As Leo quickly discovered, the process of passively protecting his soul wasn’t all that complicated. Sure, it required a bit of work—both inside his Soulscape and out—but in the end, it took him only about twelve hours to learn the technique to a decent standard. For now, that would have to do.

  To put it simply, to protect his soul from passive and maybe even active attacks, he had to create a barrier around the core of his soul. How? Easy enough in theory. He had to gather the scattered energy from his Soulscape, connect it to the core, and shape both into a protective dome using his aspects.

  Now, considering he already had some experience manipulating his Soulscape—Adam’s prison—this process didn’t take long. Two or three hours at worst. What became a real problem was the interaction between Ruination and Stormveil when he wanted to reinforce the barrier around his growing core.

  In smaller doses, the two aspects got along just fine. But once mixed at their full power, they just refused to listen to his command. Not even the ‘perfect’ control granted by a Soulscape could help here. Both elements were just too wild, too violent.

  As such, until he found a way to make them work together, Leo settled on a compromise: split the barrier into two halves. One would be protected by Stormveil lightly mixed with Ruination, while the other would be the opposite. For now, it seemed to work even if he was far from happy with the result.

  Unfortunately, he didn’t have the luxury of being a perfectionist here. Not when he still had a second technique to learn.

  The shielding of his mind…

  Leo hated it.

  Despite what Naz’Tor said and how well the Neuron Shard described this process, he couldn’t help but loathe the entire thing. There were two simple reasons for that. One, the technique required him to place his mind—and only his mind—within the soul’s protective barrier. And two, it was pretty much impossible, given how he had taught himself to access his Soulscape.

  Well, so maybe this was just one reason, but the point still stood.

  Accessing his Soulscape had always been about merging the Three Pillars. Leo had used the basics of Devour to accomplish that, and now… modifying that process was a nightmare.

  Sure, back when he was first learning to enter his Soulscape, he tried to do it with just his mind. Unfortunately, that never worked out. Hence the issue. Or, well, it was an issue over twenty-four hours ago. Now, it was just a major pain in his ass.

  He had eventually figured out how to isolate the concept of his mind while inside his Soulscape. From there, it wasn’t a problem to put it behind the barrier he had created to protect his soul.

  Now that should have been the end of it. Job done. Technique learned.

  Wrong.

  Leo quickly learned that the moment he returned to the real world, the concept of Mind would snap back if he lost focus. And when that happened, the protection vanished. Then, he would have to enter his Soulscape again, re-anchor his mind, and leave without making the technique fail.

  And if it did? Well, he just had to start again, again, and again.

  Leo had lost count of how many times he had to reenter his Soulscape in the last ten hours or so. It really was a pain, and he couldn’t wait for the day when keeping this protection active would become second nature to him. That was what the Neuron Shard said would happen, at least.

  If it had lied, he would have some words of choice with Naz’Tor. Really, it had been a while since learning something had frustrated him this much. The last time was probably in high school, during one of those cursed math classes…

  At least I’m done now. Leo sighed, resealing most of his power and dropping onto the bed in his room. The rest will come with time…

  ‘Final day here, huh?’ Nyx spoke in his mind, her sleeping form at the foot of his bed not even twitching. ‘Makes me feel a bit weird. Is it normal?’

  Leo smiled, lying down and closing his eyes.

  It is. I’m feeling the same. It’s just some early nostalgia hitting you. It will pass.

  The feline hummed, her deep, rumbling purr filling the room. ‘Well then, I’m going to sleep. Big day ahead of us. Good night, Leo.’

  Good night, Nyx.

  “Is all this really necessary? Again?” Leo asked as he looked at the small party gathered before him.

  It was time for him to depart. First to visit Naz’Tor’s shop, and then onward to whatever Void Gate would take him to Netherum. Apparently, this warranted a full send-off from nearly everyone he knew in London.

  “Don’t be like that, mate,” Frank said, patting the shoulder of his sealed form. “You will be gone for god knows how long. It’s only normal that we would be here.”

  Leo chuckled. “I guess. Still, you do realize I’ll be just one call away, right?”

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  “That’s assuming your sister will share that transmitter of hers,” Holden said, a tiny smile playing on his lips. “But really, Leo. It’s been a pleasure working with you up to this point. The start might have been rough, but I like to think it all worked out in the end.”

  Leo’s gaze drifted to their massive safe zone, to all the people walking in the distance, working, living. He looked back at the older man.

  “Yeah, I think it did.”

  Holden extended his hand. “We will be waiting for your return. Until then. Safe travels.”

  Leo nodded and accepted the handshake. Afterward, Frank and Malcolm stepped forward, offering similar farewells. That said, the latter also passed on a short message.

  “Unfortunately, Dylan’s on a raid right now, but he wanted to thank you again—for saving him and the kids,” Malcolm said. “Also, good luck. Show the Void what humanity is made of.”

  With that, the man stepped away, leaving just one person.

  Lily, who already had tears in her eyes.

  Leo sighed, opening his arms. “Come here, you crybaby. Give your brother a hug.”

  His sister didn’t need another invitation. She rushed forward and enveloped him in the tightest embrace he had ever experienced. He had to unseal a bit of his power to keep his bones from breaking.

