Lina:
I didn't expect him to appear in that moment.
Arin… descended from the sky as if fate itself had written it. I saw him challenge that strange being, a direct confrontation without hesitation, and the fiercest battle I had ever seen began.
Inside me, I was now certain.
He… is Number Zero.
The battle lasted a full hour. The sounds of destruction, the clash of negative energy, the winds tearing through trees, the ground shaking beneath our feet.
And in the end… Arin fell.
His body couldn't withstand that immense pressure.
I ran to him, summoned the last of my strength, and supported him on my shoulder.
He had completely lost consciousness.
But I knew… I couldn't let anyone know the truth.
And even though that person died, the Emotica didn't disappear.
The rifts in the sky were sealed, but the monsters that slipped through still roamed the land.
I took Arin away, hid under a massive tree, and started to treat his wounds… but the surprise?
There were no wounds.
Not even a single scratch.
But what terrified me more was what I saw when I gently brushed aside his hair:
The number 0… clearly etched on his neck.
Before I could process it, I heard a helicopter approaching.
The others arrived… Riven, Eloise, and some soldiers.
We boarded the helicopter, while the students and civilians were evacuated by ships.
For the first time ever… an island had been taken by the Emotica.
---
Inside the helicopter, Riven approached the unconscious Arin, staring at him with a mocking gaze:
"What happened to him?"
I answered immediately: "He got scared and passed out, nothing more."
Riven laughed sarcastically: "As I expected. We overestimated him."
Eloise said: "And what about that massive aura that swept the place? It was terrifying."
I replied firmly: "It was from the enemy… he was the one who unleashed it. Arin barely resisted it."
She shook her head and said: "Then he's not what we thought."
I smiled silently and hid everything I had seen.
---
I took him to his room as soon as we arrived. Thankfully, Max wasn't there.
I laid him on the bed, looked at him for a long time, recalling everything that happened.
That number… that power… that deep silence.
---
Hours later, news arrived from the academy.
A disaster.
Velkaris School… the one my brother Kael had been transferred to, along with other members of the Ten…
Destroyed. Completely.
No students.
No teachers.
No trace.
I climbed to the rooftop, looking up at the sky that had grown darker…
What is happening?
What is this vortex the truth has dragged me into?
Number Zero.
The Barrier.
The Ten.
The Director.
I feel like I'm about to learn everything… or lose everything.
Arin:
Where... am I?
A blood-red hue flooded my vision. I sat shackled to an iron throne in the heart of a colossal crimson fortress. The walls stretched endlessly, breathing a silence heavy with dread. The sky above was not a sky—it was a swirling vortex of red mist and fading stars.
Alone.
Or so I thought.
Until I saw him.
A man sat across from me on a throne just as imposing. Long hair like ink, an aura that weighed like lead. He didn't just sit. He reigned.
He didn't blink.
Didn't move.
Didn't need to.
He was power given form.
He spoke: "So... the child awakens."
His voice cracked the silence like thunder.
I narrowed my eyes. "Who are you?"
He smiled. "I am you."
"What...?"
"I am what remains. What sleeps within. You've finally gathered enough power to reach me."
I stared at him in disbelief. "What are you talking about? That guy I just fought—he said he was one of the Four Primal Emotions. And I beat him."
He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "No, boy. That wasn't Fear. That was a servant. A dog... barking louder than it should. One of Fear's subordinates."
I blinked. "How do you know?"
"Look around."
He gestured behind me. I turned.
Four towering pillars encircled the room in a grand circle. Each stood dark and dormant—empty.
"These," he said, "are the seats of your true emotions. The moment you destroy one of the real Four, one of these will awaken."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"I don't know," he said. "That's the curse. We lost our memories together—whatever happened that day, it broke something fundamental."
"Wait... You said 'we'... You really are me?"
He stood slowly, the air around him warping. "If they all awaken... the barrier surrounding Novalis will fall. And when it does, the Emotica you fought today will seem like kittens compared to what escapes. The world will end. And something greater will awaken."
"Greater?"
"Something beyond human, beyond emotion. The source of the original explosion. The birth of all Emotica. It's imprisoned behind that barrier... waiting."
My chest tightened. "Then why am I involved?!"
"Because your existence is linked to it. You and I... we are something else. And now that you've killed one of Fear's commanders, they'll come for you. The Seven Subordinates—stronger than the last."
I clenched my fists. "And what do I do?"
He looked directly at me.
"You train. You survive. Or you die."
"Wait! Who are you really?!"
He stepped into shadow, his final words echoing:
"I told you already. I... am you."
Then everything vanished.
---
I woke up gasping, drenched in sweat.
Was that a dream? No. It felt... too real.
I sat on my bed, holding my head. "That fight... I lost so much blood. Maybe it was a hallucination... but..."
I looked at my hands. My body pulsed with raw energy. My negative energy was stronger than ever.
That wasn't just a dream.
It was a warning.
A map.
Then the door creaked open.
It was Lina.
She paused when she saw me.
"Are you alright?"
My heart skipped. "You... know?"
She lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry. I wanted to help you. But I wasn't strong enough."
I stood, stunned. "So you saw?"
"I won't tell anyone. I promise."
"Why?"
She looked up, eyes heavy. "Because I've seen what they do to people like you. People like us. My brother... and two others from the Ten... They were sent to a place called Velkaris Academy. A sister school. But then it went silent. Completely. No messages. No survivors. Just... nothing."
My blood chilled. "They're gone?"
She nodded. "All of them. Teachers, students. Gone without a trace."
I stepped forward. "What do you want from me?"
Her voice trembled. "Help me find out what happened. Please."
I nodded slowly. "Okay. But only if you keep my secret. Between us."
"I swear it."
As she left, I stood in silence.
Something's wrong with this whole system.
The Ten.
The labs.
The director.
They moved students out of our academy for some twisted reason. And now... a whole school vanished.
No more waiting.
Tonight... I go to Velkaris.
And I uncover the truth.
---
End of Chapter 16
---
🧠 Chapter Discussion! 🧠
⚠️ Who was that mysterious "self" Arin met inside the crimson fortress? 😱 What are the Four Primal Emotions... and what happens if they all awaken? 🔍 And what really happened at Velkaris Academy?
🔥 Drop your thoughts below, leave a POWER STONE, and prepare... because the shadows are about to spread.
Chapter 17 – Into the Silence: Velkaris Awaits... coming soon.