Lanek sat up, glancing around in confusion at his surroundings. The last memory he had was of speaking to Ograch in the forest while he was freezing and coughing. However, he had a clear view of the night sky from the stone rooftop he was sitting upon. Once he stood, he found that in every direction around him was a mountain range, but no mountains were taller than where he currently stood.
Given the altitude and the snow-capped peaks surrounding his location, he should have been freezing, but he felt nothing. After a moment, Lanek noticed a lack of any outside stimuli whatsoever. There was no wind nor animal noises. It was complete and utter silence.
Lanek found himself hesitant to break the silence. It felt almost wrong to make any noise in the perfect silence. When he turned back toward the center of the rooftop where he had awoken, a figure stood in gray robes with their face covered with a plain white mask. The person’s robes hid any sign of their build or sex. However, unless humans in this world reached eight meters in height, this person was clearly not of any race or species that he had encountered thus far.
SIT.
Before Lanek could really register the command or decide on a course of action, he found himself sitting on the roof before the creature. He did not remember walking to this spot or sitting down. As he sat before the person, he could feel it focus on him, regarding him in silence. It was all Lanek could do to not collapse under the power he felt concentrate on him.
Seconds later, the figure shrank down to a normal height for a human before settling down in a chair that appeared behind it. It gestured toward an empty chair that came into being across from it. Lanek scrambled to sit in the new chair.
“I am Invidros. You have accepted a very dangerous bargain, both for yourself and those around you. I can’t blame you, you were desperate and afraid. You would not have survived without accepting the Void’s bargain.”
Lanek tried to object, but found himself unable to speak.
“I know that you had no choice. However, your continued use of that skill may as well be acceptance.” Invidros was silent for a moment, contemplating the human before it. “Do not be afraid, I am not going to punish you. I am here to offer you solutions before the Void consumes you entirely. Before that, you must know that you have been operating under a misconception. [Soul Shackle] is not allowing you to consume and absorb those souls. If you were consuming those souls and using them for your own ends, I would have already obliterated your soul for that perversion of the natural order.”
Lanek could feel rage radiating from the figure. While he watched Invidros, a thunderous crack resounded through the mountains and he watched in disbelief over the figure’s shoulder as a mountain split down the middle. Invidros turned and regarded the broken mountain before returning its attention to Lanek.
“Forgive my temper, I tire of the Void’s machinations. Some of those creatures are perfectly content to watch while others have a darker agenda. Your skill is a perfect example of a darker agenda. You see, those souls are actually being sent to the Void and your spirit increases are payment from the Void. I have no power in their realm, so any souls that go there are gone from this world forever. Every lost soul weakens this world.”
Invidros sighed before continuing. “You wonder why the Void aided you with Sanguineus if it had such dark intentions, yes? There are two reasons for that. First, for beings like those from the Void and myself, your memories are clearly visible. The Void could see that you have always had a great love for animals and cared for every stray that crossed your path. By helping to release Sanguineus, the Void knew that you would subconsciously begin to trust it more and you would be easier to manipulate in the future. Second, those of the Void are arrogant. The vampire that was used in the making of your whip was indeed a servant of that particular denizen of the Void and it could not tolerate its servant being taken from it.”
Lanek felt a pressure release him from its grasp, allowing him to speak once more. “What are you? Why does the Void want those souls? How did I get here?”
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“I am the Primordial of the Storm and I brought your spirit here at Eldros’ request. He wanted my help in removing the taint that the Void placed on your class. I was still attempting to decide how to aid you when you forced my hand by harvesting the Void Shifters. Your patron within the Void rejected their souls, most likely to avoid a conflict with their master, another lord of the Void. However, without anywhere to go, those souls returned to you and the human body cannot handle the pure essence of the Void.”
“Was I going to die?”
“Yes. Now, to answer your other question. The Void uses souls for a variety of reasons, with most of those reasons being a mystery to me. I do know that the lords of the Void will often use them as currency or to build a connection to the world from whence the souls originated. That village you found in ruins? Think of it as an outpost that your patron’s rival had built with its souls.”
“Is the Void working with the gaunts?”
Invidros snorted in amusement. “No. Two of the very few constants with the Void are their arrogance and belief in their own superiority. They would not tolerate any competition. The Void wants into this world as much as the gaunts. Any claim to the contrary is a lie.”
“Is Sanguineus going to be okay if you remove the Void’s influence on me?”
“No need to worry about the wolf, once the Void took the vampire, Eldros welcomed Sanguineus as one of his own. The Void has no hold on him. Now, on to the business at hand. I will make you several offers to remove the influence of the Void. You do not have to accept, you can choose to keep walking this path. However, know that by continuing down this path you will lose the support of the Primordials, including Eldros. You will not lose your Soulbinder class, but it will change. I cannot say what it will change into, but it is certain that it will be focused around the Void.”
“Why are you telling me this? Why give me a choice at all if the Void is weakening your world?”
“Remember what the System said about Primordials? We value freedom. We do not consider you a servant or slave. Your first decision concerns [Soul Shackle] and the title bestowed upon you by the Void. Nothing I do will matter if those aren’t excised first. Do you consent to their removal?”
Lanek sat for a moment, considering the Primordial’s words. He was reluctant to give up the title due to its attribute boosts. Also, [Soul Shackle] was an incredibly powerful and useful tool, with it he could increase his SPI at whatever pace he wished as long as his foes met the level requirements. It was also a major part of his arsenal, making him stronger in battle when his companions were dismissed into their vessels. Hold on, what am I thinking? Am I seriously considering keeping my ties to the Void even though souls are being used like money or to weaken this world? What the hell is wrong with me?
“You’ve finally noticed. As you’ve been drawing in souls to send to the Void, the taint of the Void has grown within you. The more you do this, the easier it is for the Void to manipulate you and quietly push aside your objections.”
“I consent. Get this shit out of me.” Lanek snarled. The very idea that something was manipulating and controlling him was abhorrent. While he couldn’t be certain that the Primordial wasn’t manipulating him, he HAD felt the changes in his attitude toward soul harvesting and how much easier it came to him.
“It will be done. Now, your human body is falling apart from the Void energy flowing within it from the rejected shifters. However, I can use that energy to force you to evolve. You will no longer be human, but your new body will be completely free of the Void’s energy and taint.”
“What will I evolve into?”
“I do not know. I can promise you that Eldros and I will try to influence the outcome to give you more options, only the System has a say in what you will be offered. Do you consent?”
“Do I have a choice? My body is falling apart.”
“You always have a choice. For example, you could change your mind about losing your title and skill and choose to negotiate with the Void. I can feel your patron and a different denizen of the Void attempting to reach you. They have no power to enter here without my consent. You also have the option to reject the Void and remain human. You will die, but the Void essence will not affect your soul and you will be able to move on to whatever awaits you after death.”
Lanek sat silently, considering his options. Am I ready to give up my humanity? If I change species and end up not being able to pass as a human, then I could never go back to Earth if the possibility arises. Then again, even if the Void allowed me to remain human, I could never go back to Earth either. I wouldn’t want to give it another world to try to weaken. That really leaves only one choice that I can live with.
“I consent.”