Siyam sat on one end of the sofa in King Simanto's private office. Beside him sat Shihab and Pranto. Shihab held the ancient Necromancy book, while the mysterious box rested on the table in front of them. Shihab was carefully examining every page, trying to uncover its secrets. He rested the book on his lap, rubbed his scarred hand for a moment with a tired sigh, and then returned his focus to the text.
Siyam sat motionless, staring at the red carpet beneath his feet as if he were trapped in an endless loop. He was so still that it was hard to tell the difference between him and the cold paintings hanging on the wall behind him.
Outside the window, the glow of the setting sun created a beautiful scene. The room was filled with expensive art and carvings, making it feel more like a museum than an office. But despite the beauty, a thick, sweet fragrance filled the air - a scent so heavy it made one's skin crawl.
Pranto was busy looking around. Even though he had been in this room many times, it always felt different. Eventually, his eyes landed on Siyam. He narrowed his gaze, trying to figure out what was going on in Siyam's mind.
Siyam's hands were clasped tightly together. The tips of his right fingers were still a bruised, sickly blue, looking as if they had been scorched by ice. He kept picking at his own fingernails, digging into his skin as if he wanted to tear them off. His legs were shaking like there was an earthquake inside him. His eyelids felt heavy and frozen, he didn't even blink.
Pranto nudged Shihab with his elbow, pointing toward Siyam. Shihab, still focused on the book, only gave a distracted grunt. After being nudged a few more times, Shihab finally looked up, clearly annoyed. Pranto didn't say a word, he just gestured toward Siyam. Shihab's eyes followed the movement.
Shihab closed the book with a heavy thud.
"Siyam... are you okay? Siyam...!!"
The words echoed in Siyam's ears like a voice in a deep, dark tunnel. He couldn't tell where the sound was coming from. The voice felt familiar, but he couldn't remember who was calling him or why.
"SIYAM!" Shihab shouted, his voice cracking like a whip.
Siyam's entire body jerked violently. He gasped, looking at Shihab and Pranto with wide, startled eyes. He looked like someone who had suddenly fallen from a high mountain peak, struggling to understand his surroundings. He swallowed hard, his eyes moving rapidly between his friends, and whispered, "Sorry."
Before Pranto could reply, the door creaked open. Everyone turned at once. King Simanto walked in with fast, heavy steps and sat at his desk. He glanced at Siyam's pale, exhausted face and made a low, mocking 'tsh' sound. He didn't hide his disappointment.
As the King sat, everyone stood up in respect. Shihab immediately put the book back into the box and signaled Pranto. Pranto placed the box on the King's table without a moment's delay.
The King pushed the box aside and looked at Siyam with a cold, serious expression.
"Can I know the status of the task I gave you?" he asked.
Pranto tried to step in to speak, but Shihab grabbed his hand and shook his head
'no.'
Pranto hid a smirk and stayed silent. Siyam couldn't bring himself to meet the King's eyes. He kept his head lowered.
"Following your orders, I cleared the seal and the mine area," Siyam said quietly.
"But most of the upper mountain was destroyed. However... I believe the mines below are safe."
Bang!
Simanto slammed his hand onto the table.
"You believe? Is that supposed to mean the mission was a success? I told you to break the seal and see what was inside, not to blow up the entire mountain!"
Shihab stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, breaking the seal wasn't enough. There was something inside - something that would have caused a disaster if we hadn't acted."
Simanto leaned back and put his head in his hands. He closed his eyes and spoke in a low, chilling voice.
"Disaster? Ten men from the support team died in that one spot."
He looked up, his eyes burning with anger as he stared at Siyam.
"I sent a 'Hero' so that we would have fewer casualties. Instead, you sacrificed ten lives."
Siyam finally looked up at the King. He looked exhausted, his face pale. His eyes grew misty, and he took a sharp breath, biting his lip.
"Your Majesty, I tried to keep the damage to a minimum. But suddenly..."
The King raised his hand, signaling him to stop. Siyam fell silent. The King turned to Shihab.
"Shihab, I want you and Pranto to explain everything to me. And tell him to get out of my sight."
Shihab gave Siyam a look, telling him to stay calm. Siyam clenched his fists, holding back his tears, and walked out of the room. Shihab immediately moved to the King's desk to begin the report. Pranto followed, struggling to hide his excitement and his twisted smile.
After leaving the palace, Siyam walked until he reached a quiet lake. The sight of the setting sun offered a small spark of hope against the emptiness in his heart.
He felt like he couldn't breathe. Every moment felt like a mountain of weight crushing him. His legs gave out, and he fell to his knees. Tears finally escaped his eyes. He punched the ground with all his might, the force sending a vibration through the earth that created ripples in the lake water.
He pressed his forehead against the dirt and whispered, "I'm sorry, Sameer."
As the sun disappeared, a full moon rose, bathing the world in silver light. Along with the light, Siyam felt something inside him trying to break free. He wiped his eyes and reached into his pocket. He felt that familiar, strange coldness.
He pulled out the locket. Under the moonlight, the ancient object seemed to reveal its true form. Strange carvings appeared on its surface, along with writing that Siyam couldn't understand. The locket began to glow like a burning coal, becoming so hot it was painful to hold.
It slipped from his hand and hit the dirt. As it touched the ground, an strange pattern began to draw itself into the earth. Siyam's eyes widened. He backed away to see the full image. He looked from the locket up to the glowing full moon.
The moonlight poured into a room in the palace like a blessing, falling across Humayra's face. She was sitting at her table, waiting for Siyam, but there was no sign of him. She asked a servant, who told her that Siyam had left the palace long ago. Humayra realized her mistake - asking about Sameer had triggered Siyam's guilt, and the King's anger must have made it even worse.
