Aren woke before dawn.
His entire body ached from the fall, but the memory of last night burned sharper than any bruise.
The Remnant's words.
"Return tomorrow."
"Training begins."
Training.
From an ancient void-touched creature.
Aren pushed himself upright, muscles stiff, vision slightly blurry.
He'd landed on a ledge deep in the ravine; the transport operatives had spent half the night climbing down to find him.
Now, the three of them stood at the base of the ridge.
The female operative crossed her arms.
"So you're going back up there?"
Aren nodded.
"I said I would."
The older operative shook his head.
"You're crazy. That thing nearly crushed you."
Aren looked at his hands.
No markings.
No glow.
But when he focused—
A faint pulse answered.
Quiet.
Weak.
But waiting.
"I need to control this," he said. "Or it'll control me."
The older operative sighed heavily.
"Fine. We'll escort you to the ridge. But if that thing tries something—"
"It won't," Aren said.
He hoped.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The climb back up was slow and brutal.
Rocks crumbled beneath their boots.
Fog thickened the higher they climbed.
The wind howled like distant screams.
Finally, they reached the shattered ridge.
The same scar where the Remnant had struck the ground, splitting the cliff open.
The female operative tightened her grip on her rifle.
"No sign of it…"
Aren stepped forward.
"Give it a minute."
As if answering—
The fog rolled inward.
Swirling.
Circling.
Condensing.
The operatives stepped back.
A hulking silhouette emerged, stone plates grinding into place.
The Remnant.
But not in its battle form.
It stood upright, calm, its limbs folded like an ancient guardian.
"You returned."
Aren nodded.
"You said to come."
"Then you accept training."
Aren exhaled.
"Yes."
The operatives exchanged worried looks.
The Remnant lowered its head slightly.
"This will hurt."
Aren's jaw tightened.
"I figured."
The Remnant raised one enormous limb and pointed at Aren's chest.
"Voidscar is unstable.
Untamed.
It reacts to threat, emotion, instinct."
Aren replied:
"I want it to react only when I choose."
"Good."
The Remnant's runes flared.
"Then we begin with discipline."
Aren steadied his breath.
"What do I do?"
The Remnant spoke a command that made the operatives tense instantly:
"Stand still."
Aren blinked.
"That's it?"
"For now."
He frowned.
The Remnant clarified:
"Stand still… and suppress the void."
Aren inhaled slowly.
Suppress.
Control.
He closed his eyes.
Worked inward.
Pulled the Voidscar tight.
For a moment, it obeyed.
For one second—
Stillness.
Then—
The Remnant moved.
A blur of stone.
Too fast.
Aren's body reacted instinctively.
Void rippled up his arm.
Spatial Rip triggered—
—Aren was flung sideways by his own uncontrolled ability.
He hit the ground hard, sliding across gravel.
The operatives ran toward him.
"AREN—!"
The Remnant blocked them with a single limb.
"He must stand alone."
Aren groaned, pushing himself upright.
The Remnant spoke:
"Lesson one:
If the void acts before you…
you fail."
Aren clenched his jaw.
"Again."
━━━━━━━
He stood.
The Remnant attacked again.
Aren tried to suppress the void—
The void surged.
Another accidental Spatial Rip detonated.
Aren stumbled backwards.
"Again."
He stood.
The Remnant attacked.
Void flared.
Aren was knocked down.
"Again."
Dust rose.
Sweat dripped.
Breath shook.
The Remnant struck.
Void flared.
Aren crashed into a rock.
Kane's voice echoed in his memory:
"The void doesn't choose. YOU do."
Aren clenched his teeth.
"AGAIN."
━━━━━━━
This time, he didn't reach outward.
He reached inward.
Into the pain.
Into the scar.
Into the fear.
He pulled the void inward—
tight—
tighter—
until his whole body shook.
The Remnant lunged—
Void surged—
tried to burst—
Aren forced it down—
"NOT YET!"
The Remnant's blow stopped inches from Aren's chest.
Aren held his ground.
Sweat poured down his face.
But the void didn't burst.
Not this time.
Not first.
Aren whispered through clenched teeth:
"…I choose."
The Remnant froze.
The fog stilled.
Its glowing eyes widened slightly.
"Progress."
Aren nearly collapsed but forced himself to stand tall.
The operatives stared in disbelief.
The Remnant stepped back.
"Lesson two."
Aren exhaled shakily.
"What's lesson two?"
The Remnant raised all eight limbs.
"Survival under pressure."
Aren blinked.
"Oh."
The Remnant's runes began burning like white fire.
"Run."
Aren moved instantly.
━━━━━━━
The ridge exploded behind him.
Fog split.
Stone shattered.
Void pressure spiked like a hurricane.
And Aren sprinted into the storm.
Not to escape.
To grow.
To master the Voidscar.
To control the power that once controlled him.
To choose his evolution with his own will.
And the Remnant followed, roaring approval.