As the Agency soldiers kicked in the door of the apartment, the world didn't explode in violence. Instead, for Xylo, time simply... stopped.
The sound of the breaking wood froze. The dust motes in the air hung still. Xylo felt a familiar pull at his soul, and in the blink of an eye, the bloody apartment was gone. He was standing in a place where the concept of "up" and "down" didn't exist—a pure, suffocating void.
"Again?" Xylo whispered, his voice swallowed by the dark.
"Not quite," a voice resonated.
Augustino Zenorth stood to his left, his spectral cape flowing in a wind that wasn't there. But he wasn't alone. To Xylo's right, a massive, towering shadow loomed. It had no physical form, only two piercing, emerald-green eyes that glowed with a predatory aura.
The air grew heavy. The green light from the eyes washed over Xylo like acid.
"So... this is the spark you chose, Augustino?" The mysterious figure's voice sounded like grinding stones and hissing snakes. It looked down at Xylo with pure disdain. "He is small. His heart trembles. He looks weak. Do you truly believe this 'Normal' can handle the Authority? I have seen Empires crumble under a fraction of my weight."
Augustino stepped forward, a confident, knowing smirk playing on his lips. He looked at Xylo, then back at the green-eyed entity.
"You've grown cynical over the millennia, old friend," Augustino said calmly. "We have watched thousands of candidates. We watched his father, Julius Zenorth, a man of incredible strength and iron will. And yet, I passed him by. I let the bloodline wait."
The Serpent's eyes narrowed, the green aura flaring dangerously. "And why? For this boy who can barely stand in my presence?"
"Because Julius had strength," Augustino's eyes glinted. "But Xylo... Xylo has the Void. He was rejected by every light in the world, and yet he didn't break. You see weakness, but I see a vessel that is finally empty enough to hold everything."
Augustino turned to Xylo. "Don't just stand there, successor. He wants to see if you can handle the weight. Show him why the 12 were right to fear you."