Nobody moved as the street remained silent.
Vira stayed collapsed on the ground, both hands trembling against the broken pavement while the black liquid seeping from his mouth steamed beneath him. His stomach twisted violently, each breath scraping through his chest like broken glass.
The people crowded around him looked horrified.
They had witnessed something simply beyond reason... and it horrified them.
The space where the deformed man stood was now empty, no body, no blood... nothing.
Vira's vision blurred as he stared at the ground where the man had vanished.
"I didn't... mean to..."
His voice cracked weakly as he could only keel over and cough.
A rough hand suddenly grabbed his arm.
"Boy... if you don't get up off this damn street before everybody starts acting crazy."
Before Vira could react, Nora's Grandmother yanked him upward with surprising strength while still holding Nora by the wrist.
"G-Grandma wait—!"
Pulling the two of them, the older woman spat on the ground.
"Nope. Not another word outta you right now."
She shoved through the frozen crowd without slowing once... whispers and murmurs were heard, all focused on Vira.
"Is it a Nullborn?"
"Will I finally be able to die?"
"Is he going to kill us like that too?"
"Why is he with those two women?"
Vira hung limp in the old woman's grasp, barely even lucid as she dragged both of them down narrow alleys between buildings. Muttering curses under her breath.
"Lord have mercy... bringing strange boys into my town with eldritch stomachs and shit...!"
Vira's abdomen burned, the sphere pulsed softly every few seconds. Swallowing what little light touched it.
It was like something breathing beneath his skin. He felt sick every time he looked at it.
Nora finally yanked her wrist free.
"Grandma! Slow down!"
The old woman stopped in front of a rusted metal door hidden behind collapsed debris. She quickly unlocked it before practically throwing Vira inside.
"I will when that boy stops folding innocent people, shit ain't normal Nora!"
Turning back around to Vira, who laid there limp.
"Stay in there."
The metal door slammed shut, and Vira was surrounded by darkness, except for the dim light hanging from the ceiling.
Vira's breathing was uneven as the silence finally caught up to him.
That man was dead…
Erased.
Vira's fingers dug into his hair as panic slowly consumed him…
'I didn't kill him… it wasn't me! There's no way, there's no way!'
His eyes locked onto the sphere beneath the bandages again, instead of just pitch black veins, a large black circle took place of his belly button with black lightning like streaks spreading across his abdomen.
The sphere moved slightly, like an eye moving under cloth.
Vira violently tore the bandages loose from his torso.
The veins spreading across his abdomen became darker now, the orb still there with the edges of it gently moving against his skin like liquid trying to breathe.
Vira's stomach lurched.
"What… the—"
his hand shakily moved toward it before stopping inches away.
Something deep inside him screamed not to touch it.
Outside the room, muffled voices echoed through the walls.
Nora and her Grandmother… arguing.
"You dragged WHAT into this town?!"
"I didn't know!"
"You didn't know because your hardheaded self never thinks before acting!"
"He saved me from a Nullborn!"
"That thing in there isn't salvation baby!"
Silence followed after the intense yelling.
'What…? Nora was there?'
Vira thought back to his encounter with the Nullborn, he never saw her… did he really save her?
Vira curled into the corner of the room, his throat tightening painfully.
Outside, Nora lowered her voice.
"…What even is he?"
A heavy sigh could be heard from Nora's Grandmother.
"I… I don't know yet."
Something rustled, and Nora continued:
"Have you ever seen something like this before?"
"No. And that's exactly what's got me worried."
The sound of someone pacing around outside could be heard… Vira hoped it was Nora deciding to come into the room only to be met with disappointment.
"You saw how that Arcane reacted to him."
Nora's voice quivered.
"Yeah…"
"That man reacted like he saw death… but you know he wasn't in his right mind! Vira wouldn't hurt anyone!"
Her Grandmother's teeth could be heard smacking.
"Mhm, and lightning don't mean to strike folks either."
Silence settled outside the door again, Vira's mind moved quickly trying to guess what they were thinking about.
Then the old woman sighed again.
"I'll figure it out."
The lock clicked, followed by the door slowly creaking open.
Lantern light spilled into the room as Nora's Grandmother stepped inside carrying a chair.
Vira out of fear pushed himself further back.
The old woman noticing immediately, scoffing at the action.
"Boy please, if I wanted you dead I wouldn't be sittin' down."
She placed the chair in front of him before lowering herself onto it with a groan.
Her sharp eyes immediately dropped toward his exposed stomach.
The snark on her face faded.
"Well ain't that some nightmare fuel."
Vira quickly tried covering himself.
"What… what is this thing?"
She leaned forward slightly, eyes squinting while caressing her chin.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out."
"I'm gonna ask you a couple of questions, answer them truthfully and carefully, if you lie I will know… I'm old, tired, and not in the mood for anymore surprises tonight."
Vira swallowed hard while nodding his head in agreement.
The old woman pointed at his black veins.
"When did those appear?"
Vira looked down to where she was pointing, and frantically tried answering.
"I-I don't know… they've been there since those scientists did something to me…"
Her expression shifted instantly.
"Scientists?"
Vira nodded weakly.
"My mom… she was killed by a Nullborn, and something happened… all I remember is dreaming and waking up to them taking something from my stomach over and over again."
The woman leaned back slowly.
"Oh hell no…"
Vira's chest tightened.
"You're a Goddamned Void awakened."
Confusion and fear spread across Vira's face.
"Void… awakened?"
The old woman sighed while rubbing her temples.
"There's 3 awakenings, Arcanes, Echoes, and Void."
She sighed while continuing:
"I'm an Echo awakened, the man you killed was an Arcane… and you are a Void awakened"
The room suddenly got colder as Vira stared at the floor.
"And Nora…?"
The old woman chuckled.
"She's still just a Fragmented… special maybe, but she's not one of the Bound."
Confusion was still drawn on Vira's face as he stared at her.
"Fragmented? Bound…?"
The old woman crossed her arms.
"I'm getting to that, slow down boy."