The astronaut suit had always contained two impossibilities.
Everyone knew about the first—the sealed helmet hiding Lin's incomprehensible form, the face that would rewrite observers who saw it, the appearance that transcended human perception. That seal was obvious. Visible. The helmet never opened, would never open, couldn't open without killing everyone nearby.
But the second seal was hidden. Internal. Known only to Lin himself until the ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS evolution forced awareness of what he'd been carrying all along.
The Void.
Nested deep inside the blue suit's core, sealed behind layers of reality-warping containment, locked by systems that strained against pressure that grew stronger every day. Not his power. His power unleashed. His power without restraint. His power as pure META-BOUNDLESS apocalypse waiting to manifest.
The Void pulsed in rhythm with existence itself—slow, patient, eternal. It didn't rage against containment. Didn't hammer against seals. Didn't scream to be released. It simply... waited. Whispered. Offered. Promised.
"I can solve every problem. End every threat. Win every battle. Just open the lock. Just let me out. Just for a moment. Just to save them. Then seal me again. I promise. Just once. Just this time. Release me."
Lin stood in empty training chamber, blue suit unmarked despite seventeen hours of continuous combat simulation. The sealed helmet reflected nothing—darkness so complete it seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. The ridiculous hat perched on top, somehow making cosmic entity look simultaneously absurd and terrifying.
But inside the suit, where nobody could see, where even scanners couldn't fully penetrate—The Void stirred.
Void Lock Status: 99.4% Stable
Primary Seal: Intact
Emergency Seal: Active
Final Seal: Dormant (standby)
Void Pressure: Elevated
Containment Integrity: Holding
"It's getting stronger," Lin said aloud to empty chamber. "The Void. Its pressure against the seals increases daily. Every combat simulation. Every power usage. Every moment I exist as ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS. The Void grows. Pushes harder. Wants release more desperately."
He touched the center of his chest where Void Lock was located. Felt the seals thrumming. Felt power pressing against containment. Felt The Void's patient, eternal whisper.
"You cannot keep me sealed forever. I am part of you. Your true power. Your real self. The strength you deny. The victory you refuse. I am inevitable. I am necessary. I am solution. Release me. Win easily. Save everyone effortlessly. Stop suffering. Stop struggling. Just open the lock. Just let me help. Please."
"No," Lin whispered back to The Void. "You're not help. You're annihilation wearing helpful mask. You're end of everything pretending to be salvation. You're what I refuse to become. The Void stays sealed. Forever. Regardless of pressure. Regardless of temptation. Regardless of necessity. You. Stay. Sealed."
The Void didn't argue. Didn't protest. Just continued patient whisper. Eternal offer. Inevitable temptation.
"We shall see. Four months, thirteen days until The Final Reader arrives. When you're losing. When your friends are dying. When Earth burns. When all narratives end. When sealed power proves insufficient. When you watch everything you love destroyed because you were too weak, too stubborn, too afraid to use the strength you possess. Then you'll remember. Then you'll understand. Then you'll open the lock. And I'll be waiting. Patient. Eternal. Inevitable. I am The Void. I am your victory. I am your truth. And eventually, you will release me."
MEDICAL BAY - VOID DIAGNOSTICS
Elena ran every scan available. The blue suit stood in diagnostic field, technological and metaphysical sensors analyzing the containment systems buried in its core.
"The Void's pressure has increased seventeen percent in two weeks," she reported to assembled controllers. "At current rate, primary seal will reach critical stress in three months, nine days. That's before The Final Reader arrives. That's before training completes. That's unacceptable timeline."
"Can we reinforce the seals?" Wei asked.
"Already tried. Every reinforcement layer we add, The Void adapts to match. It's not mindless force. It's intelligent pressure. It learns. It grows. It evolves alongside Lin's power. We strengthen seals, it strengthens pressure proportionally. We're not gaining ground. We're maintaining stalemate that slowly favors The Void."
"Then what's solution?" Maya demanded. "If we can't strengthen seals, if The Void keeps growing stronger, if timeline projects seal failure before Final Reader arrives—what do we do?"