  “You’re not allowed to die, understand?” Lily said into his shoulder, sniffling. “I don’t care what that merchant of yours told you. Be careful. Always watch your back. You’re going into the literal unknown.”

  Leo smiled softly. “No need to tell me that, sis. But remember, I’m never alone, hmm?”

  She released him from the hug and approached Nyx, who was sitting next to him in her unsealed form. Before the feline could react, Lily threw her arms around her neck.

  “Keep each other safe, okay?”

  Despite getting strangled to death, Nyx nodded.

  Even with tears still running down her cheeks, Lily grinned as she stepped back. “I will be calling you every day, got it? And if you can’t talk, I expect at least a text. Don’t make me chase you through the Void.”

  Leo snorted. “One call a day. Not a problem. Now… I really should get going.” He took another look at the people who came to see him off. “It’s been a pleasure working with you all. Wish you the best of luck. And remember, if anything happens, call me. I will rush back here if necessary.”

  The others smiled and nodded at his words.

  He turned to Lily. “I will see you sooner than you think. Also, don’t kill each other when I am gone.”

  “Why yo—“

  Before his sister could say more, Leo assumed his true form and shot into the skies. Nyx joined him a moment later, and together they flew east. To Naz’Tor’s little shop.

  Good luck, everyone.

  “And how are you feeling, kid?” Naz’Tor asked as they sat down on the porch outside his shop. “Ready to leave your home behind and explore the wonders of the Void?”

  Leo shot him a wry smile. “You tell me. Am I? Because I still have no idea what I’m really walking into.”

  The merchant hummed. “You are stronger than most who begin their journey in the Void. Your status as a Prime Akirian makes it all a bit more complicated, but I think you will manage. Aside from your short visit to Netherum, I don’t plan to have you anywhere close to any danger.”

  “It’s still the Void. Anything can happen, right?”

  Naz’Tor nodded. “Indeed. But there’s nothing we can do about that. Besides, who knows? Maybe after your meeting with Tarak, all your problems will disappear.”

  Leo snorted. “One way or another… So, what now? Where do I have to go?”

  Naz’Tor clicked his tongue as one of his tentacles reached into his body. A moment later, it returned, a brand-new device in its grasp. “This is a gift for you, kid,” the merchant said. “Go ahead, Identify it.”

  Leo carefully grabbed the tablet-like-looking object.

  TEK Mapper V3 (Rare):

  A powerful piece of technological and magical marvel created by the Technology-Essence Kompany. Thanks to the countless maps offered by this device, you will never be lost again.

  “An encyclopedia of maps?” Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Naz’Tor chuckled. “Better. Void Gates, cities, faction territories. This little thing has it all. And the best thing? It’s always updating, be it with the information it takes from your surroundings or from TEK’s network.”

  Leo’s eyes widened. “And you’re just giving it to me? This thing must have cost a fortune.”

  “It did,” the merchant confirmed. “But let’s just say that the Seeds you gave me proved their worth. This is just my token of appreciation.”

  Leo blinked. “Don’t tell me…” he muttered, his voice dry. “You gambled and won.”

  Naz’Tor huffed. “Again, with those accusations! I would never gamble with resources so precious. Who do you take me for?”

  But Leo just rolled his eyes. “Sure, sure. I definitely believe you.”

  The merchant’s body slumped. “Fine! I gambled, but I won, so let’s just move on. Focus on the next part of your journey.”

  “I’m listening.”

  Naz’Tor cleared his throat. “As promised, I have coordinates ready for you. They will take you to a Void Gate that will deposit you on a certain Ever-Darkness world, the home of Netherum.”

  Leo nodded. “What about Voidlings? Anything I should know?”

  “No. The planet you’re heading to is almost empty. The protectors of Netherum made sure of that. Just follow the coordinates, and you will get there in no time.”

  “And afterward?”

  “That remains to be seen,” Naz’Tor said. “If everything goes well, you will follow the path I programmed into your Mapper. It will take you around the Void, just like I planned. Either way, I expect a call once you finish your meeting with Tarak.”

  “If I’m still alive, I will call,” Leo promised.

  “Great!” Naz’Tor exclaimed, standing up. “Let’s get you those potions I mentioned, and then you will be on your way.”

  With that, they both headed back into the shop.

  Switzerland.

  That was where Naz’Tor’s coordinates led Leo and Nyx. They flew without a stop, soaring past the English Channel, past the broken countries of Europe, and straight toward the snow-covered Alps.

  The biting cold and the blizzard surrounding those mountains did nothing to stop them from landing on one of the peaks right before an active Void Gate.

  “This is it,” Leo muttered, his gaze glued to the swirling portal within the arch. “The beginning of what may be the end.”

  Next to him, Nyx snorted. “You don’t sound too optimistic about your meeting with Tarak.”

  “Gotta keep my expectations low,” he said, turning to her. “Ready to leave Earth behind? Despite what I told Lily, we ain’t coming back anytime soon.”

  Nyx grinned. “We will be fine.”

  Leo answered with a grin of his own. “Well then… See you on the other side, partner.”

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