Before Vorathyx fully departed, his presence had already begun to recede from the immediate space, yet it never truly left. It lingered, vast and oppressive. And just as Nekeili's consciousness clawed its way back from the depths of that devouring madness, the voice returned. Not spoken, but imposed onto his very being.
"I know you came from that gate, Nekeili. You feel just like it. No matter how faint the aura of the void might be, it is there. But you are not like the others. They are infected, corrupted—already dying. Not even I can house this power. It would poison me, even as it grants strength for a time."
The words settled into him as his breathing struggled to stabilize, uneven at first before slowly evening out under the influence of the fragment anchoring his body.
"With my might, I siphon it carefully from my body and condense it. It is… interesting. Once refined, it stabilizes. In crystal form, its infectious nature becomes docile."
Nekeili's eyes slowly opened. The whites had returned, but his irises were no longer his own—a slow, unnatural swirl of green and red shifting beneath the surface.
He pushed himself upright. His body trembled—not from weakness, but from something still settling inside him. The hunger remained, quieter now, controlled only by the fragment feeding it just enough to keep it from breaking loose again.
Vorathyx had already turned away.
"The creatures I killed were easily influenced, and weak. More are being created. Ever since that gate tore open space and anchored itself to this corner of the world, the spread has accelerated. Sentient beings resist it naturally. The Adramadeus system filters foreign influence, protecting those within its structure."
The explanation settled for a few brief moments and silence followed. It gave Nekeili a chance to process what he heard, before the beast lord started speaking once again.
"The systems filtration is not absolute. If one is truly attacked by a creature wielding that energy, they will become afflicted just the same. Be very careful how use your dark energy."
Nekeili swallowed once, grounding himself before speaking.
"…you already knew what I was."
Vorathyx did not turn.
"You are connected to it. You resonate with it. You benefit from it, though you do not yet understand how or why. Like a babe feeding without awareness, you are immature. Weak. Unrefined."
No mockery. Just fact.
Nekeili let out a slow breath, steadier this time.
"…and you still stepped in."
A short silence followed.
"You are what you are, and I intend to take full advantage of it. Not now… but far into the future."
That was all it was.
A debt.
The Beast Lord spoke again.
"I said I would not interfere again… but this is not interference."
He sighed
Nekeili wondered why he was going so far. Yet when heard the sigh. It wasn't just sound, it also sent out a faint distortion, that rippled through the space around them. It fascinated him to no end, but still he paid attention as Vorathyx continued to speak.
"It is preparation, a form of insurance to make sure I get what I want."
Not like that difference mattered to him.
"Be careful. There are things beyond this world that do not rely on sight to find you. The spatial wisps of the beyond gather around you even now."
Nekeili's gaze shifted slightly, brushing that edge of awareness again.
"…I've noticed, but I wasn't sure. I have so many new senses It's hard to be sure of anything"
The beast lord spoke gravely "You are masking the void within you, whether by instinct or accident. It is incomplete. If I can see it, others like me will as well—and they will not observe."
He paused for a moment, making sure he understood before finishing his warning.
"They will take."
Nekeili didn't respond. He didn't need to.
Vorathyx continued.
"So I will give you something a "Mark of the Beast Lord". It will conceal you for a time, grant minor benefits, and overwrite your presence with my own."
A brief pause.
"But understand this… it will not last."
Something in Nekeili's chest settled.
Then it burned.
---
**[System Update]**
## LEVEL PROGRESS
F-Tier Level **7 → 13**
Experience overflow detected from high-quality Void Crystal Fragment.
*(F-Tier Level Range: 0–50)*
—
**Status**
Name: Nekeili
F-Tier Level: 13
Designation: *Mantling Candidate** | **Bearer of the Unfinished Hunger**
Existence Classification: *Mortal (Void-Touched)*
System Authority: *Drowned Abyss God's Logic System*
Continuity State: *Stabilized*
Divinity Alignment: *0.02% → 0.88%*
---
**Core Conditions**
Sanity: 66 / 100 (Fluctuating)
Identity Integrity: 79% (Degrading)
Void Saturation: High
Affinity: Spatial Affinity (Partial Awakening)
Soul Capacity: Dormant (No Core Detected)
Physical State: Recovering
---
**Core System**
Void Fragment: Active
— Fragment Output Increased
— Energy Conversion Improved
— Stability Threshold Expanded
---
**Attributes**
*(Current rank reflects present capability. Potential grade exceeds displayed rank.)*
Strength: F (16 → 30 / 100)
Endurance: F (20 → 41 / 100)
Agility: F (15 → 27 / 100)
Perception: D (30 → 31 / 100) [partial beast sight]
Willpower: F (24 → 37 / 100) — Anomalous Potential
---
**System Note:**
Attribute ranks reflect current structural limits.
