After finally stepping into Tier 1, I sat there for a moment, stilling my breath as waves of Aether surged through me—clean, powerful, and alive.
Then it hit me.
A storm of information flooded my mind without warning, like a sealed vault unlocking at last.
My talent...
I closed my eyes and let the influx settle, each truth and instinct etching itself into the very core of my soul.
Void Manipulation.
"...Void?" I muttered under my breath, eyes slightly widening.
Void. The absence of all things. A primordial element and concept that could erase light, time, and even creation itself.
Void is the emptiness of all phenomena—the key to True Nothingness.
My talent wasn't flashy or loud. It was quiet. Dangerous. Unfathomable.
At Tier 1, I could now control and manifest the Void Element—a strange, ethereal gray energy invisible to ordinary senses. I could coat my attacks with it, form barriers, nullify lesser elements. It devoured energy. Silenced magic. It didn't clash—it consumed.
But this was only the beginning.
In the future, as my cultivation rose, I would be able to manipulate Void Laws themselves—the principles of erasure, nothingness, and spatial negation.
Eventually, I could collapse space, sever dimensions, and erase matter at the conceptual level.
But not yet.
I wasn't naive. Power like this always came wrapped in chains.
The universe didn't give without a cost. The Void was the antithesis of existence. A misstep could mean self-annihilation. If I lost control, I'd be swallowed whole.
Even now, my body could barely handle the affinity.
But it was there.
The Void welcomed me.
I opened my eyes, and for a brief moment, I saw the world differently—a strange gray energy that gave off an eerie sense of emptiness. It had always been there, hidden in plain sight, existing everywhere.
So this is Void Affinity… and Void Energy.
At my current tier, I could only draw a little of it—use the elemental aspect of Void.
A dark smile tugged at my lips.
It will be quite the surprise for my enemies.
I could already feel the shifts within. My Aether responded to the Void now—cold, calm, and absolute. My resistance to elemental attacks had increased drastically, and in battle, even the most volatile spells could be rendered mute in my presence.
But there was a limit.
Right now, I could only use Void energy for elemental attacks.
Any more, and my spirit might fracture—or worse, invite something beyond my control.
Still, even this was an—
Unfair advantage.
But for now, I needed to keep a low profile. My sisters were waiting… and that artifact? It could wait. Too many eyes. Too much risk.
I stood, Aether laced with Void energy humming gently in my veins, and walked toward the platform's edge.
The ancient relic hidden beneath my body pulsed faintly.
Three layers of restriction guarded it. Now, with my Tier 1 awakening, the first seal could be broken at any time. I could inject Void Aether into it whenever I wanted.
But not here.
Too open. Too many watching.
As I stepped down, two celestial figures stood waiting: Elizabeth and Rose.
"Greetings, Sister Elizabeth. Sister Rose," I said calmly.
Their reactions were instant.
"Xiao! Xiao'er!" they called, voices overlapping in perfect harmony.
Rose rushed to me, arms wrapping tightly around my torso.
Elizabeth followed, quiet but no less firm, embracing me with sovereign elegance.
I smiled and returned the hug. For a moment, the world felt warmer—less void.
We stood there in the sun's golden light. Two goddess-like women embracing the one who now walked a path of annihilation and silence.
I had changed.
Where once I bore plain features and short black hair, I now had flowing silver-white strands that shimmered like threads of starlight. My once-black eyes had turned deep gold and gray—reflective, calm, and endless like a voidscape.
My skin radiated with jade-like clarity. My face—ethereal, refined.
It wasn't ego. It was reality.
And the crowd noticed.
Not just my sisters—me.
They stared in silence. Reverence. Fear.
Elizabeth turned, her voice as cold as starlight.
"The Awakening Ceremony ends here."
With a gesture of her hand, we vanished.
We reappeared at the highest floor of a titanic skyscraper—a celestial tower that seemed to pierce the heavens themselves.
The private suite was massive, luxurious, and silent—suspended among clouds and golden light.
I dropped onto a plush sofa, letting the silence ease into me. Rose curled beside me, head on my shoulder, arms wrapped tightly around mine as if she feared I'd fade away.
Elizabeth sat across from us in an elegant chair, regal and composed—but her eyes were sharp. Focused.
"Is everything okay, Xiao'er?" she asked softly. "Did the awakening go wrong?"
Rose glanced up, voice gentle. "You're too calm… Are you sure you're alright?"
Their concern hit deeper than I expected.
In my last life, love was a myth. No one ever looked at me like this. No one cared.
But now?
They saw me. Loved me. And it was real.
"I'm fine," I said with a quiet smile. "It went smoothly."
Their shoulders relaxed. Elizabeth's eyes softened. Rose exhaled a small, relieved sigh.
We talked a while—light things. Soft things. But eventually, the mood shifted again.
Elizabeth sat straighter, her gaze gleaming like a sharpened blade.
"The Mental Stairway Trial will open one year from now," she said. "You'll train at home."
The Mental Stairway...
I remembered.
A trial of willpower and perseverance. One that only Tier 1 cultivators could enter. And if passed... a reward beyond value.
Mental Origin.
A single drop was enough to forge the foundation for Mental Space—the next leap forward.
I nodded slowly, already planning the years ahead.