The pure Void aura projected by Nihil vanished as quickly as it appeared, but its impact lingered. Ravenna froze, the Knights of Emptiness wavered, and that moment was all the professionals needed.

"NOW!" The cold voice of Viper One, the leader of Duke Alaric's agents, shattered the silence.

The Vipers moved as one. Their silent crossbows launched silver-tipped arrows at the Knights of Emptiness. Simultaneously, from the ceilings and shadows, The Weaver's "Spiderlings" descended, their poison-coated blades targeting gaps in the cultists' armor.

For a moment, Velka's faction and The Weaver's faction formed an emergency alliance.

The battle erupted in brutal chaos. Narrow corridors became slaughter zones. A mighty Knight of Emptiness swung his greatsword, shattering stone walls, but staggered as three Viper arrows embedded themselves in his neck and knees. Before he fell, a Spiderling leaped from his back, using his body as a stepping stone to attack another cultist.

"PROTECT LADY VELKA!" Viper One ordered. Two of his agents formed a human shield around Velka, deflecting the shadow bolts now fired by Ravenna's acolytes.

Velka, now in the midst of a real battlefield, forced herself not to panic. She was no warrior, but she was a Nocturne. She observed, her sharp mind analyzing the flow of the battle.

On the other side of the room, The Weaver no longer wove. The silver threads in her hands were alive, darting out like snakes to ensnare the Knights' ankles, tripping them into hidden traps prepared by her underlings.

But the Knights of Emptiness were not easy adversaries. They fought with fanatical zeal, ignoring wounds that would have incapacitated ordinary soldiers. Their Void-tainted armor blunted magic and poison. One Knight, despite two blades protruding from his body, managed to catch a Viper and crush his chest with one hand.

"YOU ARE ALL INSECTS!" Ravenna roared, finally recovering from her shock. Her rage now reached its zenith. She no longer cared about The Weaver or Velka. She just wanted to annihilate everything in her path.

She raised her hand, and shadows throughout the room swirled around her, forming a corrosive tsunami of darkness. "DIE!"

Whisper, The Weaver's trusted lieutenant, darted forward, dual short blades in hand. "Mistress, flee!"

She charged at Ravenna, attempting to disrupt her incantation. Whisper moved with extraordinary speed and grace, her blades dancing as she sought gaps in Ravenna's defense.

But this was a battle between an elite mercenary and a High Priestess drawing power from another entity.

Ravenna smiled cruelly. She didn't even move. One of the shadows from the tsunami wave shot out, forming a sharp spear that pierced Whisper's heart.

The silk-masked eyes of Whisper widened, then her body crumpled to the floor. One of The Undercroft's deadliest agents was dead.

Seeing her lieutenant fall, The Weaver finally stood. Her wrinkled face hardened. "The web is torn," she said, her voice echoing with unexpected power. "Then it is time to burn it all."

She slammed her weaving staff into the floor. Throughout her nest, explosive runes she had prepared over decades began to glow red.

"We need to leave, now!" Viper One shouted at Velka, realizing what was about to happen.

The ground began to shake. The ceiling started to crack. The entire Weaver's nest would collapse, burying everyone inside—friend or foe.

In Kuala Lumpur, a bankrupt company leaves behind an empty building. In The Undercroft, the Weaver's destroyed nest leaves behind a dangerous power vacuum.

"THIS WAY!" Viper One shouted, dragging Velka away from the now-panicked main battle. They ran through a secret tunnel shown by The Weaver moments before he activated the self-destruct sequence.

Explosions began to shake the complex. Corridors collapsed behind them, swallowing the screams of Knights of Emptiness and Spiderlings who couldn't escape in time.

They finally emerged, coughing, into a sewer tunnel far from the battle site. There, under the dim light, The Weaver waited with a handful of surviving agents. His usually calm face now showed exhaustion and sorrow.

"My home… my web… ashes," he whispered.

"You owe us," Viper One said coldly. "You led us into a trap."

"And you brought war to my doorstep," The Weaver retorted sharply. He turned to Velka. "The balance is broken. The Cult now knows everything about my operations. They will hunt me to the ends of the earth."

"In that case, you need new allies," Velka said, taking the initiative. She no longer spoke as a frightened noble girl. She spoke as a representative of Duke Alaric. "My protector offers you shelter and resources to rebuild your web from scratch. In return, your knowledge, your remaining agents, will work exclusively for us."

The Weaver stared at Velka for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "A new seed must be planted from the old ashes. Agreement."

