Chapter 122: Void Magic Unlocked

He reached into the crate and placed his hand on Nyxie’s small body, feeling the warmth and pulse. The surge of mana was pulsing like a small heartbeat.

He closed his eyes and tried to hone his focus .

He thought of Nyxie. Of the bond they shared. Of the connection that had formed the moment she appeared in that cave. He thought of her small body on his shoulder.

Calm, he thought. Be calm.

The mana surged violently, pulsing as it fought against him.

He held on, trying to focus even harder now. Sweat beaded on his forehead as his hands trembled but he didn’t let go.

Calm.

The pulsing was starting to slow down and the iridescent glow had dimmed. The mana that has been kicking back against him slowly began to ebb.

After a few minutes—long minutes—the pulsing stopped.

Emeric opened his eyes, exhaled. His body was drenched in sweat and his hands were shaking terribly but Nyxie was calm. Her breathing had slowed down to its normal state during the hibernation and it was even now.

The glow has vanished

---

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[MANA REGULATION — COMPLETE]

[HIBERNATION STATE — RESTORED]

[SYSTEM NOTE: THE CREATURE IS STABLE. SHE WILL CONTINUE TO GROW. SHE WILL AWAKEN WHEN SHE IS READY.]

---

Emeric sat back, relaxing for the first time in the last twenty minutes as he wiped his forehead.

That was close.

Then the system pulsed again.

---

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[BOND RESONANCE — VOID MAGIC UNLOCKED]

[NEW AFFINITY: VOID]

[RANK: D]

[DESCRIPTION: You have gained access to Void Magic through your bond with Nyxie. Void Magic allows you to manipulate emptiness, absence, and the spaces between things. At D-rank, you can: create small pockets of void to store or retrieve objects, muffle sound in a small area, and briefly phase through thin obstacles.]

[SYSTEM NOTE: VOID MAGIC IS RARE. IT IS FEARED. USE IT WISELY.]

---

Emeric stared at the notification, unsure what to make of it. The system was going to get him outlawed someday, he thought.

The only other person that could use all elemental magic was the hero and it had just casually handed it to him.

Thank the Gods he had sealed it a few months ago.

He sighed, thankful that he was alone. Explaining this away would have been too much for him.

He knew this kind of magic was dangerous. The kind of magic that made people uneasy and now he had it.

He reached for it. Felt the new affinity settle into his core. It was different from Wind. Different from Lightning. It was cold and absent. Like it wasn’t when there but that was the tell. It was too absent. The absence of it all was what made it odd for him.

He focused and held out his hand.

A small pocket of void appeared in his palm. A dark sphere that looked like emptiness if it existed in a controlled space. Like a hole in reality. It lasted a moment then faded.

It kind of looked like the stuff that rifts were made of.

He put it out of his mind. Nyxie had made this happen.

He looked at the crate. At the small creature inside. Still sleeping. .

---

That evening.

Emeric sat in the study. The sword was back in its corner. The crate was back in the bedroom. The documents were locked in the desk.

He reached for the system.

---

[STATUS — EMERIC HALDEN]

TIER: 6th (89% → 5th)

STRENGTH: 74

AGILITY: 72

MANA: 71

---

The door opened and Isolde wheeled in with Tatia behind her.

"You missed dinner," Isolde said.

"I know. I’m sorry."

She wheeled closer and stopped beside his desk, reaching for his hand.

"What happened?"

He told her about the incident he had just handled. Not everything of course but as much as he could.

When he finished, she was quiet for a moment.

"Void magic," she said. "That’s rare."

"I know."

"And dangerous."

"I know."

She squeezed his hand.

"Be careful."

"I will."

She leaned in and kissed him.

"Now come eat. Marta made stew."

Relief spread over him and he smiled.

"Okay."

–

Dinner took about twenty minutes and Isolde had gone into the mansion to handle some other things.

He needed to know what he was up against. This magic was too dangerous. He could feel it inside his core attempting to consume the other affinities. He wasn’t sure how he knew but he just had a strong feeling about it.

Then the system pulsed.

---

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[VOID MAGIC — UNLOCKED]

[BOND RESONANCE — NYXIE]

[CURE COMPONENT UNLOCKED: VOID ESSENCE]

[DESCRIPTION: Void Essence is the distilled emptiness of the void. It can be harvested by channeling raw void magic into a container. The process is simple but delicate. The essence must be pure. Any contamination will render it useless.]

[DIRECTIVE: CHANNEL VOID MAGIC INTO A VIAL. SEAL IT. STORE IT IN YOUR INVENTORY. DO NOT OPEN IT.]

[SYSTEM NOTE: THE THIRD COMPONENT IS WITHIN REACH. TAKE IT.]

---

Emeric stared at the notification.

Void Essence was the third component.

He reached into his inventory. Pulled out a small glass vial that was empty and clean. He set it on the desk.

Then he focused. He had so many questions but for now, extracting the essence was all that mattered.

He called on the magic and it answered. It gathered in his palm and dark sphere and he held it over the vial, maintaining his focus. Sweat beaded on his brow, almost trickling down into the bottle but he remembered the instructions. It could not have any contamination. He picked up a piece of cloth on the table with one hand and wiped it off his brow. Then he resumed his focus and pushed the magic out.

The void essence flowed from his palm, dripping into the vial like ink. But this time it was seemingly alive and hungry? That was the true nature of the magic, he was starting to notice. To consume all that was in its path.

When the vial was full, he sealed it, carefully holding it up. The essence swirled inside with a dark shimmery color.

He stored it in his inventory.