Fire burned in Princess Lyraelle's eyes, a reflection of her drawn sword illuminating the failed rune dust on the floor of the Grand Library. Before her, Lord Elarion stood rigid, his mask of arrogance cracked, revealing a flicker of near-panic as he grasped the gravity of his actions. The two Archmages who aided him looked pale, the energy from the failed ritual still crackling in the air like static.

"Treachery!" Lyraelle's voice rang like clashing steel. "You dare enact a forbidden containment ritual in the heart of our home? Against a war guest under the Queen's protection? You have dishonored us all, Elarion!"

"I protected our home from a threat you do not understand, Princess!" Elarion retorted, his voice rising, trying to seize back control. "Look! He escaped! A ritual designed to hold an ancient dragon failed! Proof he is more dangerous than we imagined! My actions were justified!"

Nihil simply observed, silent. He didn't intervene in their argument. He was analyzing. He mapped the positions of every guard rushing in, calculated potential escape routes, and most importantly, felt the first `Void Echo` he had created slowly fade from existence. His new power felt like an unused muscle, sore and strange. He had escaped, but he knew it wasn't victory. Merely a delay. He had shown a new card, and now his enemies knew what to watch for.

As the tension peaked, a calm yet undeniable presence filled the hall. Queen Aerwyna entered, unescorted by guards, her presence alone enough to silence everyone. She didn't look at her daughter or Elarion. Her ancient purple eyes fixed on the charred marks on the floor.

"The Cage of Chronos," she whispered, her tone heavy with profound disappointment. "A ritual designed to tear an entity from the stream of time. A tool we swore never to use again after the Dawn War, for its cruelty."

She raised her eyes to Elarion. "You have not only disobeyed me, Elarion. You wielded one of our darkest magics out of your own fear. You have let fear poison your wisdom."

"Your Majesty, I—" Elarion tried to defend himself, but the Queen's gaze silenced him.

"You are hereby stripped of your position as Head of the Arcanum Council, effective immediately," the Queen declared, her voice leaving no room for debate. "You will serve a period of exile and meditation in the Temple of Silence for one full lunar cycle, to contemplate the difference between caution and paranoia. The Archmages who aided you will face similar discipline."

Elarion's face went deathly pale. This was worse than mere censure. It was public disgrace. His power stripped, his reputation shattered. He shot Nihil a look of pure hatred before giving a stiff bow. "As you command, Your Majesty." He turned and left, his robes fluttering behind him like broken raven wings.

Queen Aerwyna then turned to Nihil. "And you," she said, her tone now more complex. "You were attacked under our roof. For that, in the name of my people, I apologize."

Nihil gave only a slight nod. The apology meant nothing to him. The data he gathered was far more valuable.

"It seems," the Queen continued, "placing you under observation was a mistake. It merely provoked those who fear you. Henceforth, you shall be under the direct protection of Princess Lyraelle. None shall trouble you again."

It was a status upgrade. From detainee to protected asset. But Nihil knew it only changed the cage.

That night, Nihil found no rest. Though his body was weary, his mind worked relentlessly. He stood on his chamber balcony, feeling the cool night breeze. He needed to understand the limits of `Phase Step`.

[Current Capacity: 37/50. Passive Recovery Active: +1 Capacity per 30 minutes rest.]

[Capacity: 38/50]

He decided against further practice tonight. The risk of `Cascade` was too great while fatigued. Instead, he pondered the stone tablet he found. *'Every ounce of mana they throw only makes the Void larger.'* Did it mean his power consumed mana? Or did it mean mana and void annihilated each other, and since mana was part of 'existence', that annihilation yielded more 'void'? The hypothesis was intriguing.

A soft knock sounded at his door. He turned. "Enter."

Princess Lyraelle entered, this time without her armor. She wore a simple forest-green robe, making her seem less like a commander and more like... an Elf. She seemed hesitant, an emotion rarely seen on her.

"I came to apologize," she said directly, refusing to sit. "For Lord Elarion. For my people. What happened today was a disgrace."

"He did what he deemed necessary to protect his people," Nihil replied flatly. "It was logical."

Lyraelle seemed startled by Nihil's lack of anger. "Logical? It was betrayal! He attacked you from behind!"

"He perceives me as an existential threat," Nihil stated. "Faced with such a threat, concepts like 'attack from behind' become irrelevant. Only the elimination of the threat matters. I understand the logic, though I disagree with the conclusion."

This cold, detached understanding seemed to unsettle Lyraelle more than anger would have. "You... you truly feel nothing? No anger? No fear?"

Nihil paused. He mentally activated `Void Sanctuary`, not to block an attack, but to analyze his own emotions from a distance. "I feel... calculation. His action provided new data. It forced adaptation. Adaptation is survival. Anger is an inefficient expenditure of energy."

Lyraelle stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to glimpse a soul behind those empty eyes. "You know, during the battle in the valley, I saw you shield my rangers with your void barriers. That wasn't a logical act. It expended your energy. Why did you do it?"

Nihil didn't answer immediately. He recalled the moment. It had been a split-second decision. "Your rangers are effective combat assets," he answered finally. "Allowing them to die would reduce the force's overall effectiveness, complicating the mission. Protecting them was a tactical investment."

It was a half-truth. And both knew it. There was something else, remnants of Heze's humanity, an echo of empathy refusing to be fully extinguished. But Nihil would never admit it.

Lyraelle offered a thin smile, the first Nihil had ever seen from her. It was a sad smile. "For someone who claims only logic, you choose the most inefficient reasons to lie. Rest, Nihil. Tomorrow, I myself will escort you to the library. And there will be no more... surprises."

