The path onward should have been obvious. Advahe item and then proceed with their previous pn. However, the longer Leo looked at the System's message, the more doubts entered his mind.

  'What's wrong, Leo?' Nyx whispered softly.

  He sighed. I'm not sure if I should do it now. Seeing the feliilt her head, he eborated. Maybe it didn't take much time to finish previously, but it hurt as hell. Harming myself right now might not be the best idea.

  Slowly, Nyx nodded. 'That's fair... Yet, you seem tet that it was Nikra who forced the plete evolution of your item. Her power ged it at its core, and that's the only reason it hurt so much. Without her here, things should proceed much more smoothly.'

  Humming, Leo turned his gaze back to the notification. Nyx was right. Without Nikra, no one could mess up the adva process any lohough it didn't ge the fact that he still worried.

  Instincts? If there was ever a time to war's now... Nothing? Okay...

  "So be it," He muttered, sitting down on the ground and rexing his body as much as he could. "Like before... Protect me. Hopefully, it won't take lohan a minute or two. We really o go."

  'Of course. Go on.'

  Alright System... hit me with it.

  Choice aowledged. Proceeding with the adva of Touch of the Void (Epic). Please rex, and under no circumstances should you attempt to manipute your soul during the process.

  Three.

  Two.

  One.

  Beginning…

  Deep within Leo's soul, the install item stirred, awakening the surrounding Essehe energy, just like the st time, enveloped the Touch of the Void, not leaving a single gap for it to escape. Not that it ever would.

  At this point, Leo expected the pain to begin, to boil his blood just like it had when Nikra interfered in the past. However, none of that ever happened.

  Instead, a sudden warmth filled his soul, followed by whispers he couldn't really uand. They spoke louder with each word, their echoes sending shivers across his body. Sometimes, he thought those voices were calling out to him, begging him to join.

  In what? Leo had no idea.

  Not that it really mattered, as not even a few seds ter, the whispers vahe warmth filling his soul disappeared along with them, leaving him so cold ay that, for a moment, he thought the world had turned into a frozen wastend.

  Only it didn't, and another message from the System made sure to prove that. Well, that and the world around him ing bato focus.

  Item adva finished successfully. Grade upgraded from Epic to Radiant. gratutions, Touch of the Void has advao Spark of the Void.

  Holy shit. Leo let out a long exhale. That was... quite something. Did you feel it, Nyx?

  'Only bits and pieces,' she admitted. 'Our bond is still too weak for me to feel everything that happens that deep in your soul. One day, it will ge, but for now, I see the memory from your perspective if you wish.'

  Standing up, Leed. Go ahead. I'm curious what you will have to say about it. You still know more about the Void than me.

  Not waiting for a response, he quickly took off his cloak and made sure to check every inch of his body. Even if there were no signifit physical ges after the previous adva, he didn't want to leave anything to ot now, not ever.

  Everything seems the same. That's something at least. Leo released a breath he didn't know he was holding. If it didn't ge me outside, time to find out what happened inside.

  Install: Spark of the Void (Radiant):Created as the result of bining a lrade in item and the influence of an Old One's shard. With each step you make, your e to the Void grows stronger. Its power, wild aructive, is waiting for you. Make sure you don't lose your way.Limit Break: +15 Might, Vision, and Grace. Grants teique Void: Minor Takeover. The true power of the Void fills your soul.Passive: Third Circle - Locked. Soulbound - ot be removed by traditional means.

  Hmm. For a whole grade higher, it's holy less than I expected. Leo frowned, making sure to read everything at least twice. Though the bit about Void's true pht be the reason for that. I just have to figure out what the hell that really means...

  'Iing...' Nyx's sudden mumble filled his mind. 'The voices you heard. Those were spoken in Akirian's primal tongue. One of, if not the oldest, nguages in the Multiverse. Nikra heard it a few times during the war.'

  Fetting about the item for a moment, Leo raised an eyebrow. Oh? Did you uand anything they tried to tell me?

  The feline shook her head. 'No. Nikra uood a few words at best. It's not enough to even transte a single sentence you have heard.'

  Not surprising... He tsked just as ahought entered his head. So this is one of the nguages that my skill 't transte. Found it faster than I expected...

  'With your current evolution, it was bound to happen sooner rather than ter. And who knows. Maybe one day you will have to learn this aongue.'

  As if. Leo snorted. Learning a new nguage is the least of my worries. There are much better things to give my time to... Like for example figuring out what my upgraded item does. Think you help, Nyx?

  For a brief moment, the feline remained silent as her eyes clouded over.

  'Five me, Leo. All I tell is that the answer most likely lies within your soul. Apart from that, I'm just as clueless as you.'