Potential grades are sealed until stabilization criteria are met.
---
**Skills**
Maddening Spatial Sacrifice (Active)
Void-Resonant Physiology (Passive)
Fractured Will (Passive)
Abyssal Adaptation (Dormant)
---
**[Skills Updated]**
**Skill: Maddening Spatial Sacrifice**
Type: Active | Void / Spatial
Activation: Conscious Intent
Cooldown: Minimal (Mental Strain Accumulates)
Description:
The user fractures local space, displacing themselves through void-assisted translation. Space is not traversed, but broken and reconnected through the void.
Base Effect:
— Teleportation up to 15 meters without physical sacrifice
— Near-instant displacement within visible or sensed space
Extended Use:
— Repeated activation induces temporary sanity instability
— Spatial perception distortion increases with each use
Overextension:
Exceeding the safe threshold invokes *Void Payment*, scaled by distance, frequency, and current condition
Possible Void Payments:
— Muscle strain, disorientation
— Bone fractures, internal shock
— Identity erosion (rare, escalating risk)
---
**[Enhancements Applied]**
— Range Stability Improved → Reduced distortion within safe distance
— Activation Precision Increased → Greater control over exit point
— Void Efficiency Increased → Lower cost within threshold range
---
**[New Restrictions]**
— Consecutive Use Threshold Introduced → Rapid chaining accelerates mental degradation
— Spatial Lock Risk → Misuse may cause partial displacement or positional error
— Void Familiarity Effect → Repeated patterns increase severity of future Void Payments
---
**Warning:**
Excessive reliance accelerates mental destabilization.
The void adapts to familiar offerings.
---
**[New Integration]**
Mark: Beast Lord's Veil
— Suppresses Void Presence (Temporary)
— Masks Spatial Distortion (Temporary)
— Alters External Perception
— Beast Suppression: 10%
— Minor Physical Reinforcement
— Instinct Enhancement
---
**[Notice]**
— Sudden Power Increase Detected
— External Authority Integrated
— System Stabilization Successful
— Further Growth May Destabilize Host
---
The system faded.
Nekeili exhaled slowly, the burning in his chest settling into something colder and controlled, but permanent.
Vorathyx continued walking.
"Goodbye. You have entertained me more than anything I have seen in centuries. I expect to be paid in full when you rise to a worthy station."
Nekeili watched him go, his gaze steady now, no longer wavering. His voice came quieter, but clearer than before.
"…so that's what this is."
He let out a slow breath.
"Not help. Just something you're waiting on."
Vorathyx didn't stop.
"You will understand when it is time. Remeber my name little one, it is Vorathyx."
The distance between them stretched, his presence fading—but not disappearing.
Nekeili remained still for a moment longer, standing among the fractured ground, his body finally stable, his breathing even. Everything had settled—but nothing felt the same.
His hand rose to his chest.
He could feel it.
The mark.
Not on his skin, not something external—but something layered into him, resting over everything else like a second presence. It didn't fight the fragment, nor the void energy that saturated him.
It didn't suppress it.
It simply covered it.
For now.
The hunger stirred again—quieter, deeper. Not wild anymore, still suckling at the crystal, waiting to come out once again. the crystal had mostly used up its energy to impower Nekeili.
What was left would just have to be enough to keep it at bay.
Nekeili lowered his hand and stepped forward. This time, there was no hesitation. His body moved cleanly, naturally, as if it had once again already accepted what he had become.
Nekeili took one step again.
Then another.
He didn't look back even once, he just continued to walk. Walking in the opposite direction of the looming gate and the vast pitt he came from.
He kept what vorathyx said close to heart, he needed to be very careful.
Because whether he understood it or not. He had already begun his journey to mantling his God.
And something far beyond him…
A destiny, like no other was waiting.