For the first time since making my class decision, I found myself silently agreeing with Hexa: maybe I had made a mistake.

The Academy was a place where reputations were built and broken, and mine was rapidly spiraling downward. I hadn’t expected people to find out so quickly about my class, but rumors had spread like wildfire. "Void Architect" was a term whispered in hallways with a mix of fear and disdain, I was never popular before this in either life and so it wasn’t long before the other students started treating me differently. It hurt more than expected

Even Ava seemed confused, her usual warmth tinged with uncertainty whenever we crossed paths. She hadn’t said anything outright, but I could see the question in her eyes: Why?

The only one who didn’t seem fazed by my decision was Morgana Ash. She, too, was a social outlier, though for entirely different reasons. As the only other student in the specialized affinity classes for Spatial Magic and Gravitomancy, she had become an unexpected ally. While others avoided me, she offered quiet companionship, her sharp intellect and perfectionist tendencies matching my own in strange ways.

When the break for the sixth year arrived, I found myself dreading the free time more than I anticipated. Entering the Academy’s equivalent of high school, I knew these next two years would be critical, shaping not only my education but my future class advancements as the ranking matches in these next too years could make or break me. But before any of that, I had to face the break.

The Festival of Sin greeted me like an old friend, its chaotic energy buzzing in the air as I stepped into the shadowy market that night. The familiar sound of music bouncing off the stone walls and the chatter of vendors hawking their strange wares was almost comforting.

One-Bill greeted me with his usual gravelly voice and a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Well, if it isn’t fishboy. Or should I call you voidboy now? Heard some interesting whispers about you.”

I grimaced. “News travels fast.”

“Too fast,” he said, leaning closer. “Listen, kid, you’ve crossed a line most don’t. Choosing Void Architect... People are gonna look at you differently now. Dangerous differently. No one’s gonna see you as some harmless Academy brat anymore. They’re gonna see you as a threat. Or worse, someone who’s gone off the deep end.”

The weight of his words settled heavily on my shoulders, but I nodded. “I can handle it.”

He snorted. “Maybe. But things’ll get rougher from here. No more easy runs. You’re in the big leagues now.” One-Bill pulled a small box from beneath his counter and set it in front of me. When he opened it, I saw a simple silver band, its surface engraved with tiny runes.

“This here’s an identification ring,” he explained. “Standard issue for warriors who don’t have the brains for wizard spells, but it’ll do for you. Void classes don’t usually get that kinda magic for free, right?”

I shook my head. “No, I don’t have the Identify spell.”

“Figured as much,” he said, pushing the box toward me. “This thing’ll let you cast Identify three times a day. Works on anyone within two evolutions of your level. Handy for figuring out who you’re up against—or what you’re dealing with.”

I slipped the ring onto my finger, feeling a faint pulse of mana as it attuned to me. “Thanks,” I said.

“Don’t thank me yet,” he said, grinning. “I’ve got a job for you. Heavyweight package, top-tier payout. You, Git, and Sona. Last week of summer. Biggest job yet. Think of it as your graduation into the big leagues.”

That morning, I received a letter from home. My father’s handwriting was as neat and precise as ever, though the words themselves carried a weight I hadn’t felt in years.

He wrote about a recent raid, one that had left him injured but alive. My older brother Halrik, now evolved and level 15, had stepped up in my father’s place, defending the village with the strength of a Paladin blessed with the fire affinity. The elders had endorsed him, guiding his evolution along a path of honor and duty.

Reading those words, I couldn’t help but feel the sharp contrast between Halrik’s life and my own. He was the first son, the village’s pride, chosen to protect and serve. And I was the second son, running illicit packages through a shadowy market and wielding powers that devoured the very mana of the world.

Hexa, ever observant, broke the silence in my mind. “It is not uncommon for second sons to forge their own path. You have done so with... particular creativity.”

“Creativity, huh?” I muttered. “That’s one way to put it.”

The letter’s reminder of raids weighed heavily on me. While I’d been safe within the walls of the capital, the specter of those attacks loomed large. I needed to be ready—not just for myself but for whatever lay ahead.

