Nightborn Evolution

Darkness swallowed them whole.

For a moment, Kairo felt weightless, his body suspended in an abyss of nothingness. His senses twisted, his mind struggling to comprehend the lack of light, sound, or even time itself.

Then—

Reality snapped back.

THUD!

Kairo and Lena tumbled onto a solid surface, rolling across cold metal. His head spun as he tried to steady himself, the effects of Phase Shift still lingering.

"Ugh," Lena groaned, pushing herself up. "What the hell just happened?"

Kairo inhaled sharply. They had escaped—but to where?

Looking around, he realized they had landed in some kind of abandoned underground station. Rusted pipes ran along the ceiling, flickering emergency lights casting eerie shadows. The air was stale, filled with the scent of dust and old machinery.

He checked his system.

[Voidwalker's Grasp – Phase Shift Complete.]

[Corruption Level: 3%]

It had worked. They had passed through solid matter, dropping into what seemed like an old transport tunnel beneath the city.

Lena dusted herself off and shot him a look. "Next time, warn me before pulling something like that."

Kairo smirked, despite the exhaustion creeping over him. "You said you wanted to get out, didn't you?"

Lena exhaled through her nose. "Yeah, but I also like knowing if I'm about to fall into a bottomless void."

Kairo checked above. The ceiling was intact. It was as if they had never been there. No sign of an entry point.

Which meant…

"They won't be able to track us down here," Kairo said, standing up. "Not unless they have Void Tech themselves."

Lena nodded. "Good. That gives us time to plan our next move."

But even as she said that, Kairo knew their problems were far from over.

Above ground, Voss stood in the wreckage of the building they had escaped from. His crimson eyes scanned the empty space where Kairo had just been moments ago.

His subordinates shifted uneasily.

"They vanished," one of the Syndicate operatives reported. "No traces left behind."

Voss remained silent. Then, a slow smirk spread across his face.

"Interesting."

He crouched, touching the floor where Kairo had stood. A faint resonance hummed beneath his fingertips—a lingering presence of Void Energy.

"So… that's what you are," Voss muttered.

One of his men hesitated before speaking. "Do we continue pursuit?"

Voss rose to his feet, brushing dust off his coat. "Not yet."

The Syndicate enforcer wasn't worried. He had seen this before.

The Void always took something in return.

And Kairo… had no idea what he had just invited into himself.

Back underground, Kairo and Lena moved cautiously through the tunnel. The passage was vast, its walls lined with faded markings from an era long forgotten.

Lena ran her fingers over the symbols. "This place is ancient. Probably a part of the Old War infrastructure."

Kairo nodded. "We should be safe here for now."

But safe wasn't enough. He needed a plan.

Lena must have sensed his thoughts because she stopped and turned to him. "So, what now?"

Kairo clenched his fists. "I need to understand what this power really is. What it's doing to me."

Lena folded her arms. "You think it's dangerous?"

Kairo exhaled. "I know it is."

He had felt it when he activated Phase Shift—a creeping presence, watching him from the other side.

Lena studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. So, where do we start?"

Kairo was about to answer—

When something moved in the shadows.

A low growl echoed through the tunnel.

Lena's knife was in her hand in an instant. "We're not alone."

Kairo's system flashed a warning.

[New Threat Detected.]

[Mutated Forsaken – Class: Abomination]

From the darkness, a twisted humanoid figure emerged.

Its body was warped, its limbs elongated, covered in patches of chitin-like armor fused with rotting flesh. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural red hue, and black mist seeped from its mouth.

It let out a guttural snarl and charged.

Kairo reacted instantly.

He activated Voidwalker's Grasp, his body shifting as he dodged the creature's clawed strike.

The Abomination's claws raked against the metal floor, leaving deep gashes.

Lena moved like a shadow, darting to the side and slashing at its exposed flank. Her blade sliced through flesh, but the creature barely reacted.

Kairo's instincts screamed—

This thing wasn't normal.

He had fought Forsaken before—failed evolutions that had lost their sanity. But this was different. The black mist seeping from its body... it wasn't just decay. It was corruption.

And it looked a lot like the energy he had just used.

Kairo narrowed his eyes. Time to test something.

He extended his hand, focusing on the void energy within him.

A pulse of darkness erupted from his palm—

[Voidwalker's Grasp – Absorption Attempt.]

The black mist around the Abomination wavered, drawn toward Kairo's outstretched hand.

For a brief moment—

The creature froze.

Lena didn't hesitate. She leapt forward, driving her knife into its skull.

With a sickening crunch, the Abomination collapsed.

Silence filled the tunnel.

Kairo's system updated.

[Voidwalker's Grasp – Synchronization Increased.]

[Corruption Level: 5%.]

Lena stepped back, catching her breath. "Tell me that thing isn't connected to you."

Kairo stared at the mist still swirling around his fingers.

"I don't know," he admitted.

But deep down—he feared the answer.

The battle had confirmed one thing: his power was growing.

But so was the corruption.

And if the Forsaken were being influenced by the same energy…

Then this wasn't just about him anymore.

Lena sheathed her knife, watching him carefully. "So, what's our next move?"

Kairo tightened his fists.

"The Forsaken shouldn't be acting like this," he said. "Something is changing them."

Lena's expression darkened. "And you think it has something to do with you?"

Kairo hesitated before nodding. "I need answers."

He turned, gazing into the depths of the tunnel.

"And I think I know where to start looking."