The Girl Who Rules the Void
Leo's body dropped to one knee as the Void Herald's shockwave faded. The air was still shaking, cracks spreading through the sky like lightning frozen in place. Max ran toward him, panting hard.
"Leo! Bro, are you alive?!"
Leo coughed once, forcing himself to stand.
"I'm… not dying today."
"You almost did!"
Max's voice cracked in panic, but Leo didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on the giant shadowy creature ahead. The Void Herald's form was reshaping again—bigger, darker, dripping with void mist.
Then—
The sky tore open.
A whirlpool of pure black spirals appeared above them, but it wasn't destructive.
It was calm.
Controlled.
Alive.
Max looked up, eyes wide. "What now?! More monsters?!"
Leo shook his head slowly.
"Not… a monster."
A figure stepped out of the swirling void—light as a feather, soundless as night. Her feet touched the broken ground, but the shadows beneath her bent like they were bowing.
A girl.
Or something that looked like one.
Silver hair that floated slightly, even without wind.
Eyes that held galaxies inside them.
Dark symbols moving across her skin like living shadows.
And a black staff made of pure void.
The Void Herald shrieked, trembling.
Max froze. "Leo… why is that thing scared of her?"
Leo swallowed hard.
Because even he felt his heart tighten.
Whoever she was… she was stronger than the Void Herald.
Maybe stronger than Lyra.
Maybe even close to the Unknown One.
The girl looked around slowly, stopping when she saw Leo.
For a moment, she just stared.
Then she smiled—small, soft, almost innocent.
"You're finally awake. Good."
Leo blinked.
"Uh… do I know you?"
The girl tilted her head slightly. "Not yet. But I know you."
She raised her hand.
The entire battlefield reacted.
The Void Herald tried to shrink away.
"Name yourself," Leo said cautiously.
The girl tapped her chest.
"My name is Serya. Last child of the Void Throne."
Leo stiffened.
Void Throne.
He had heard that name once—whispers from the Hunters of Ruin.
Max frowned. "Void… Throne? What, she's like a princess or something?"
Serya didn't deny it.
Instead, she pointed her staff at the Void Herald.
"You attacked what is mine. So I will erase you."
Before Leo or Max could react, she moved.
One step.
One swing.
One explosion of shadows.
The Void Herald didn't even scream.
It simply collapsed—its body dissolving into dust and vanishing like smoke.
Max fell backward.
"What… WHAT… that thing almost killed you, Leo! And she just—just—"
"Erased it," Leo whispered.
Serya turned back to Leo, her expression turning serious.
"Leo… the Broken Realm has fully awakened now. And your presence… is the reason. You opened a path that was sealed for ages."
Leo tensed.
"Why me?"
"Because," she said softly, "you carry a spark of something far, far higher than you understand."
Leo's breath caught.
She was talking about the mysterious voice.
The force inside him.
The reason the Hunters chased him.
Serya stepped closer.
Too close.
Max grabbed Leo's arm.
"Bro… she's weird. Pretty but WEIRD."
Serya didn't even look at Max.
Instead, she raised her hand toward Leo's chest.
And Leo felt it—
A pulse.
A vibration.
A familiar echo inside him.
"You," Serya whispered, "are touched by the Unknown One. But… not completely."
Leo's heart froze.
"So you know about him?" he asked.
Serya nodded.
"All Void beings must know. The Unknown One created the first seed of void. Without him, even I would not exist."
Leo stepped back.
"So… is he your lord? Your god?"
Serya smiled sadly.
"No. He is far, far above what you call lord or god. He is…"
She hesitated.
"…the origin. The first silence. The final ending."
Leo felt chills crawl down his spine.
But Serya's next words hit harder.
"And you, Leo… are the one he chose next."
Leo felt his throat dry.
"I didn't ask to be chosen."
"Yes," Serya said gently, "but fate does not ask permission."
She lifted her staff again and pointed toward the horizon.
Dark towers rose behind the mountains—massive structures made of void.
"That is the Void Dominion. The heart of the Broken Realm. And now… they are moving to capture you."
Leo clenched his fists.
"Why? What do they want from me?"
Serya didn't blink.
"They want your spark. The same spark that the Unknown One left behind."
Max gasped.
"They want to steal Leo's power?!"
"Yes," Serya said calmly.
"But before they reach you… I will protect you."
Leo stared at her.
"…Why? You don't even know me."
Serya's silver eyes softened.
"That's not true."
She touched her chest again.
"I have been watching you for a long, long time."
Leo stiffened.
Max whispered,
"Bro… BRO… we got another stalker??"
Serya ignored him.
She looked directly into Leo's eyes.
"You don't know it yet, but the moment you stepped into this realm, you changed its fate. You changed my fate."
Leo frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Serya took a slow breath.
And her next words shook Leo to the core.
"Because you, Leo… are the only one who can rewrite the end of the Void Throne. You are the one who will decide whether I live or fade."
Leo's heart thumped hard.
Max's mouth fell open.
The sky cracked deeper overhead.
And before Leo could ask anything—
Serya whispered:
"Stay close to me. The next hunt begins now."