With Hexa guiding me, I ventured into the woods beyond the city’s outer walls. Monsters rarely came this close to the capital, but caution was still necessary. Hexa’s enhanced senses helped me avoid any potential threats, her voice whispering warnings as I moved through the dense undergrowth.

“Enemy detected,” she said once, only to clarify a moment later, “False alarm. Squirrel.”

“Thanks,” I said dryly, scanning the area.

Hexa guided me deeper into the forest, her voice clinical and composed. “You’ll want a clearing with minimal obstacles. It will reduce the risk of unintended consequences during practice.”

“Unintended consequences,” I muttered. “That’s comforting.”

In a clearing bathed in faint moonlight, I began practicing my skills for the first time. Hexa monitored my progress, her tone clinical as she analyzed the results.

“Start with Void Oppression,” Hexa suggested. “It’s a foundational ability, and its impact radius will give us immediate feedback.”

I took a deep breath and focused. The void stirred, an alien presence writhing just beneath my skin. With a push of will, I activated the skill.

A ripple of pressure exploded outward from me, purple-black energy laced with streaks of shadow spreading like a pulse. The air itself seemed to grow heavier, and I could feel the mana around me being siphoned away. Leaves curled and browned on nearby trees, and the ground beneath my feet darkened as if scorched by an invisible fire.

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A new pop-up flashed in my mind, overlaid with my profile:

Profile Update:

Mana: 235/400

Health: 320/320

Void Oppression Active: Draining ambient mana within a 10-foot radius at 20 mana/second.

The numbers on the mana bar ticked downward rapidly, and I could feel the void’s hunger in the pit of my stomach.

“Visual effects are significant,” Hexa observed. “The aura is visible even to untrained eyes. It resembles ‘soul pressure’—an oppressive force designed to weaken and intimidate. However, the self-drain on your mana is concerning.”

“Yeah,” I said through gritted teeth, “I can feel it. It’s like... standing in a vacuum.” turning the ability off I had canceled Void Oppression before my mana pool dipped too low. The oppressive aura already dissipated, leaving the clearing eerily quiet. I took a moment to steady myself before moving on to the next skill. I ask “Hexa why haven't I seen this health and mana update before now?”

Hexa’s tone shifted, sharper. “This is why you’ve been fortunate. Most students your age have faced combat injuries, some even near-death experiences. You’ve been shielded by circumstance—Academy walls, the capital’s safety and your ability to use your age to avoid repercussion. You should consider yourself lucky.”

“Lucky,” I echoed bitterly. “Sure. Lucky fishboy with void powers that eat the world around him.” “...Hexa” I ask after a moment's pause "how did you know what soul pressure was?”

No response

“Hexa?” I repeat urgently

“We Saw it in an anime” Hexas voice either embarrassed or hiding something deeper. I chose to ignore it for now.

“Was it that really old one where people were hollow or something? Uhh it's been a while, what was its name?”

Hexa cuts me off “Yep that one” and it ends the discussion for now.

Graviton Trap I thought inwardly as I began to practice the next skill I crouched, pressing a hand to the ground as I visualized the trap. The mana flowed through me, weaving into a dense, invisible sphere. When I activated the skill, a faint distortion appeared in the air where I’d placed the trap, like a heatwave rippling across the clearing. We had to wait a while though I was hidden in a bush. It took a while for a woodland creature to wander into the clearing and onto the trap. From the other side of the clearing a Horned rabbit appeared and I held my breath. The odd creature hops closer to the laid trap where I can sense its radius. The moment it crossed the invisible boundary, the distortion collapsed inward with a forceful pulse, dragging the construct to the ground. The creature writhed, unable to escape as the gravitational pull intensified.

“High effectiveness,” Hexa noted. “Targets within the trap will be immobilized, and prolonged exposure may cause significant damage.” and then The void’s corruption spread ,I the Void That Licks proccing as the trap held its prey. The creature dissolved into nothingness under the combined effects of the trap and the void’s hunger. It screamed as it died.

