Chapter 4: THE TIDES OF FATE
Kaito's consciousness swirled in the void, a cold, unyielding darkness that stretched infinitely in every direction. He had no sense of time, no sense of space.
It felt as though his body had been unmade and then remade, yet not quite whole. He could still feel the pressure in his chest, the remnants of the shadows that had bound him, and the overwhelming force of the figure's presence.
But in this place—this strange between-space—there was no up, no down, no beginning, no end.
His mind raced, his thoughts fractured as he tried to piece together what had just happened. One moment, he had been standing in the Hollow, facing the impossible figure, and the next—he was here, floating in nothingness.
Where am I?
He reached out in all directions, trying to feel something—anything—but his hands met only the cold, empty air. A sinking sensation pressed down on him, heavy as stone.
Then, without warning, a single voice pierced through the silence.
"Welcome."
The voice was deep, resonant, and yet distant—echoing as if coming from somewhere far, far away. Kaito's body tensed involuntarily, and his heart raced, though he wasn't sure why. He had no body here. No real form. But still, the fear was there.
"You are far from where you once were, Kaito Ren."
The voice was everywhere and nowhere at once, its words pulling at Kaito's very soul. A sense of recognition began to stir within him, but he couldn't place it. This wasn't the same voice from before, nor was it the figure's chilling whispers. This was something else entirely.