In the moment his deepest memories were assailed, Kane understood what was devouring his existence—and how to defy it!

He had an unyielding reason to resist: Once the Void accessed those memories, it could use them to find his world.

To dissolve all things.

To annihilate everything.

So, he would rather face destruction a thousand times, ten thousand times before surrendering even a fragment of those memories.

Not even a house number would he concede.

Thus, he resisted!

With every fiber of his being, each cell rebelled!

He began to fabricate and feed false memories, using unproven theories and facts far beyond the cosmic scale to intimidate the Void.

Nothing is more terrifying than obliteration, unless it's a more thorough obliteration.

A universe on the brink of collapse, a great crunch, where all things are compressed, ultimately returning to a singularity.

This obliteration is unlike the Void's annihilation, which leaves behind emptiness.

This sort of obliteration leaves behind nothingness.

Time, space, even the concept of hunger, all vanish.

Then, a new genesis commences.

A cosmic explosion, matter surges forth, the rate of universal expansion far outpacing the Void's consumption.

After devouring less than a billionth of the cosmic material, the cycle ends in a great collapse.

For countless eons, the Void exerts futile efforts. No matter what it annihilates, creation always follows.

The Void's existence is not a universal law; in some cosmic cycle, it may be erased without warning, reduced to zero.

Such a terrifying thought made even the fearless Void hesitate. In an intense, invisible struggle, the Void seemed to retreat, vanishing without a trace.

Or perhaps it merely hid in the darkness, biding infinite years to rise again.

The victor, at last, took control of the body. Kane staggered to his feet in the tunnel.

The victory was hard-won, and even in triumph, parts of him had changed forever.

In the darkness, one of Kane's eyes glimmered with a sinister violet light, no longer discerning black from white.

He saw colors that shouldn't exist in nature, glimpsed worlds unknown, through a new vision.

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He tried to recall, to ensure no memory was missing. Yet, after much contemplation, he found not only were all memories intact, but he also had extra...

Those points of light, scattered across three-dimensional space, he knew these were the Riftwalker swarms in their domains. With a mere thought, he could pinpoint their locations.

Void energy seemed to have unlocked his brain, evolving a new sensory ability in Kane.

Like radar... a spatial radar attuned to the Void's energies.

He stepped on something solid. Looking down, it was a dagger stained with purple blood.

By the viscosity of the blood, it wasn't from a Riftwalker; it was more like human blood.

"Kai'Sa's blood... did it do this to me?" he murmured, touching the still wet droplets on his face.

The ability seemed useful, at least in sensing danger promptly.

Kai'Sa hunts, he scouts—a clear division of labor. Their future in this subterranean world didn't seem so desperate anymore.

Kai'Sa?

Right, where was Kai'Sa?

Kane looked around; the tunnel was empty, and the spear was gone.

He faintly remembered Kai'Sa wanting to do something while he was unconscious.

With a sense of foreboding, he clumsily used his new power to seek her out. He quickly noticed a solitary point attempting to approach a Riftwalker swarm.

Intuition told him this light represented Kai'Sa.

"That foolish girl!" Kane cursed, snatching up the dagger and sprinting into action.

...

The prickling sensation in her flesh intensified. Kai'Sa grit her teeth against the pain.

The sinister purple light lit up the dark cavern, revealing a Riftwalker perched atop a rock formation, back turned to her.

No other monsters in sight. Excellent.

Kai'Sa gripped the spear with both hands, crouching and fast approaching.

She had to slay this Riftwalker, to take its heart back to Kane. And she had to be quick; Kane's time was running out.

The air was thick with a repulsive stench, but it didn't deter the fearless Kai'Sa.

She thought herself as swift as a Shuriman raider, dashing toward her prey with terrifying speed.

In truth, she was more like a kitten on its first hunt, lacking strategy, not using natural cover for stealth, but approaching her prey directly and quietly.

So focused on her target, she didn’t notice the loose stones underfoot, inadvertently kicking them. The rocks tumbled across the cavern floor with a clattering sound.

Startled by the noise she caused, Kai'Sa charged, aiming to pierce the Riftwalker's heart before it could react.

But it was too late; the creature turned instantly, and the spear pierced its highest eye.

She missed the heart!

Worse yet, this Riftwalker was not alone.

Behind the rock it nestled against, a horde of its hideous kin gathered, it being merely one on the edge.

Their eyes and throats glowed a faint, warm purple, like ghostly flowers flickering on a dark riverbank.

Heralding death.

The spear in her hand jerked, a great force pulling Kai'Sa back to reality from her fear.

The Riftwalker with the pierced head wasn't dead; twisting its skull, it pulled her toward the abyss of hunger. The spear shaft moaned terribly, as if it might snap at any moment.

Kai'Sa struggled to retrieve the spear, while a tide of purplish-black surged around her.

Finally, she wrenched free the spear and began to flee, but a swarm of Riftwalkers closed in with malign intent.

A behemoth Riftwalker, as large as a camel, slithered forth. Its blade-like limbs pierced the ground swiftly; its tri-clustered, fiery eyes and rock-smashing claws thrust toward Kai'Sa's back, as if to nail her permanently to the earth.

In a desperate move, Kai'Sa turned and raised her arm, the carapace blocking the blow. A section of her shell shattered, dissolving into smoke that faded away.

Undoubtedly, she was flung through the air, crashing down hard, bloodied and battered.

The scent of blood spread, inciting the other creatures to hasten their pace, eager to partake in the fresh flesh.

As she lifted her head, a hungry wave closed in; raised claws and gaping maws ready to rend her apart.

But at that moment, her carapace, tense as a drawn bow, suddenly relaxed. No longer did it bring needle-like stings; instead, it imparted a strange new sensation.

Soothing, tranquil, lethargic...

Like the feeling of dreaming.

And the Riftwalkers around her seemed to succumb to the same feeling, the ferocity in their eyes dimming as though falling into slumber.

Then, as if in a trance, the hungry wave parted, forming a path as a figure approached through the flickering violet light.