Aren woke to silence.
No alarms.
No shaking ground.
No void roaring through his blood.
Just… silence.
He blinked slowly.
His vision blurry.
His body heavy.
A white ceiling hovered above him.
A hospital room.
The faint scent of mana disinfectant filled the air.
Machines hummed softly beside him, tracking his pulse.
Aren tried to sit up—
Pain shot through his chest.
Kane's voice spoke from his left.
"Easy."
Aren turned his head.
Kane sat in a chair, armor removed, a bandage around his temple. He looked exhausted — eyes red, jaw tight.
But he was alive.
Kane exhaled in relief.
"Thank the gods… You're awake."
Aren swallowed.
"…How long?"
"Two days."
Aren's breath hitched.
Two days.
He didn't remember dreaming.
Didn't remember seeing the void.
Didn't remember hearing the king.
Just darkness.
He looked at his arms.
No markings.
Nothing.
He raised one hand, focusing instinctively—
Nothing.
No void flow.
No distortion.
No flicker.
It felt like reaching for an arm that wasn't there.
Aren whispered:
"…My evolution. It's gone."
Kane lowered his eyes.
"…Yes."
Aren's chest tightened.
He knew this would happen.
He had severed the link.
He just didn't realize how empty it would feel afterward.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The door opened.
Rellin entered with two Council officers and the researcher.
Her expression was controlled, but her eyes carried exhaustion.
She stood at the foot of the bed.
"Aren. Good. We need to speak."
Kane rose immediately.
"Rellin—give him time. He nearly died."
"This cannot wait," Rellin said calmly.
The researcher stepped forward, holding a tablet.
"We ran multiple scans. Your system interface is intact, but your core evolution pathway is… null."
Aren frowned.
"…Null?"
"Zero," the researcher corrected.
"No progression. No skill evolution. No unique talent growth. Your Limitless Evolution ability has been fully severed."
Aren stared.
He already expected it — but hearing it confirmed felt like a blade sliding between ribs.
Kale suddenly appeared behind Rellin, leaning against the doorframe. His aura was dim — recovering — but his eyes carried none of the earlier arrogance.
He stared at Aren in conflicted silence.
Rellin continued:
"You saved the Academy.
You saved the city.
The breach sealed because you severed your link to that… entity."
She paused.
"But you also lost the very thing that made you capable of fighting it."
Aren lowered his gaze.
"I know."
Kane clenched his fists.
"Rellin, don't do this now—"
"We must," she said quietly. "We cannot pretend this threat is gone. We need clarity on once question."
Kale's eyes narrowed.
"Aren… is the king still connected to you?"
A cold chill slid down Aren's spine.
He reached for the void—
Nothing.
He listened for voices—
Only silence.
He swallowed hard.
"I… I don't feel anything."
Rellin studied him.
"Is that the truth?"
Aren nodded.
"It's quiet. For the first time since awakening… it's quiet."
The room relaxed slightly.
But only slightly.
Because quiet didn't mean safe.
Kale shifted, voice rough.
"That thing… it used you. Fed on you. And the city nearly died because of it."
He exhaled shakily.
"…But you broke free."
Aren looked up at him.
Kale met his gaze.
"You're not my enemy, Aren. Not anymore."
Aren blinked.
It was the first time Kale had spoken to him without hostility.
Kane smirked tiredly.
"Guess nearly dying together does wonders for team bonding."
Rellin ignored the comment.
"There's one more issue."
Aren braced himself.
She said the words he didn't want to hear:
"You cannot remain in the Academy."
Aren froze.
Kane stepped forward instantly.
"What? Absolutely not—"
"The Council decided," Rellin said. "Aren's presence—while no longer a conduit—is still an unknown variable. We cannot risk another breach forming around him."
Aren's stomach sank.
"I'm not… dangerous," he said quietly.
Kale muttered:
"No. But the thing down there wants you. And it won't stop."
Rellin nodded.
"You need to leave the Academy.
You need to be relocated to a special containment zone outside the city."
Aren's chest tightened.
Containment.
Not a student.
Not a fighter.
A risk.
A liability.
Kane slammed his hand onto the bed railing.
"He saved everyone! And you want to lock him up—!?"
Rellin spoke sharply:
"This isn't punishment. This is protection — for him and for the city."
Aren stared at his hands.
No markings.
No evolution.
No void.
Just emptiness.
He whispered:
"…Where would I go?"
Rellin hesitated.
"To the Frontier.
A region where you won't destabilize a city.
A place with experienced teams that specialize in anomalous threats."
Kane's face hardened.
"That's exile."
Rellin's eyes softened — the first crack in her calm demeanor.
"It's the only way we can keep him alive."
Aren closed his eyes.
Everything he had — his awakening, his evolution, his power, his place in the Academy —
Gone.
But he wasn't dead.
And the dragon wasn't done.
He opened his eyes slowly.
"…When do I leave?"
Kane's breath caught.
Rellin answered.
"Tomorrow."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Late that night, Aren sat alone in the hospital bed.
The city outside was quiet.
Too quiet.
He touched his arm again.
Still nothing.
Still empty.
He whispered into the dark:
"…What am I now?"
No answer came.
The void was silent.
But far beneath the earth—
A faint, distant rumble echoed.
Not loud enough to hear.
But strong enough to feel.
The void king whispered in the deep:
"You severed one path, Aren…
but you cannot sever destiny."
Aren's eyes snapped open.
Silence returned.
But the chill stayed.