole Void. Only a single Prime can be born to any Akirian evolution, and even then, it rarely happens. We are the elite of the elite, the ones that bring death wherever we go. Some even go as far as to call us Death Reapers, but that's presumptuous."

I'm glad there is at least some limit to our self-importance. He wanted to say but stopped himself. He doubted his little joke would be appreciated.

Instead, he settled for another question. "That's great and all, but doesn’t say much. I get we're stronger, but is that really it?"

"Not in the slightest." The shade grinned. "Two things, child. Control and the power of Legacy. Tell me. What do you remember of your Prime title?"

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He frowned, digging through his head for an answer. "Respect from other new Akirians and... possible control of other Night Hunters."

"Exactly. As you grow stronger and evolve, you will find that controlling Voidlings will be possible with your presence alone. Even some Akirians, those not related to you, will be happy to follow you. There is a reason why all higher-ups of Ediovr are Primes."

Leo froze as a mutter left his lips. "The Barons and Lords."

"You know of them. Good." The shade then gripped his shoulders, its claws digging into his skin. "Listen closely, child. Never, and I say, never try to oppose those monsters. They will destroy you and devour your power. I made that mistake and paid for it with my life. Stay away from Ediovr!"

His frown only deepened. "Something doesn’t make sense here. Before, you made it sound like the Primes are one big family that supports each other. But now this?"

The red ghost exploded in laughter. "Family? Maybe in death, yes. But not when we are alive. Not when killing other Primes offers us a permanent power boost."

Of course, it does. Why am I not surprised? Leo sighed. "That's the other thing you spoke of, right? The power of Legacy?"

"Partially," the shade inclined its head. "You will find out the rest once you wake up. The System will explain everything. Just remember to take a look into your soul."

Something still wasn't right here. "Why now? Why not after my previous evolution?"

The ghost snorted. "You might have received the title of a Prime back then, but you still weren't one, at least not fully. No creature, no matter how strong, can change into an Akirian and Prime with one evolution. Only now, the process is almost complete."

Leo nodded as, looking back, it made sense. He went from almost pure human to Void elite in the span of a week. Stuff like that didn't happen without at least some period of transition. It looked like the Prime Night Hunter evolution was just that for him.

Though...

"Wait! Almost complete? Is that why you're here? Is this some sort of a test?"

"And thus, we arrive at the source of the problem," the shade grumbled. "Normally, we don't interfere in evolutions. However, if we didn’t, one day you would lose yourself to bloodlust completely."

With that, Leo finally realized what this was all about. "My Apex aspect, Hunter."

"Precisely," the creature muttered, its gaze turning soft. "You've been doing well trying to control your bloodlust, but the point remains… You and the instincts left behind by your Apex aspect were desynchronized. They would take over one day if we didn't step in."

"What did you do?" He asked, looking down at his hands.

"What we had to. With the System's permission, I and nine others invaded your subconsciousness and stripped you of your power. That's why you awoke back in your human body."

Leo nodded after a moment. "And now, after killing the others, I'm back to normal." He looked up at the shade. "Does it mean that the issue with my bloodlust is gone?"

"Not exactly… By slowly infusing you back with your power, we resynchronized you and the Apex instincts. Now, you are truly one being. However," the shade raised its hand to stop any questions. "You will never be like other Akirians. Your bloodlust is fully under your control without any limiters, but it's also wilder and more unstable than any other. It will always have a stronger effect on you. Yet, as long as you're aware of this issue, you should be able to handle it. No, you must handle it and make it your weapon."

Silence claimed the vast empty space as Leo struggled with the thoughts in his head. The stage three evolution was supposed to happen without any issues, but fate evidently had different plans for him. Although, he didn't expect to learn that if not for some ancient dead Akirians, he would become a slave to his instincts in the future.

I can already see how happy Nyx will be when I tell her about this. And she was so sure everything was fine. He dragged a hand across his face before directing his gaze back to the other Prime.

"So this is it?"

The shade smiled. "Almost. While the nine before me held back your old power, I took the brunt of your new evolution. You know what you have to do, Leo Hale. Kill me and claim what is yours."

At once, the command of his body returned. He almost collapsed, only for the ghost to catch him before he could. "I guess I can't make you stay a bit longer and explain some stuff about the Void?"

The red creature shook its head with a chuckle. "I fear not. It's time for me to return behind the veil to join the rest of our dead kin. Good luck, young Prime. We will be watching you."

Leo nodded, and with a snap, he plunged one of his extended blades into the shade's stomach. Slowly, it turned into smoke, offering him a final smile.

As the last of the ancient Prime disappeared, the light around him diminished until only darkness remained. Not even a second later, the familiar dizziness returned, lulling him to sleep once more.

His eyes closed as he collapsed to the ground, a soft smile on his face.

Thank you.