She turned and left, leaving Nihil alone with his thoughts. He deactivated `Void Sanctuary`. For a moment, he let himself feel the echo of the conversation. He didn't understand why he hadn't given the fully honest answer. Perhaps... some data wasn't ready to be analyzed, even by him.

Three days passed in tense quiet. Under Princess Lyraelle's personal protection, no one dared trouble Nihil. Each morning, he spent hours in the Grand Library, absorbing ancient knowledge with `Void Memory`. He found more fragments, pieces of a puzzle forming a disturbing picture. He learned of the "Tears of Ashia," a cosmic event where an entity of light tore itself apart to create the stars, and in the process, created "wounds" or "shadows" in reality – the origins of the Abyss. He learned of the "Keepers of Balance," an ancient order not worshipping Light or Darkness, but striving to prevent either from annihilating the other.

In the afternoons, he returned to his tower. There, he began his training.

[Current Capacity: 50/50]

He stood in the center of the room. His goal: to understand the mechanics of `Void Echo` and `Cascade`.

"Begin," he whispered to himself.

[Using: Phase Step]

[Capacity: 50/50 -> 49/50]

He vanished and reappeared near the window. The first Echo, invisible and unfelt, now existed in the center of the room. He waited precisely 4.9 seconds before moving again.

[Using: Phase Step]

[Capacity: 49/50 -> 48/50]

He reappeared near the door. The second Echo formed just as the first faded. No side effects.

He began to quicken his pace.

[Phase Step] -> [Phase Step] -> [Phase Step]

[Capacity: 48/50 -> 45/50]

This time, he did it in under three seconds. Three Void Echoes now existed simultaneously within the room. He felt a strange sensation, like the air around him thickening and vibrating. He could feel the interactions between the Echoes.

He pushed further.

[Phase Step] -> [Phase Step] -> [Phase Step] -> [Phase Step]

[Capacity: 45/50 -> 41/50]

Four jumps in two seconds. As the fourth Echo appeared, the other three still existed. The limit was breached.

**BOOM!**

A small, muffled explosion occurred in the center of the room. Not of fire, but of spatial force. The air in the area seemed to warp momentarily, and Nihil felt a sharp sting inside his body, as if random cells were briefly erased and rewritten.

[WARNING: CASCADE OCCURRED. MINOR INTERNAL DAMAGE DETECTED.]

[Void Reconstruction active, repairing microscopic damage.]

He clutched his chest, gasping. So this was the limit. Three sequential jumps were safe. Four was risky. Five would likely be fatal. It was a brilliant and cruel balancing mechanism. The skill granted unparalleled mobility but punished reckless use with self-destruction.

As he was analyzing the pain, a magnificent yet alien horn blast sounded from outside, echoing throughout the valley. It wasn't an Elven horn. It was the military horn of the Solaris Empire.

Nihil walked onto the balcony. In the distance, he saw it. A massive imperial airship, crafted of dark metal and varnished wood, slowly descending towards the main landing platform of the Spire. The golden sun emblem of the Empire was emblazoned proudly on its side. An emissary from the outside world had arrived.

In the Throne Hall, Queen Aerwyna and her council of advisors (minus Elarion) received their guests. The great doors opened, and a woman strode in, radiating authority and discipline. She wore the polished silver armor of the Imperial Legions, her platinum-blonde hair tied back severely. Her sharp blue eyes scanned the room with a veteran's gaze. It was **Captain Kiera Dawnbringer**.

"On behalf of Emperor Octavian Solaris, I bring greetings to Queen Aerwyna and the people of Silverwood," Kiera announced, her voice clear and strong. "The Empire has heard of your great victory against the Demon General Kael'tharr. We come to offer our congratulations... and to extend our assistance."

It was a standard diplomatic opening, but everyone in the room knew the subtext: *We know you have something new. We want to know what it is.*

"We thank the Emperor for his regard," Queen Aerwyna replied gracefully. "We did indeed repel the invaders, though at great cost."

"Indeed," Kiera said. "Our intelligence reports... were somewhat confusing. They mentioned an 'anomaly' fighting on your side. A single entity said to negate magic and regenerate itself from nothingness. Those same reports also identified this anomaly as an Imperial fugitive responsible for the destruction of Outpost Omega... a man named Nihil."

Kiera's gaze sharpened. She knew the truth of what happened that day. She had given the order. But the official report had been sanitized for political consumption, and her duty was to deliver that report, not her personal truth.

"You can imagine our confusion, Your Majesty," she continued, her voice now stiffer, more formal. "According to Imperial records, this fugitive is wanted for high treason."

Lyraelle stepped forward. "Nihil fought under my command as a war asset. His actions in the Echo Valley saved hundreds of Elven lives. Under our laws, he is under our protection."

Kiera offered a thin smile, one that didn't reach her eyes. "I understand. The politics of war are complex. However, the Emperor is most eager to... meet this 'asset'. To understand the nature of his power. Purely for purposes of alliance and mutual security, of course."

The request sounded polite, but it was a veiled command. Refusal would be seen as an act of hostility.

Queen Aerwyna weighed her options. "A meeting can be arranged," she said finally. "But it will be held here, on our soil, and under our conditions."

That night, the message was relayed to Nihil. The Empire was here. And they wanted to speak with him.

Nihil received the news without expression. He knew this day would come. He looked out the window, towards the imperial airship now docked majestically. It wasn't just a ship. It was a reminder of the world that hunted him, the world that had found him once more.

He touched his chest, still feeling the lingering ache from the `Cascade`. He needed more power. Not to fight armies. But to ensure no cage, whether of Elven magic or Imperial diplomacy, could hold him. His meeting with Captain Kiera Dawnbringer would be a dangerous game of chess, and he had to ensure he stayed one step ahead.

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