The ruin breathed ancient silence. Zane stepped lightly across the cracked tiles, Nyx floating beside him in the form of a dim, flickering orb.
"How much farther is this place?" Zane groaned.
"You're the one who wandered blindly. What do I look like to you, a glorified compass?" Nyx snapped.
"Okay, okay—I'm sorry. You're a very dignified compass," he said with a grin.
Nyx sighed, but didn't respond.
Just then, Zane tripped over a jagged stone protruding from the floor. He stumbled forward, arms flailing, and stopped inches before a collapsed archway that led into a vast chamber veiled in shadow.
Inside, eerie light filtered from glowing cracks in the ceiling, revealing monstrous shapes curled into the darkness—Voidspawn. Some looked vaguely human, others like malformed beasts, tendrils and claws coiled beneath them.
Zane instinctively stepped back—then froze.
Their many eyes blinked slowly. One even tilted its head slightly at him, as if recognizing something. But not a single one attacked.
"They sense it," Nyx whispered. "The Void in you. You're not just another intruder. You're the Chosen."
Zane swallowed. "That's... comforting and terrifying."
As he approached the center of the chamber, the Voidspawns parted slowly, slithering back into the shadows.
There, on a pedestal of black stone, rested a sealed chest, adorned with swirling, purple markings—Void sigils.
As his fingers touched the surface, the sigils glowed.
The chest clicked softly—and opened on its own.
Inside lay a tattered, dark-bound book, its pages humming with strange energy.
[New Skill Acquired: Shadow Pet]
A fragment of the Void recognizes you.
A being from beyond slumber stirs at your command.
Skill: Shadow Pet — Summon a Void entity to serve you. It will grow with you, shaped by your choices.
Zane stared down at it. "So... a pet. From the Void."
Nyx sounded wary. "Let's just hope it's not the type that eats souls."
He grinned. "Only one way to find out."