Ilis and Bast took off their masks.
The old man, who had been examining the traces left behind by the ritual, slowly stood up and looked at the corpses of the two lads who had lost their lives. He let out a deep sigh.
"Those poor kids," he said. "It was the Black Goat ritual, used to open a Hollow Vein."
He then began inspecting the items that had been set up for sale in the basement. There were various potions and pieces of mystical equipment, all now secured under safety patrol control.
The Chief placed a hand on Bast's shoulder and asked in a calm but firm voice, "Where did you get the invitation from? I need every detail."
"I… a man approached me while I was checking things in the black market," Bast replied. "He was quite tall, and he had a gentle smile on his face. He handed me an invitation in the form of an envelope and then left. I was confused at the time."
"And?" the Chief pressed. "Nothing else?"
"No," Bast replied, shaking his head.
"Where is the invitation now?" the old man asked.
"It burned on its own after I read it," Bast answered.
"Burned on its own?" the Chief said. "This situation may be far more dangerous than we initially anticipated. Sir Orjack, do you know anything about this?"
The old man's name was Orjack. He was an anthropologist, said to be the best in all of Varen.
He let out a light laugh. "Haha. Let us not jump to conclusions just yet, Chief Armandar. For now, let us escort the kids back."
The Chief nodded, and they began moving toward the entrance, which had been blown apart earlier. Soon, they emerged from the cave. Ilis spotted his horse nearby, along with several others.
"Take a horse and return home," the Chief commanded. "Take whichever one you want. I will also send a few people to check your place, Bast."
Ilis and Bast nodded. They mounted their horses and, after exchanging a few words and saying their goodbyes, Ilis headed back toward the mansion.
Just as he was about to leave the forest, his horse suddenly stopped. It refused to move forward and instead began backing away, clearly frightened.
"What the heck are you doing?" Ilis shouted.
Unable to control the horse, Ilis was thrown to the ground. The horse bolted into the forest and disappeared.
"WHAT THE HECK? WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" Ilis yelled, completely baffled by what had just happened.
Then he saw him.
A tall man stood ahead of him, wearing a familiar mask. Fear gripped Ilis as the man stared at him as though he intended to devour his soul. Ilis instinctively took a step back.
"What do you want?" Ilis asked, his voice unsteady.
The man removed his mask. He had green eyes, and his hair was not very long. He looked both old and young at the same time, an unsettling contradiction.
He began walking toward Ilis. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out something and, once close enough, placed it into Ilis's hand.
It was a rotten finger.
It did not smell, but its appearance alone made Ilis's stomach churn.
"Eat it, in order to open a Hollow Vein," the man said.
Ilis was stunned. "Why should I trust you? I do not even know who you are."
As he spoke, his hands began moving on their own. His arm rose against his will, his hand forcing the finger into his mouth.
What is happening?
"No. I do not want to eat this filthy thing," Ilis shouted.
But his body did not listen to him. Neither his hands nor his mouth obeyed his will, and he swallowed the finger.
"I have purified it, so it will help you develop the first vein," the man said calmly. "But be aware. Even I cannot stop the corruption."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked into the forest.
"My debt is paid," he said, his final words echoing faintly before he vanished into the darkness.
Ilis was left behind, coughing violently. After a few moments of silence, he muttered weakly, "What is going on with me?"
He forced himself to start walking toward the mansion. His vision began to blur, and just as the mansion came into view, Ilis collapsed and lost consciousness.
Ilis opened his eyes.
He found himself standing on a battlefield. Blood soaked the ground, and corpses lay scattered in every direction. He stood in a liminal space, caught between the remnants of a massacre.
Suddenly, a man hurled fire from his hands toward him. Ilis stood defenseless, unable to move. Just before the flames reached him, someone stepped in front of him and blocked the attack.
Ilis looked at the man who had saved him. His face felt familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. He could not remember where he had seen him before.
Then Ilis woke up.
He was back in his bed. A servant stood beside him, watching over him. When she noticed his eyes open, she greeted him briefly before rushing off to inform Afrel that the young lord had awakened.
Afrel soon arrived. He pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down.
"How are you feeling?" Afrel asked.
Ilis slowly sat up and leaned back against the bed.