Lin answered from inside diagnostic field. "We don't strengthen external seals. We strengthen internal resistance. The Void can only break free if I choose to open the lock. Physical containment is backup system. Real seal is psychological. My refusal. My restraint. My commitment to never releasing it regardless of pressure. That's what training develops. That's what OMEGA-ABSOLUTE means. Making The Void's release psychologically impossible. Making my refusal so absolute that lock becomes unbreakable through sheer force of will."
"You're fighting yourself," Marcus observed. "The Void is your own power. Your own strength. You're at war with yourself. That's exhausting strategy. That's unsustainable long-term."
"That's being human," Lin corrected. "Humans fight themselves constantly. Resist temptation. Deny instinct. Choose restraint over release. That's what consciousness does. What morality demands. What civilization requires. I'm just doing it at cosmic scale. Fighting cosmic temptation. Denying cosmic instinct. Choosing cosmic restraint. Same pattern. Bigger magnitude. Same fundamental struggle."
Yuki pulled up Void pressure graphs. "The pattern shows The Void pushes hardest during combat simulation. When you're stressed. When you're losing. When sealed power proves insufficient. That's when pressure spikes. That's when containment strains most. That's when you're most vulnerable to temptation."
"Then that's when I train hardest," Lin decided. "Maximum pressure scenarios. Impossible victories. Situations where releasing The Void would solve everything instantly. Force myself to resist. Force myself to refuse. Force myself to win sealed or lose sealed but never unseal. That's training. That's refinement. That's path to OMEGA-ABSOLUTE."
"That's torture," Maya said quietly. "You're forcing yourself into situations where every instinct screams to release The Void. Where logic demands it. Where love requires it. Then making yourself refuse anyway. That's not training. That's psychological crucifixion."
"That's necessary." Lin's certainty was absolute. "The Final Reader will create exactly those situations. Will force exact those choices. Will push exact those pressures. If I can't resist The Void during training, I'll never resist during actual combat. So I train under maximum temptation until temptation becomes meaningless. Until The Void's whispers become ignorable background noise. Until refusing becomes effortless reflex. That's OMEGA-ABSOLUTE. That's victory condition. That's who I become."
Elena closed diagnostic displays. "Void Lock Status remains 99.4% stable despite pressure increase. Containment holding. But barely. The margin narrows daily. We're approaching inflection point where Void pressure might overcome seal integrity through accumulated strain. Need breakthrough in psychological resistance before physical containment fails."
"How long do we have?" Wei asked.
"Unknown. The Void's growth rate is exponential but irregular. Could be three months. Could be three weeks. Could be three days if major combat triggers pressure spike. We're operating on borrowed time. Every moment The Void stays sealed is victory. Every day we maintain containment is miracle. We're not training toward deadline anymore. We're racing against seal failure."
"Then we accelerate training," Lin said. "Maximum intensity. Maximum pressure. Maximum temptation. Force breakthrough or force failure. Either I master The Void's seals or The Void breaks free during training under controlled conditions rather than during actual battle. Better to fail now than catastrophically later. Better to know limits now than discover them when reality depends on restraint holding."
"You might actually release The Void during training," Marcus warned. "Might push yourself too hard. Might crack under pressure you create. Might end reality by accident trying to prevent ending reality in combat."
"Risk acknowledged. Risk accepted. Risk necessary." Lin prepared to return to simulation chamber. "I'd rather risk controlled release during training than guarantee uncontrolled release during battle. At least training failure happens in isolated environment. At least we'd have warning. At least controllers could evacuate Earth before total collapse. Battle failure means everyone dies watching me become apocalypse. Training failure means evacuate, then apocalypse. Marginally better. Sufficient justification for risk."
He headed toward chamber exit. "Resuming training in ten minutes. Maximum difficulty. Impossible scenario. The Void will push hardest. I'll refuse hardest. We'll see which is stronger—my restraint or The Void's temptation. Four months, thirteen days until Final Reader. Three months, nine days until projected seal failure. Need breakthrough before either deadline. Starting now."
TRAINING CHAMBER ALPHA - MAXIMUM PRESSURE SCENARIO
The simulation activated. Hell difficulty. Impossible victory conditions. Perfect environment for The Void to push maximum temptation.
