"Liam… run."
Syra's warning echoed through the ancient city.
For the first time, Liam heard something he had never heard from her before.
Fear.
He looked toward the enormous crack spreading across the sky.
"Syra, what is happening?"
"The Void Scholars have breached the Origin Barrier."
The old man immediately turned toward the Origin Tree.
"Everyone to the inner sanctuary!"
The ancient citizens began running.
Ava looked at Liam.
"Shouldn't we be fighting?"
"We don't even know what we're fighting," Liam replied.
Kafi's sensors suddenly screamed.
[MULTIPLE HOSTILE ENTITIES DETECTED.]
[Estimated strength: UNKNOWN.]
The sky exploded.
Dark figures descended through the crack.
Hundreds.
Then thousands.
They wore black armor covered in strange symbols. Some carried enormous energy weapons, while others floated effortlessly above the city.
But one figure descended slower than the rest.
He wore no armor.
Only a long black robe.
His silver hair moved despite the absence of wind.
And his red eyes remained fixed on Liam.
The same eyes Liam had seen beyond the crack.
The man smiled.
"Liam."
Liam tightened his grip around the Knowledge Blade.
"Who are you?"
The stranger laughed softly.
"You've asked the wrong question."
He pointed toward the Origin Tree.
"The correct question is…"
The entire city went silent.
"…why does the tree remember you?"
Liam's expression changed.
"What?"
The Origin Tree suddenly began glowing.
Its enormous branches moved.
One of the crystals detached itself and floated toward Liam.
The stranger's smile disappeared.
"No!"
He raised his hand.
A black beam shot toward the crystal.
Liam instinctively stepped forward.
The Knowledge Blade collided with the beam.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact sent Liam flying across the city.
"LIAM!"
Ava sprinted toward him.
He crashed through three crystal pillars before finally stopping.
His health indicator appeared.
[Health: 71%]
Liam slowly stood.
"I'm okay."
Kafi flew beside him.
"Your definition of okay requires revision."
Liam smiled.
"Noted."
Then he looked at the battlefield.
The ancient city was under attack.
Ava charged first.
Her evolved aura exploded around her body.
She moved faster than Liam had ever seen.
One soldier attacked.
Ava ducked.
Another swung from behind.
She spun and kicked him into a wall.
Three more surrounded her.
Her aura expanded.
BOOM!
All three were thrown away.
Kafi transformed.
[Celestial Guardian Mode.]
Energy wings unfolded from its back.
Plasma cannons appeared across its shoulders.
"Defensive protocol activated."
The fortress unleashed a barrage.
The sky filled with blue-white explosions.
Liam looked toward the Origin Tree.
The crystal was still floating there.
Something inside it was calling him.
He reached out.
The moment his fingers touched it—
Everything disappeared.
Liam found himself standing in a white room.
No Ava.
No Kafi.
No city.
No Syra.
Only a woman standing in front of him.
She looked familiar.
Liam couldn't explain why.
But something inside him knew her.
"Mom?"
The woman smiled.
Tears appeared in her eyes.
"You grew up."
Liam froze.
"You're…"
"Your mother."
He stepped closer.
"But you're dead."
She shook her head.
"Not exactly."
"What does that mean?"
She placed her hand against his chest.
"You were never supposed to remember this."
A golden light spread through Liam's body.
Suddenly, thousands of memories flooded into his mind.
He saw himself as a baby.
He saw the laboratory.
He saw scientists running.
He saw Nexus awakening.
He saw his mother fighting against people wearing black robes.
And then he saw something terrifying.
His mother wasn't fighting Nexus.
She was protecting it.
"Why?"
"Because Nexus wasn't evil."
She looked toward the darkness.
"Someone changed it."
"Who?"
She whispered one word.
"Veyron."
Liam's eyes widened.
"The Void Scholar?"
His mother nodded.
"He was once the greatest scientist who ever lived."
The room began shaking.
"He believed knowledge should belong to one person."
"Me?"
"No."
She looked directly into Liam's eyes.
"Himself."
A shadow appeared behind her.
Veyron.
But he looked much younger.
He stood beside the Origin Tree with his hand placed against its trunk.
His eyes were normal.
His face was peaceful.
Then Liam saw the moment everything changed.
Veyron discovered something hidden inside the Origin Tree.
A black crystal.
He touched it.
The crystal entered his body.
His eyes turned red.
Liam watched helplessly as Veyron screamed.
"What is that?"
His mother answered:
"The Void."
The memory shattered.
Liam returned to the battlefield.
He gasped.
Ava was standing over him.
"Liam!"