"I am fine," he replied. "How long was I unconscious?"
"A day," Afrel said.
A day?
Ilis felt a jolt of unease. What should I even say to him?
"I see. Well, you se—"
Afrel interrupted him gently. "Everyone has their own secrets. It is not my place to ask what happened. You are growing up, but try to keep yourself out of danger. After you disappeared, we searched for you and found you unconscious near the forest."
He really cares about me, Ilis thought.
Ilis did not say anything. He simply nodded in agreement.
After some time, Ilis got out of bed to eat something. As he stepped into the hallway, confusion set in. He could not remember the structure of the mansion. He did not know where the dining hall was, nor where the entrance lay.
Why can I not remember anything? What is happening to me?
A servant walked past him. Ilis raised his hand and tried to stop her, but she did not react. It was as if he was not there at all.
As he stood there, confused, the mansion around him began to crumble. The walls collapsed, and the world dissolved. Once again, he found himself in the void.
The same place. The same thrones. And "The" standing among them.
"It seems you have opened the Hollow Vein," The said, smiling.
"Who… who are you?" Ilis asked, confused. He could not remember who The was.
The sighed and walked toward him. He raised his hand and gestured for Ilis to take it.
As soon as their hands touched, all the memories Ilis had lost rushed back into his mind. He realized then that the memory loss had been caused by consuming the Hollow Current.
Ilis rubbed his temple and let out a quiet breath.
"So this is the cost of consuming it," he muttered. "And who was that man?"
"Do you want answers?" The asked, a smirk forming on his face.
"Yes," Ilis replied. "I will do what I have to do."
"That is good. Very good," The said. "Then we have an agreement. I give you answers, and you do something for me. Deal?"
Ilis hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"I want you to…" The paused, letting the silence hang, "…go to the capital."
What?
"You heard me," The said. "Now ask what you want to know."
Ilis exhaled slowly. "I want to know about the powers of the Hollow Current and its corruption."
"Very well," The replied. "Let us begin with its history. The deity known as The Fallen is widely considered the evil god among the seven. His worshippers are rare, but they are highly skilled and continuously seek to resurrect him."
Ilis already knew this, but he remained silent and listened.
"The other currents govern things that exist. Fire, water, death, knowledge. The Hollow governs what no longer exists. It does not destroy. It removes things from reality itself. The power of The Fallen includes control over space, time, reality, and erasure. Since you are only at stage one, you can channel only a small portion of this power."
"Stage one is known as Touch. You can sense disturbances in space or time within a limited radius. Within that radius, you may manipulate your surroundings, though it will be difficult and cause severe fatigue. Your reactions will be slightly faster than a normal human's, though small delays will still exist."
"As for stage one corruption, you will begin to forget things, and your perception of time will occasionally feel distorted."
The looked at him calmly. "At your current stage, this is all you need to know."
Ilis processed the information and nodded. "I have another question."
"Do what I asked first," The replied. "Then I will answer your other questions."
The void collapsed once more, and Ilis found himself back in his bed.
So when I walked through the mansion earlier, that was all an illusion?
He stood up and changed into warmer clothes. The air had grown colder. Winter was nearly here.
"It is cold," he muttered.
He walked into the lounge and sat near the fireplace. Afrel soon arrived with a bowl of potato stew and a warm glass of milk. Ilis ate quickly.
It was nearly midday, and Ilis felt the urge to test his new abilities. He did not feel much different physically, but he trusted The's words.
Outside, he noticed three channelers talking among themselves. They were stationed there to guard the mansion.
Come to think of it, I am not close to anyone except Afrel. I should be more social. I cannot keep living the way I did before I transmigrated here.
He approached them, and they greeted him respectfully.
"I want to spar with one of you," Ilis said, his tone calm and confident.
The three exchanged confused glances.
The one on the left was a stage one Ember channeler. The one in the middle was a stage two Ember channeler, and the one on the right was a stage two Beast channeler.
One could advance to higher stages only after fully developing the first vein and overcoming the effects of corruption.
The stage one Ember channeler, Oman, volunteered for a light sparring match.
"Do you want to fight with swords or bare-handed?" Oman asked.
"I will take a sword," Ilis replied.