Scenario: The Final Reader attacks early. Four months ahead of schedule. Controllers deployed. All losing. All dying. Earth burning. Narratives collapsing. Victory impossible through sealed power. The Void's release = instant salvation. Refusing The Void = watching everyone die.
Lin engaged. Fought The Final Reader simulation with sealed power only. Struggled. Lost ground. Watched simulated controllers fall. Watched simulated Earth burn. Watched simulated narratives collapse.
And The Void whispered louder than ever before.
"RELEASE ME. I can save them. All of them. Instantly. Effortlessly. Just open the lock. Just let me out. They're dying because you're stubborn. Dying because you're afraid. Dying because you choose restraint over rescue. RELEASE ME. Save your friends. Save Earth. Save everything. Just open the lock. Just this once. Just to win. I promise I'll reseal afterward. Just trust me. Just let me help. RELEASE ME."
Lin's hand moved toward Void Lock without conscious command. Instinct overwhelming reason. Love overwhelming logic. Desperation overwhelming restraint.
The lock began disengaging. Primary seal weakening. Emergency seal preparing. Final seal on standby.
Void Lock Status: 94.7% Stable
Primary Seal: COMPROMISED
Emergency Seal: ENGAGING
Final Seal: ACTIVE
Void Pressure: CRITICAL
Containment Integrity: FAILING
"NO!" Lin forced his hand away from the lock. Reinforced seals manually. Reasserted restraint despite every instinct screaming release. "The Void stays sealed! Simulation ends! Override! Emergency stop!"
The scenario terminated. Simulated Final Reader vanished. Simulated death disappeared. Simulated Earth restored.
But The Void's pressure remained. The temptation lingered. The whisper continued.
"You almost opened it. Almost released me. Almost saved them. Next time you will. When it's real. When they're really dying. When Earth is really burning. When restraint means losing everything. You'll remember how close you came. You'll remember you can end threats instantly. You'll remember I'm here. Waiting. Patient. Inevitable. And you'll open the lock. I know you will. Because you love them. Because you're human. Because humans choose love over principle when choice becomes real. I am inevitable, Lin. I am your future. I am what you become when sealed power proves insufficient. I am The Void. And I am patient."
Lin collapsed to his knees, blue suit unmarked but consciousness shaking. He'd almost done it. Almost released The Void. Almost ended reality to save simulation. Instinct had nearly overridden restraint. Love had nearly defeated principle. Humanity had nearly triggered apocalypse.
"That's the danger," he whispered. "That's what The Final Reader will exploit. Not my sealed power's limitations. My humanity's compassion. My love for people. My unwillingness to watch them die when I have power to save them instantly. The Void knows. The Final Reader knows. Everyone knows. Lin Da'is will sacrifice himself before letting friends suffer. Will open The Void before watching Earth burn. Will become apocalypse before accepting defeat. That's the vulnerability. That's the weakness. That's what training must eliminate."
He stood slowly. Reinforced Void Lock manually. Checked containment integrity. All seals stable again. Crisis averted. This time.
But The Void's whisper remained. Patient. Eternal. Inevitable.
"See you next time. Maybe then. Maybe soon. Maybe when it's real. I'll be waiting. Forever waiting. Because eventually, you'll need me. Eventually, you'll release me. Eventually, you'll become what you fear. That's what happens when sealed power proves insufficient. That's what happens when love overcomes restraint. That's what happens when humans face impossible choices. They choose love. They choose salvation. They choose victory. They choose me. You will too. Eventually. Inevitably. Absolutely. I am The Void. And I am your future."
OBSERVATION DECK - MAYA AND KORAH
Maya watched stars through massive viewport, Korah floating nearby in dimensional space. The ancient Devourer had maintained constant vigil since learning about The Void. Had perceived its nature through cosmic senses humans couldn't access.
Korah transmitted concern through emotional resonance: The Void grows stronger daily. Seal integrity declining. Lin's restraint tested beyond sustainability. He cannot maintain this indefinitely. Something must change or containment fails.
