Null lay inert in the muddy crater of the coastal forest, his consciousness gone. His cross-eyes darkened into a solid, inert gold—a signal of total, enforced Conceptual Rest.
A ripple of shadow, impossible and swift, coalesced into the air above the crater. Fang appeared, a creature of pure, dark conceptual energy, materializing not in a flash of light, but in a near-silent tear in the dimensional fabric.
"Fang... FANG!"
A voice, ragged and strained, echoed from the forest perimeter. Kai, the Soulbond, having propelled himself here using his copied kinetic power, had finally collapsed. He was too exhausted, his power temporarily used up, leaving him unable to walk.
Fang stepped toward Null. "I told this idiot not to go by himself," Fang muttered, his voice a low, resonant rumble. "I'm guessing Umbros helped you out of that mess."
The Shadow Figure twisted, stabilizing into a tall, definitive male form. He had dark hair and striking, cold blue eyes, a face that strongly echoed Soren before the amnesia. Fang, the ancient companion, easily picked up Null, slinging the King's unconscious body over his shoulder. He extended his hand, and two beings of pure shadow peeled themselves from the darkness.
One shadow gently lifted Kai, and the other flowed toward the bridge to retrieve Vane (the Space Prime Stone user) who was in a deep sleep state.
"Gosh, I just hate this conceptual cleanup," Fang muttered. "Aris isn't just a powerful man; he's an unfortunate tool. A man who almost killed the King... that's tough. But he was going to fail, always. The King's power is defined by the universe itself."
With the three assets secured, Fang folded the local space and reappeared instantly back at the hidden hospital.
The Conceptual Sea
Null was in a deep sleep, his consciousness separated from his physical body. His mind was trapped in the terrifying, conceptual realm: a deep, blood-red sea, stretching to a horizon where the sky mirrored the terrifying color of gore.
Iguess I am back again, Null thought, his consciousness separate from his body. Am I getting another piece of my memory of Soren?
He walked across the viscous, blood-like surface, searching for a truth. He stopped when a door, massive and wrought from rough, pitted black stone, materialized directly before him—a clear conceptual marker.
Isee. It is a piece.
Null opened the door and stepped through it, moving from the conceptual ocean into a memory: a brightly lit, overly cheerful family restaurant.
He saw the three figures: a man with green hair and purple eyes, and two children: Soren (Null's younger self) and his younger brother, Horuto.
Null smiled, a faint, phantom warmth washing over him. "Seeing this is the only thing I want," he whispered.
The man suddenly set down his phone, his voice shifting to one of strained anger. "Tell me, why was I being called by the principal today? What did you do, Soren? Explain now. I want to hear your side of your story."
Soren flinched, stuttering with fear. "So, I was being pushed around to use my abilities since my abilities were strange, so I used all... elements and destroyed the school track field."
The "all elements" part struck Null, shattering his conceptual perception. What? I... I don't know I can do that. He had only ever focused on the Shadow Prime Stone.
"I do not believe that story you're telling me," the man said. "Show me proof. You have to be lying. Maybe then I can forgive you."
"Sure," young Soren said. He pointed his pinky finger, and a tiny, controlled flame materialized. His next finger produced a flowing bead of water. The third finger sparked with controlled lightning. The fourth generated a small vortex of moving air. And from the last finger, small flecks of rock began to form.
The shock on Null's face was total. He instinctively touched his Shadow Prime Stone, staring at it. The idea of commanding all five primordial elements—Fire, Water, Lightning, Air, and Earth—was a terrifying contradiction to the singular power he now wielded.
"Impossible," Horuto gasped. He leaned forward and asked, "Can you combine those?"
"No, I can't," Soren replied, extinguishing the elemental lights. "I never thought of that, anyways."
"Fine. You're off the hook," the green-haired man sighed.
"Thank you, mini me," Null said, accepting the profound truth of his past. He opened the door behind him, walking back onto the blood-red conceptual sea. I will maybe combine all if possible.
The blood-red sea began to stretch, pulling his consciousness back to his physical form.
Recovery and the 20% Truth
Null awoke with a gasp in the sterile room. Sooji was sitting beside him, crying silently, her head buried in his arm.
"Hey, hey. I am okay now," Null said, his voice hoarse.
"Looking at you, I can tell you got a piece of the puzzle. Am I wrong?" Fang asked from the foot of the bed.
"You always knew about this, didn't you? You sneaky bastard," Null replied, smiling.
Over the next few hours, the doctors were confounded. Null should have been critically injured, but he was sitting up, asking for food. His recovery was conceptually impossible.
Later, in a private dimensional pocket, Fang created a field around them.
"How many abilities do you have, Fang?" Null asked, half-awed.
"All of them," Fang replied simply. He then focused on the recent fight.
"The title Void King means you have successfully broken through the necessary seals to watch—to command—only 20% of your total ancestral abilities."
Null stared, utterly shocked. "Twenty percent? That transformation felt like absolute power!"
"It was chaos. But the benefits are now yours," Fang explained. "The Void King title grants you:
Regeneration: Your body's ability to heal is now conceptually tied to the energy of the Void. You will recover from fatal damage, though it will take energy.
Shadow Mastery: You now have a proper conceptual understanding of shadows and everything related to the darkness of the universe, not just brute force application."
Fang clapped Null on the shoulder, and the dimensional distortion vanished.
"Now, get dressed. You have school. And we have to figure out how to hide the Space Stone before The Executioner returns."
The next day, Null was back to routine, physically healed but conceptually shattered by the knowledge of his family and the revelation that he was originally a five-element powerhouse now reduced to a 20% Shadow King. Nothing would ever be normal again.
End of chapter 55
See you next time