A ping echoed in my mind, startling me.

[Level 1 Horned Rabbit Slain]

Experience Gained: 0.5% toward Level 2.

“Experience?” I whispered aloud, my pulse quickening. “I’m getting experience for this?”

“Correct,” Hexa confirmed. “The destruction of the Horned Rabbit’s physical and magical essence has been registered as a successful elimination. However, the gain is negligible at this level of target.”

I frowned, staring at the spot where the rabbit had been. Its very existence had been erased by The Void That Licks.

After resetting the Graviton Trap, I moved on to the next skill: Shadow Gate. This one had intrigued me the most, promising offensive and defensive capabilities through summoning constructs.

I focused, reaching out to the void within me. The air in front of me shimmered, rippling like water before tearing apart into an unnatural black void. The edges of the portal pulsed with an oily sheen, darker than anything I’d ever seen.

From within, a creature emerged.

The sight of it made my stomach churn. It was reptilian in shape, but its body was amorphous, shifting constantly as if it couldn’t settle on a form. Spiked appendages jutted out at odd angles, and its skin—or what passed for skin—was a liquid black, the kind of black that hurt to look at.

“Void summons identified,” Hexa said, her voice steady. “Creature classification: unknown. These entities appear to partially exist within the void, consuming ambient mana to stabilize their presence.”

I felt the connection to the creature immediately, a faint tether that allowed me to command it. But the link was chaotic, like trying to hold a writhing snake. Its thoughts were a cacophony of hunger, a raw, primal need that battered against my mind.

“Quiet down,” I muttered, gritting my teeth as I tried to force the creature to obey.

The summon’s body rippled, spikes elongating and shrinking as it turned its attention to a nearby tree. With a thought that wasn't mine it attacked.

The creature surged forward, its form shifting mid-movement as it lashed out with razor-sharp limbs. The tree groaned under the assault, deep gouges appearing where the void’s energy touched. The Void That Licks proceed again, the black corruption spreading like a disease through the wood.

My mana bar ticked downward rapidly.

[Mana: 185/400]

“They’re draining me dry,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Void summons require significant mana to maintain,” Hexa replied. “Their hunger for ambient mana is only partially satiated by the environment, forcing them to draw directly from your reserves. Keep the number of summons low, or risk depletion.”

I dismissed the creature with it slightly fighting the pull of its portal into the void, the portal snapping shut as the summon dissolved back into nothingness.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying to shake off the lingering headache from the summon’s chaotic thoughts. The last skill to test was Void Barricade, a defensive ability.

I raised both hands, channeling the void once more. The air in front of me twisted and folded, shadows coalescing into a jagged wall. The barrier flickered with spatial distortion, its edges warping the light around them in strange, unsettling patterns.

“Durability?” I asked.

“Unknown without testing against an attack,” Hexa replied. “The combination of shadow and spatial magic suggests a high resistance to physical and magical forces.”

I stepped back, studying the barrier. It felt solid, tangible in a way that the other void constructs hadn’t. I could sense its connection to me, the faint tug of its hunger for mana maintaining its form.

[Mana: 120/400]

Hexa’s tone was sharp. “Sustaining multiple void constructs is not feasible at your current level. Mana efficiency must be improved before these abilities can be used effectively in prolonged engagements.”

“Noted,” I muttered, dismissing the barrier. The weight of the void eased slightly, but its presence lingered in the back of my mind like a shadow I couldn’t shake.

I sat down heavily, leaning against a nearby tree as I tried to catch my breath. The moonlight filtered through the canopy, casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance in time with the void’s pulsing presence.

“Hexa,” I said softly, “these skills... they’re insane. They’re powerful, but they’re also... destructive. It’s like I’m erasing everything I touch.”

“The void is inherently unstable,” Hexa replied. “Its power lies in its ability to consume and corrupt. This is not a path chosen lightly.”

I sighed, closing my eyes. “Which is exactly what I did.” I thought aloud in the faint moonlight. “Maybe I should start smoking in this new life," I sigh. “That’d be new. And I hear it takes the edge off.”