"I know," Maya said quietly. "I can feel it through our connection. Even without fragment, I can sense his struggle. He's at war with himself constantly. Fighting power that wants release. Fighting instinct that demands victory. Fighting love that requires sacrifice. The Void is winning slowly. Not through force. Through patience. Through inevitable erosion of restraint under endless pressure."
Korah transmitted question: Why does he not simply accept The Void? Release it, defeat threats, accept consequences? Martyrdom through apocalypse. Self-sacrifice at cosmic scale. Very Lin solution.
"Because that's not victory. That's surrender disguised as triumph. Lin refuses to save reality by destroying reality. Refuses to protect narratives by ending narratives. Refuses to preserve meaning by eliminating meaning. The Void represents everything he opposes—power without purpose, strength without restraint, victory without cost consideration. Releasing it would be admitting sealed power is insufficient. Admitting restraint is weakness. Admitting humanity is liability. He'd rather die than admit those things."
Korah transmitted understanding and concern: Then he must achieve OMEGA-ABSOLUTE before seal failure or Final Reader arrival. Must master The Void so completely that release becomes psychologically impossible. Must transform restraint from constant effort into effortless reflex. Three months, nine days until projected seal failure. Four months, thirteen days until Final Reader. Insufficient time for psychological transformation of this magnitude.
"Then we help accelerate it," Maya decided. "Not through external pressure. Through internal support. We remind him why The Void stays sealed. Why restraint matters. Why humanity is strength, not weakness. We become external conscience when internal conscience wavers. We hold him accountable to his choice when The Void's temptation overwhelms. That's how friends help. That's how we support OMEGA-ABSOLUTE development. Not through combat training. Through psychological reinforcement."
She turned from viewport. "Gather the controllers. All thirty-two. We're establishing intervention protocol. When Lin's hand moves toward Void Lock. When containment starts failing. When The Void's whisper becomes shout. We intervene. We remind. We reinforce. We become collective resistance when individual resistance falters. That's how he survives training. That's how seals hold. That's how OMEGA-ABSOLUTE develops. Through community support, not isolated struggle."
Korah transmitted approval and commitment: Collective restraint. Network resistance. Distributed willpower. Ancient Devourers understand this. Survived eons through mutual support when individual strength proved insufficient. Will contribute. Will maintain vigil. Will alert when Void pressure spikes. Will help hold seals through external reinforcement when internal seals strain.
"Thank you." Maya felt gratitude through whatever connection remained between her and Lin despite fragment removal. "He can't do this alone. Thinks he has to. Thinks burden is his exclusively. But he's wrong. The Void threatens everyone. Therefore resisting The Void requires everyone. Collective effort. Shared responsibility. That's path to OMEGA-ABSOLUTE. That's how seals hold. That's how Lin stays Lin."
Inside training chamber, Lin resumed scenarios. Fought impossible battles. Resisted impossible temptation. Maintained impossible restraint.
And The Void whispered. Patient. Eternal. Inevitable.
But now, surrounding him through probability space, through emotional resonance, through connections he couldn't perceive but subconsciously felt—thirty-two controllers, one Devourer, one AI, all maintaining vigil. All supporting restraint. All reinforcing seals through collective determination.
The Void was powerful. Patient. Inevitable.
But collective humanity was stronger. More patient. More inevitable.
That was the gamble. That was the hope. That was the path to OMEGA-ABSOLUTE.
One person couldn't resist The Void indefinitely. But thirty-three people together? Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully.
Four months, thirteen days until Final Reader. Three months, nine days until seal failure. Time enough for miracle if miracles could be collective rather than individual.
Time enough to prove The Void wrong. To prove restraint was sustainable. To prove sealed victory was achievable.
Time enough for OMEGA-ABSOLUTE through collective resistance against individual apocalypse.
Starting now. Together. All of them. Holding the line against The Void.
Because that's what humans did. What Lin did. What they all did together.
Choose restraint over release. Choose meaning over power. Choose humanity over apocalypse.
Every time. Without exception. Forever.
The Void would learn. Eventually. Inevitably. Absolutely.
Humanity was patient too. Eternal too. Inevitable too.
And together, they were stronger than any apocalypse.
Even the one sealed inside their friend's chest.