Chapter 12: The Third Movement
Midnight.
The Codex Nullum pulsed faintly in Ren's lap, its pages inked with an eerie light, as if breathing.
[Void-Class Skill: Null Requiem – First Movement: "Silent Fracture" activated]
Even with the Movement sealed again, the aftershocks lingered in Ren's bones. His dorm room was unnaturally cold—unnaturally quiet. No wind. No creaks. Not even the sound of his own heartbeat.
Then the voice returned.
"To unseal the Third Movement… descend into the place where memory is buried."
A new glyph etched itself onto the Codex's spine. A key. A direction.
"Below the Library of Forgotten Tomes. The Hollow Annex."
Meanwhile—deep within the Council Sanctum...
Twelve masked figures watched the flame in the center of the room flicker. A sign.
The First Movement had been awakened.
"Ren Kamizuki has triggered it," a tall man in dark robes growled. "The Third cannot be allowed to surface."
"Perhaps," said the golden-masked woman at the end of the table. "Or perhaps we finally found a true Sealed Flame."
The vote had shifted. Now, they didn't want to contain Ren.
They wanted to use him.
Elsewhere, within the Library of Forgotten Tomes...
Lira held a black candle to the wall, revealing a door that hadn't been seen in centuries. Stone slid back. Dust stirred. Her fingers trembled.
The Hollow Annex.
Only scholars with access to the Codex Nullum could even see the path. Lira wasn't supposed to be one of them.
"He's walking the same path as 'He Who Unnamed the Gods,'" she whispered.
A forgotten figure. A cursed myth. A traitor… or savior?
Back with Ren
He stood at the threshold of the library's restricted wing. The air was heavy, thick with memories that weren't his.
"You know this place," the Codex whispered.
"No," Ren whispered back, "I've never been here."
"Not in this life."
He stepped forward.
The seal shattered.
[Void-Class System Update]
Skill Tree Branch Unlocked: Null Requiem – Second Movement: "Echo Collapse"Description: Erases the residual presence of divine energy in an area. Causes temporary silence in god-imbued zones. Requires 3 Memories.
Memory Cost: 3 (Stolen or Forsaken)
Warning: Each use alters your anchor to this reality.
Far above, in the tower of House Noctvar, Kael Veylor stared out into the academy grounds—his eyes burning with shame and fury.
"He humiliated me," Kael muttered. "Now let's see how he fares against all of us."