  Don't worry. Leo waved her off. It's not like I expect you to have an ao my every question. Sooner or ter, I will figure this out. Now, let's get moving...

  Barely a few days and it had already spread so far. Leo swallowed, gazing at the Tainted Wastend below and trag every glowing fissure.

  The scorched and disfigured area didn't stay idle for long after he knocked down two of the walls that trapped it. At this point, the Wastend finished ing the fallen buildings and tinued onward. Not evereet where he had nded after esg from the Cursed Juggernaut ared.

  Give it a few weeks, and most of the city will be gone... Ohe mess with the Safe Zone and Adam's curse is solved, this should be the point of focus. Well, this and the Graveyard.

  The mere thought of that accursed mall brought a grimace to Leo's face. However, no matter how much he wahe Graveyard couldn't remain fotten forever. Among everything that wao kill the survivors in Wolford, the breeding ground of Nightmares was the most dangerous.

  At least for now...

  There are also the Void Gates waiting to be activated... Shit. He shook his head. Ohing at a time, Leo. Remember. Safe Zone, Adam, then the rest...

  Sighing, Leo let his gaze wander over the Wastend again. Another dozen or two Voidlings had already filled the space left by the mohat died here a few days ago. Where did they e from? He had no idea, but the point remaihat they all had already reached at least level ten.

  Perfect pce to level up quickly a some stronger minions... But not now.

  'Are you sure, Leo? Now that you're fully recovered, we could easily hunt most of them given time. The humans wait. You worry too much about them.'

  Leo rolled his eyes. I know you don't care about them, but I gave them my word. Besides, I'm a bit curious.

  'I don't like this. Humans are fickle beings. '

  Quikring an eyebrow, Leo stepped away from the roof's edge. Need I remind you that I was a human not that long ago?

  'Unimportant. You have shed your humanity and bee something more. That's all that matters.'

  This time, Leo couldn't stop the chuckle esg from his throat. Iing point of view... Don't worry too much about me. I still pn to take over a few Voidlings on the way. That and I still have you.

  'Acceptable,' Nyx mumbled, earning anh from Leo.

  They are fine... So it was only me. Thank the Void. Leo sighed in relief as Holden and Cra ehe gallery's entrance hall. "You're here. Nice. Holy, I expected you to take longer."

  Cra snorted, her gaze dartiween the dead creatures around them. "And you would have been right if someone hadn't cleared out the final part of the way." She grinned. "Must have been bored, eh?"

  Leed even as another kill notification appeared in his vision. "Something like that. I just don't want too many surprises once we arrive at the police station. Now, shall we?"

  Nyx, you stop now. They are here. Take the minions and find a good spot to watch over me.

  'Uood.'

  "A moment, Hale," Holden called out, stopping him with a raised hand. "I already told you some of what you expect from Frank, but let me eborate."

  Nodding, Leo leaned against a wall. "Sure. Go on."

  "Frank is a survivor, always was. Among roup, he was the fastest to adapt to everything. If something o be done, he was the man for the job." Holden sighed, lightly shaking his head. "He is a good man and a friend you want around. There is just one important issue with him."

  "He is a prick," Cra finished, earning a gre from Holden. "Hey! We both know I'm right. I just ain’t scared to say it," she shrugged.

  The man pinched his nose. "Cra is... sadly correct. Frank is many things, but easy to work with is not among them. And this stands true before and after the Outbreak."

  "Meaning it got worse after," Cra added with a grin.

  Leo furrowed his brow. "Are you sure you want this guy's help?"

  "Aye," Holden stated firmly. "Frank has his faults. We all have. But like I said, he is a good person. As long as you ignore his jibes and obnoxious nature, w together shouldn't be a problem. That is once we vince him to join us."

  "Yeah, Tony," Cra drawled. "I would like to finally hear your master pn to do that. You know well why Frank and the others left us."

  "Of course I do," Holden almost growled before taking in a deep breath. "For now, I hope the news about the perma Safe Zone and Hale's presence here will tip the scale in our favor. If that doesn't work... I have an offer Frank 't refuse."

  Ign most of what the man said for a moment, Leo spoke up. "Hold up. What's that about me?"

  Even as Holden moved to answer, Cra beat him to it. "Even if he is an arsehole, Frank is also a simple bloke. He respects strength and takes the System's motto as some sort of guidance from God... So I guess you're here as a show of power so that he won't think we are just a bunch of weaklings anymore."

  "Again, correct," Holden nodded. "He will see you as what you are, Hale. An ex-human ted better than others."

  Alright, e impressed. Now I really want to see if any of that is even slightly true. Who knows, maybe it won't bee a plete waste of time after all.

  Kig his foot off the wall, Leo motioo the duo. "Okay the's meet this Frank."

  Chaos65