The strongest alliance between the underground world and the political realm of Solara Magna had been formed, born of destruction and desperation.

At Omega Base…

Nihil collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. The side effects of Echo Projection made him dizzy.

[Capacity: 18/40]

Elara stood beside him, analyzing data on a holographic screen. "Your projection succeeded. You created enough chaos for several key targets—including your sister and The Weaver—to escape."

She displayed a drone feed. Velka, The Weaver, and the Vipers were entering one of the secret entrances to Duke Alaric's network.

Nihil felt a fleeting sense of relief, which he quickly suppressed.

"But," Elara continued, "you've also done two things. First, you've confirmed to Ravenna that you do exist and can touch the world. Your pure aura is a beacon to her. She will become more obsessed. Second, you've shown that you can be provoked into action."

She looked at Nihil with the gaze of a mentor testing her student. "Your projection was weak, unstable, and consumed too much energy for minimal results. If you truly want to influence the world from here, you need two things: more precise control, and a stronger 'anchor' in the outside world."

"I can provide the first," Elara said, displaying a series of complex training simulations. "We will drill your Echo Projection and Synchronization Control until you can do it in your sleep."

"For the second," she continued, "you must create it yourself. An artifact. An object infused with a small portion of your Void essence. A Void Beacon. If any of your allies out there carry it, you will be able to project your power through it far more efficiently and strongly."

Nihil stared at the diagrams before him. He now had a new goal. A path to be more than just a prisoner.

He was no longer merely practicing to control himself. He was now training for remote warfare.

In Solara Magna, Velka, now under Alaric's protection, also had a new goal. She was no longer just an investigator. She had to become the eyes, ears, and hands for her imprisoned brother. She had to be the voice-bearer.

The two Nocturne siblings, separated by lands and seas, unconsciously began walking the same path, preparing for the storm they knew was coming.

The new simulation chamber is called "The Shard." Unlike The Crucible at the academy which only created holograms, The Shard is a vacuum chamber capable of manifesting real matter and energy based on input data. A marvel of the Dimensional Guild.

"The goal of this training is not power, but precision," Elara Moonveil's voice sounded from the intercom. "You will face a series of scenarios. Your task: resolve them using only your Echo Projection. Your physical body remains here. Only your consciousness and will shall fight."

Nihil stood in the center of the empty room, a thin sensory helmet secured on his head. He closed his eyes.

**Test One: Surgical Precision.**

The world around him transformed. He now floated within an intricate, giant clockwork mechanism. Thousands of gears turned. At its heart, a small lever was jammed, obstructed by a tiny piece of metal. Nearby, an old torch he had touched in Thorek's workshop served as his Anchor.

`[Activating: Echo Projection. Anchor: Thorek's Torch]`

`[Capacity: 40/40 -> 35/40]`

A sliver of his consciousness shot across conceptual distance, and he felt his presence manifest near the torch. He could 'see' the clockwork mechanism from this new vantage point. He extended his echo 'hand'.

`[Using Void Grasp (Long-Range Projection)]`

`[Capacity: 35/40 -> 33/40]`

He didn't destroy the lever. He merely touched and erased the tiny piece of metal jamming it. With a soft *click*, the giant clockwork mechanism resumed its smooth motion. First test: Success.

Test Two: Combat Application.

The environment shifted again. He was now in a replica of the Silverstone Mines. Before him, a swarm of Crystal Scuttlers emerged. His Anchor this time was the repaired steel helm, placed in a corner of the simulation.

`[Activating: Echo Projection. Anchor: Steel Helm]`

`[Capacity: 33/40 -> 28/40]`

The Scuttlers lunged towards the helm, ignoring Nihil's intangible presence. From his echo's perspective, Nihil activated the Atomic Manipulation application he had used before.

`[Using Atomic Manipulation (Long-Range Resonance Wave)]`

`[Capacity: 28/40 -> 23/40]`

The lead Alpha Scuttler vibrated violently, then crumbled into crystalline dust. The rest retreated in fear. Second test: Success.

Test Three: The Impossible.

"Prepare yourself, Nihil," Elara's voice sounded, graver now. "This is data we acquired from Duke Alaric's network. This is a real scenario."

The simulation changed. He was now in a ruined mountain-top monastery. Before him lay a body. Tarek Mornhall. The Shard of the Existence Devourer was still embedded in his shoulder, emanating a dark aura that made Nihil's echo tremble.

