"Damn it."
The words echoed off the gray walls of the room they had stuffed him in. It was furnished to the absolute minimum – with a mattress on the floor, a closet to his right and a… was that a toilet right beside the mattress?
This is how they're going to treat a member of the Valerius Lineage? Flint's teeth gnashed together as he burnt Diana and the two gardeners' faces into his mind.
Focusing inward, he held out his hand to attempt to summon his dagger. A full minute passed, then two – until he slammed his fist on the iron door.
Shaking his bruised hand, he muttered to himself as he reclined on the mattress, as far away from the toilet as possible.
Lying down on the mattress gave him an uncanny sense of déjà vu. Flint's brow furrowed as he tried to recall what exactly gave him this feeling, but all that came up was fragmented pieces of that dream he had.
Wait. Was it a dream?
An anomalous feeling of nausea washed over him. Diana had mentioned his soul was missing during the time he was unconscious.
Flint was certain he hadn't been at the Soul Realm. Still… that didn't leave any known options left.
Could it be possible that it truly was a dream? Frowning, Flint tried to piece together what he remembered about it.
The sky… it was pitch black with brushes of color flashing every so often, like a canvas. The atmosphere was heavy, yet he was on a mountain cliff. Those two things don't add up.
There was also… a man? And his face had been–
Flint leaned over the side of the mattress as he retched, the only thing coming out being a thin line of bile.
Choosing to ignore the dream for now, he focused on the imprint that had been left on his soul.
It took Flint several moments to find it – for an unsettling change had occurred.
Instead of being on the outermost layer of his soul, it had managed to burrow its way through without being detected by Flint.
It was no longer as heavy as it once was, and it had intertwined itself with Flint's soul essence.
Rather than his soul rejecting this foreign essence, it had begun to evolve around it, causing his entire soul to be contaminated.
While this was worrying, there was nothing Flint could do about it. Well, he could tell the Thyrans.
Flint laughed.
Hopefully, the Hollowing would remove it. According to Diana, it would be happening tomorrow.
One more day till he'd become a Hollow…
Flint had trained his entire life for the possibility he would undergo the Hollowing, but still. Younger him always believed it would be Vance's job to be the Vessel.
Flint smiled. Vance…
Heaven's Light. A hero who upheld the values of every Valerius since the first. A brother who was more like a father.
Flint's smile turned bitter.
With his vision turning blurry, Flint forced himself to sleep.
—
Flint groaned as he felt a servant shaking him awake.
"Give me a moment," the words slurred out of his mouth. He had spent most of the night tossing and turning on the uncomfortable mattress.
He rubbed his eyes and sat up. Two figures stood before him. A male servant and a brutish Thyran that he didn't recognize. Brutish Thyran… yeah that's an oxymoron.
Once Flint finally made it to his feet, the Thyran walked out, obviously expecting him to follow. Soon after, Flint realized his 'room' was in the east wing of the building, close to where the infirmary was.
His stomach growled as he caught the whiff of freshly made food. The smell grew stronger and stronger as the two—the servant had left them halfway through—reached a wide cafeteria hall.
The spread of food at a nearby table almost made him break down in tears. He spotted one of his favorites – a crunchy pastry skewered on a small stick.
Rushing to get a plate, he filled it with enough of these pastries to give a puppy a heart attack. Taking a seat at a nearby table, he stuffed his mouth and took a swig of milk to wash it down.
"F-Flint?"
"Mmpph?" Flint looked up and spotted Kesan standing over him as he swallowed his food. "Yeah?"
Looking around revealed that his peers were staring at him like they were seeing a ghost.
Really, they should've been more focused on the fact that some guy was going to be tampering with their souls this evening.
Kesan's voice carried throughout the hall. "You collapse out of nowhere and then disappear for days and all you have to say is 'yeah'?"
"We thought you died." Ezra's voice came from behind him.
Flint took another bite. Despite the years that had passed, it seemed the two of them were still the same little kids.
Stifling a yawn, Flint put on his best smile. "I'm sorry. Now don't ask me about what happened because I won't tell you."
That last statement was more directed to the entire cafeteria, with Flint deliberately raising his voice. Kesan and Ezra both knew him well enough not to ask without him having to say it.
Flint mentally groaned as the two of them chose to sit beside him.
Ezra tilted her head. "Did they show you the video?"
"Mhm."
"And… what did you think?"
"Bad."
Kesan chimed in. "I thought the same!"
Flint sighed. "What are your opinions on it, Ezra?"
"That a war is coming."
Flint raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't make sense – this is just technological progress. And besides, humanity couldn't survive another war with how many of us are left."
Her usually calm expression grew heated. "With the ability to turn anyone into a Hollow, the Thyrans could amass an army of Vessels. If the Thyrans are the only ones with this power, then they could just scare the rest of us into submission." She paused. "That's if they're the only ones who could do this.
"So there will be a war, one where the rival Lineages race to catch up to the Thyrans."
Hmm. Good points all around.
"You forget how beneficial it would be to have an army of Vessels. We'd have an instant response time to any holes that form, and we'd be able to map out the Soul Realm at a frightening pace."
Ezra opened her mouth to respond before a Thyran who was more bear than man interrupted.
Clearing his throat, Norvall addressed the room. "It's time."