She didn't waste another second and went out to find him. On her way, she ran into Pranto. He was giving orders to a guard but dismissed the man as soon as he saw Humayra. Pranto followed her with a smirk.
"A princess shouldn't be walking alone at this time of night, especially without a maid," Pranto said.
Humayra turned around. Her face showed clear annoyance, which Pranto seemed to enjoy. She looked him up and down, her jaw tightening.
"You don't need to worry about that," she said firmly.
"And who gave you the right to speak to a princess so casually?"
Pranto bowed and took two steps back, pretending to be humble.
"I apologize for my behavior. But it is my duty to ensure the safety of everyone in the palace."
Humayra turned away and kept walking. "Tell that to the King. Don't follow me."
She quickened her pace. Pranto watched her go, his eyes filled with hidden rage and a dark smile on his lips.
Humayra eventually reached the lake. She saw a figure sitting there, as still as a statue. It was Siyam. He looked like he was under a spell. As she got closer, she saw the glowing map drawn into the ground. Her eyes widened as she looked from the map to Siyam. Siyam's eyes were completely white, reflecting the moonlight. He wasn't moving.
The moment she touched Siyam's shoulder, a flash of visions exploded in her mind.
Angels and demons were locked in a brutal war. She saw the angels, Fira and Suxang, sitting on the ground, covered in blood. Standing before them was an angel with black wings, holding Siyam's sword. The black-winged figure pointed the blade at them.
"How much longer, Suxang?" the figure hissed.
"Did you really think you were that clever?"
Before Humayra could understand more, a shockwave hit her, and the vision shattered. Humayra clutched her head in pain. Siyam wiped his eyes and saw her there. He stood up and pulled her into his arms, asking if she was okay.
Humayra nodded, but her eyes were fixed on the pattern on the ground. Siyam noticed and pressed his forehead against hers.
"I don't know what this is," he whispered.
"Since I touched this locket, everything has changed. I keep falling into these deep, dark thoughts."
Humayra sat up and gripped Siyam's hand tightly. She touched his cheek gently.
"What was that vision? Why did I see Fira, my angel, so badly wounded?"
Siyam looked down, his eyes dark. "I don't understand anything yet..."
He looked at the glowing map again.
"But whatever is happening, it's connected to this."
Humayra helped him up. Siyam stood and brushed the dirt off his clothes. He took a long, deep breath and grit his teeth.
"From now on, I have to find the truth myself. Everything that is happening... there must be a link."
He leaned over the pattern, trying to understand it under the moonlight. It wasn't just a drawing; it was a map of a specific place.
Somewhere far away...
Screams filled the air. Cries for mercy and the smell of death were everywhere. An entire village was burning. Bodies lay scattered, some cut down by blades, others burned by the fire.
In the corner of a ruined house, a young girl sat silently, trying to hide. Her face was covered in soot, her clothes torn, and her body shaking with terror. Suddenly, the door was smashed open. A dark shadow entered the room. A single scream followed, and then... silence.
A shadow stepped out of the house, carrying a blood-stained sword. The smoke from the village had turned the moon into a dark, hazy orange. The man looked up at the sky, wiped the blood from his face, and fixed his hair.
This was Tameem.
He walked out of the burning village, his body soaked in blood. He reached a river where a boat was tied. A father and his ten-year-old daughter were there. The father climbed out and fell to his knees in front of Tameem, begging with tears in his eyes.
"Please, don't hurt my daughter! Kill me, but spare her!"
Tameem knelt on one knee and looked at the man for a few moments. Then, he gave a soft, chilling smile.
"Do you think I'm some kind of monster? Why would I kill you or your daughter?"
He pressed the sharp tip of his sword against the man's throat, just enough to draw a drop of blood.
"Just tell me the mantra to enter. If you do, I won't hurt a soul."
The man trembling, showed him the locket around his neck. Tameem snatched it and read the mantra engraved on it. He narrowed his eyes and stood up.
He sheathed his sword and walked to the river to wash the blood from his skin. Suddenly, the man tried to attack him from behind. In the blink of an eye - faster than a bolt of lightning - Tameem moved. It didn't even look like he had drawn his blade, but the man was sliced in half instantly, falling like butter.
Tameem finished cleaning himself and looked at the little girl in the boat. She was paralyzed with fear, unable to even scream after seeing her father die in a heartbeat. Tameem just smiled and walked away into the darkness. He vanished like the wind.
Tameem walked through the forest in silence. His goal was the island behind the high mountains. He moved without stopping, as if every second mattered.
"How much further?" a voice echoed in his head.
"Don't be so impatient, Solis," Tamim said,
sounding annoyed.
"I am your vessel, not your slave."
Solis seemed to grow even more anxious, asking the same question again and again. Tameem tried to block the sound, but he failed - the voice was coming from inside his own brain. In a fit of rage, he punched a massive tree, snapping it in half.
The sound of the falling tree shattered the silence of the forest. Nearby animals fled in terror. Tameem calmed himself and took a deep breath.
"Solis, I have worked for you for a thousand years. But I have never been able to do anything for myself. Now that I am focusing on my own goal, do not stand in my way."
Solis went quiet for a moment, then spoke in a voice that sounded almost like a pouting child.
"I thought our bond had grown deep after all this time. But even after a thousand years, you haven't changed."
Tameem ignored the voice and quickened his pace. As he reached the mountains, an invisible magical barrier appeared. Tameem pulled out the locket and whispered the mantra. The barrier vanished.
In front of him sat an island surrounded by deep, dark waters. It looked small, but the water around it felt as vast as an ocean. Tameem's eyes glowed with excitement. He had finally made it.
Standing before him was the legendary... 'Void Imperium.'