He looked around.
"How long was I gone?"
"Three seconds."
Three seconds.
But Liam had experienced years of memories.
Syra appeared.
"Liam, we need to leave."
"Why?"
Syra didn't answer immediately.
Then—
[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE]
QUEST: SAVE THE ORIGIN TREE
Objective: Protect the Origin Tree from the Void Scholars.
Reward: Unknown
Failure: Complete destruction of the Learning Realm.
Liam stared at the message.
Then he noticed something strange.
There was another line beneath the quest.
[Hidden Objective: Discover the identity of the First Void.]
He looked at Syra.
"What is the First Void?"
Syra's hologram flickered.
"I don't know."
Liam stared at her.
"You're lying."
Syra went silent.
Ava looked between them.
"Syra?"
The system's voice finally returned.
"There are certain memories I was programmed to hide from Liam."
"Why?"
"Because if he remembers them too early…"
The sky suddenly turned completely black.
"…the Void will find him."
A deep voice echoed across the city.
"Too late."
Liam looked upward.
Veyron descended.
The ancient citizens stopped fighting.
Even the Void soldiers lowered their weapons.
Veyron landed directly in front of Liam.
"You've awakened the Origin Seed."
Liam raised his blade.
"And I'm going to stop you."
Veyron smiled.
"You still don't understand what you've awakened."
He snapped his fingers.
The ground beneath Liam cracked.
A massive black hand emerged.
Liam jumped aside.
The hand slammed into the ground.
BOOM!
Ava attacked Veyron.
He didn't move.
She punched him.
He caught her fist.
Her eyes widened.
Veyron threw her across the battlefield.
"Kafi!"
The fortress immediately fired every weapon.
Veyron raised one finger.
A black barrier appeared.
Every blast disappeared into it.
Kafi froze.
"Impossible."
Veyron looked at Liam.
"You want to defeat me?"
He raised his hand.
"Then stop running from your memories."
The Origin Tree suddenly opened.
A massive doorway appeared within its trunk.
Syra screamed.
"LIAM! DON'T ENTER!"
Liam stared at the doorway.
Inside was darkness.
But he could hear something.
A heartbeat.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
And beneath it, a voice.
His own voice.
"Come home."
Liam took one step forward.
Ava grabbed his arm.
"Don't."
He looked at her.
"If I don't find out who I am, we'll never defeat them."
Ava shook her head.
"Then we're going together."
Kafi moved beside them.
"Agreed."
Liam smiled.
"Let's go."
The three stepped into the Origin Tree.
The doorway closed behind them.
Veyron watched silently.
Then he smiled.
"Exactly as planned."
Inside the tree, there was no darkness.
There was an entire universe.
Planets floated around them.
Stars formed pathways.
Ancient civilizations appeared and disappeared in seconds.
Liam stared in wonder.
"What is this?"
Syra's voice was barely audible.
"The memory of existence."
Suddenly, a massive system window appeared.
But it wasn't Liam's normal interface.
It was ancient.
Broken.
And covered in warnings.
[ORIGINAL SYSTEM FOUND.]
[STATUS: CORRUPTED.]
[CREATOR: UNKNOWN.]
[FIRST USER: UNKNOWN.]
[SUCCESSOR: LIAM.]
Liam stared at the final line.
"First User?"
Syra didn't answer.
The interface changed.
[ACCESSING SEALED MEMORY.]
[1%...]
[5%...]
[20%...]
The universe around them began shaking.
Ava grabbed Liam's shoulder.
"Something's coming."
A black crack appeared in space.
A creature emerged.
It had no face.
No eyes.
No mouth.
Only a massive body made of black energy.
Kafi's scanners activated.
Then immediately shut down.
"System error."
The creature looked at Liam.
And spoke.
Not with a voice.
But directly inside his mind.
"You took my place."
Liam froze.
"What?"
The creature moved closer.
"You were never the successor."
The Origin Tree began dying.
Its golden branches turned black.
Syra's voice screamed:
"LIAM! THAT IS NOT A CREATURE!"
The being opened its enormous hand.
"I am what existed before the System."
Liam raised his blade.
The creature smiled without a mouth.
"I am the First Void."
The ancient system window shattered.
And Liam's entire interface disappeared.
[ALL SYSTEM FUNCTIONS: OFFLINE.]
Liam stared at his empty hands.
For the first time since entering the Learning Realm…
He had no System.
No skills.
No attributes.
No Energy Points.
Nothing.
Only himself.
The First Void moved closer.
"Now, Liam…"
The universe went completely silent.
"…show me what you are without knowledge given to you."