The air was still, the morning sun casting long shadows across the encampment as the cohort stared at the spot where Blank had just flown off in a sudden panic. Gazo stood at the front of the group, his brow furrowed in concern, his mind racing to comprehend what had just happened. Before anyone could speak, a figure approached them from the other side of the camp, moving with purpose.

The woman who appeared was tall and striking, with dark, flowing hair and eyes that seemed to pierce through the very soul of those she looked at. She carried herself with an air of authority, her gaze sharp and assessing as she walked up to Gazo.

"Who was that man?" she asked, her voice calm but carrying an undertone of urgency. "How do you know him, and what is his name?"

Gazo was taken aback by her directness. He hesitated, unsure of how to answer. Bruno, who had been watching the exchange, stepped forward, his expression one of confusion.

"Wait, who are you?" Bruno asked, his deep voice steady despite the sudden tension.

The woman turned her gaze to Bruno, studying him for a moment before responding. "My name is Talitha. I have abilities that allow me to read the minds of others and share their senses, like their vision or their feelings. I was trying to use my powers on that man the one who flew away in such a panic but when I did… his mind was empty."

"Empty?" Bakir asked, his voice full of curiosity. "What do you mean by that?"

Talitha nodded, her expression serious. "Yes, empty. No emotions, no memories. There was nothing there his mind was completely blank."

Gazo exchanged a glance with his team, a mix of concern and confusion on their faces. Flo, still shaken from Blank's sudden departure, asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "How is that even possible?"

Talitha sighed, her brow furrowing. "It's not something I've ever encountered before. Usually, when I try to read someone's mind, I'm met with a flood of their thoughts, emotions, memories everything that makes them who they are. But with him… it was like staring into a void. He didn't even resist my powers, which is something anyone with a strong will can easily do. He didn't realize I was there at all."

The cohort fell silent, the weight of her words settling over them like a heavy fog. After a moment, Gazo spoke up, his voice low and measured. "We met him recently, not long before we arrived here. He saved me from a fight I couldn't win on my own, but we don't know much about him. He doesn't speak of his past, and we've only observed that his fighting style is… strange. It's clumsy and lacks the experience of a trained fighter, but it's also incredibly precise."

Talitha's gaze flicked to each member of the cohort as they nodded in agreement. "So, you've noticed it too," she said thoughtfully. "It's like his mind isn't guiding his actions only his instincts are."

Chris leaned forward, his pale blue eyes narrowing in thought. "Instincts can only take you so far, though. It doesn't explain how he's able to fight with such precision."

Bruno, who had been silent until now, cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "There's something called clarity," he began, his tone thoughtful. "It's a state of mind that some warriors achieve, usually after years of training and in the heat of battle. You erase everything from your mind your memories, your emotions, every thought so you can focus entirely on the task at hand. It's incredibly difficult to achieve and even harder to maintain."

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He paused, letting his words sink in before continuing. "But from what you've described, it sounds like Blank—if that's what we're calling him—has somehow achieved this state of clarity outside of battle. If that's true, it would explain his fighting style. He's able to perceive the weaknesses of his opponents with incredible accuracy, but his body isn't strong enough to keep up, and his mind is constantly on the edge."

Talitha's eyes widened slightly as she processed Bruno's explanation. "You think he's suppressing everything—his memories, his emotions, his very self—just to function?"

Bruno nodded gravely. "It's possible. And if that's the case, it could be because of his ability to sense everything around him. He might be so overwhelmed by his own power that the only way he can survive is to shut down his mind completely and operate on pure instinct."

The group was silent for a moment, the gravity of the situation weighing on them. Finally, Talitha spoke again, her voice tinged with caution. "If that's true, then I need to be very careful. I tried to enter his mind, and I found nothing. But if he's achieved this clarity by running from his own abilities, then forcing my way into his mind could be dangerous."

Bruno nodded, his expression serious. "I'd advise against trying to use your powers on him again. We don't know the full scale of his abilities, and if his mind is that fragile, an overload could be catastrophic. You could end up causing him and yourself serious harm."

Talitha's lips pressed into a thin line as she absorbed Bruno's words. "I understand. I'll be careful. But we can't just leave him out there, especially not in the state he's in."

Gazo, who had been quiet for most of the conversation, stepped forward. "We need to follow him. He's a part of this now, whether he knows it or not. We need to make sure he's safe and find out what's really going on."

Bruno nodded in agreement. "You're right. Everyone, let's move out. We follow Blank and see where this leads."

The cohort quickly gathered their gear and prepared to follow Blank's trail. As they moved through the camp and out into the open, the tension in the air grew palpable. The sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky, casting long, eerie shadows over the landscape. The group pressed forward, their senses on high alert.

As they moved further from the camp, a dreadful presence began to settle over them, a feeling of unease that gnawed at the edges of their consciousness. It was subtle at first, a faint whisper of something dark and malevolent. But as they continued, the sensation grew stronger, more oppressive.

Gazo's steps slowed as the feeling intensified. His instincts screamed at him that something was terribly wrong, something far worse than any monster they had faced before. He wasn't alone each member of the cohort could feel it too, a creeping dread that seemed to seep into their very bones.

Then, suddenly, they saw it.

A colossal gate appeared in the sky above them, towering over the landscape like a dark omen. Its surface was an intricate weave of ancient symbols and swirling patterns, all pulsing with a deep, foreboding energy. The gate was massive, easily visible from miles away, and it radiated a power so intense that it made the air around them vibrate with its presence.

Talitha and Bruno, who had been leading the group, both stopped dead in their tracks. They stood still, staring up at the gate with wide eyes, their faces pale and expressions frozen in fear.

The rest of the cohort, confused and alarmed, came to a halt behind them. "Why are we stopping?" Bakir asked, his voice tense.

But neither Talitha nor Bruno could answer. They were both paralyzed with fear, their bodies trembling as they stared at the colossal gate. It was as if the sight of it had triggered something deep within them, a memory or a feeling too powerful to ignore.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Talitha managed to speak, her voice a whisper filled with terror. "Fallen Domains…"

Bruno echoed her, his deep voice shaking with dread. "Fallen Domains…"

The two of them stood together, their eyes locked on the gate in the sky, their minds gripped by the horror of the past. The rest of the cohort looked on, their confusion only deepening as they tried to understand what could possibly cause such fear in two people who had faced countless dangers before.

But as they stared at the gate, they knew one thing for certain—whatever lay beyond it was far more dangerous than anything they had ever encountered. And the man they now called Blank was heading straight toward it.