"That Shard isn't just matter," Elara explained. "It is a 'soul erasure' concept made manifest. Your Void Grasp can erase matter. But can you erase an active erasure concept that is erasing another concept?"

Nihil approached the projection of Tarek. He could feel the man's soul-suffering, the cold void as memories and emotions eroded away.

He focused his echo. He attempted to use Void Grasp on the Shard.

`[Using Void Grasp (Conceptual Target)]`

`[Capacity: 23/40 -> 20/40]`

Nothing happened. The Shard resisted, repelling his power. Instead, a wave of excruciating psychic pain slammed into Nihil. The echo of Tarek's agony flooded his consciousness.

`[Conceptual Stabilization Attempt Failed! Mental Backlash!]`

`[Void Sync: 7.2% -> 7.5%]`

In the control room, Nihil's real body began to convulse.

"Abort the simulation!" shouted one researcher.

"No," Elara commanded firmly. "He must push through."

Nihil, inside the simulation, tried again. This time, he didn't target the Shard. He tried to erase *its effect*. He attempted Null Reconstruction on Tarek's eroding soul.

The result was worse. His restorative power clashed with the erasure force, creating a conceptual explosion that hurled him across the room.

At the Omega Base, Nihil screamed in agony as blood began to trickle from his nose. He lost consciousness.

When he awoke, he was in the medical bay. Elara stood beside him.

"You failed," she stated, her tone analytical, not accusatory. "Fascinating. Your power can erase existence, yet it struggles against another active erasure process. As if two voids cannot occupy the same conceptual space. You are not yet strong enough."

Nihil stared at his hands. He had failed. But now he had a clear new purpose. He wouldn't train just to become stronger. He would train to transcend reality's laws themselves, to save the man who sacrificed his soul for his sister.

Velka Nocturne, clad in lavender silk, sat gracefully at a garden party hosted by a noble family. She hated every second. Fake smiles, empty gossip, calculating stares. But this was her new battlefield.

Under Duke Alaric's guidance, she had spent the past weeks rebuilding her image as a charming yet fragile noble heiress. Her goal: to lull her enemies' vigilance.

"Lady Velka, you look pale," Princess Catarina val-Argent greeted, approaching her. "I heard you've been unwell lately."

"Just a little fatigued, Princess Catarina," Velka answered with a thin smile. "The strange rumors about the academy and... other incidents... have been quite unsettling."

"Indeed," Catarina said, her intelligent eyes observing Velka. "Especially the rumors concerning Professor Theron. Such a pity if a Great House's reputation were tarnished by unverified history."

Velka's seed had been planted. Catarina, from a family rival to House Theron, would now begin digging herself.

Having played her role, Velka returned to Alaric's safehouse. There, a new agent of The Weaver, a thin boy named Pip, awaited her.

"Lady Weaver sends her first report," Pip said, handing her a small scroll.

Velka opened it. The Weaver's rebuilt network, now funded by Alaric's wealth, was operational.

> Report One: Tarek Mornhall.

> "Target successfully relocated to Duke Alaric's covert medical facility. Physical condition stable, but the soul erasure process continues. Alaric's best soul healers are powerless."

>

> Report Two: The Silencer.

> "The assassin has returned to Solara Magna. Our sources indicate he has acquired new 'equipment' from the arcane black market. He is waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike his primary target (Nihil)."

>

> Report Three: Cult of Nullity.

> "This is the most alarming. After their setback, Ravenna Cruor has initiated the 'Void Vessel Ritual'. They are sacrificing their own followers to create soulless bodies capable of being possessed by shadow entities from the Abyss. They are building an army of monsters."

Velka felt a chill crawl down her spine. The Cult's threat had increased a hundredfold. They wouldn't just attack; they would swallow entire cities in nightmare.

She looked at the map of Solara Magna on the wall. All these threats – the Cult, The Silencer, the Church conspiracy – all centered on one person. Her brother. And he was locked away in the Omega Base, powerless to act.

"I cannot wait for Alaric's slow plans," she whispered to herself.

She took a piece of parchment and began writing a letter. Not to Alaric. Not to her father.

She called Pip.

"Can you deliver this message?" she asked. "It is vital."

"To whom?" Pip inquired.

Velka hesitated for a moment. This was an enormous gamble, a leap of faith. But she knew there was only one other person in this world who saw Nihil as more than just a weapon or a monster.

"To the Dimensional Guild," she answered. "For Elara Moonveil."

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