Zane rose from the obsidian throne with a lazy stretch, rolling his shoulders until his joints popped. The oppressive silence of the dimension pressed in, but his grin was sharp.
> "Alright... time to get out of here."
His boots echoed on the fractured floor as he walked. Around him, the warped horizon twisted into shapes that defied reason — endless shards of darkness suspended in nothing. Ahead lay what he’d always thought was the edge of this place: a barrier of rippling black water, stretching infinitely up and down.
Nyx’s voice hummed in his mind.
> That’s no wall, Zane. That’s a boundary.
> Voidwalk through it.
He didn’t hesitate. Shadows spiraled up his legs as he stepped forward, the barrier swallowing him whole. Cold darkness flooded his senses for a heartbeat — then spat him out into a different place entirely.
He stood at the base of a colossal stone pillar, its surface carved with runes older than the sky. In the center, a small, perfectly smooth indentation awaited... something.
Zane tilted his head.
> "Huh. Guess I know what goes there."
Golden light flickered in his palm as he summoned the key he’d earned — the one that had been taunting him since he first found it. With a casual toss, he dropped it into the slot.
The pillar groaned. Mechanisms hidden deep inside churned to life.
From the top, a crystal slowly descended — jagged, black, pulsing faintly like a beating heart.
Nyx’s tone sharpened.
> That... is the essence of this dimension. Touch it, and you will claim it.
Zane stepped forward, smirking.
> "Don’t mind if I do."
His fingers closed around the crystal.
Meanwhile, in WindVeil...
The ground trembled. Above the battlefield, the sky tore open — not with lightning, but with a gash of pure void. Purple-black light spilled out, warping the air.
Every soldier froze. Even Astrid, spear dripping with WindVeil blood, looked up.
From the rift came a voice — low, amused, and unmistakable.
A figure stepped through, shadow clinging to him like a living cloak.
Zane grinned, taking in the chaos before him.