Immortal Mythos: Bound by Void-Chapter 17: Whispers Beneath the Void

The wind whispered through the mountaintop shrine, now silent after the chaos that had erupted only days before. Yuki lay resting in the old temple's inner chamber, wrapped in thick blankets. His breathing was steady, but his aura—still volatile—flickered faintly around him like shadows dancing in candlelight.

Outside, Ren stood at the edge of the stone steps, arms folded, gazing at the horizon.

He felt it.

Something... watching.

The hair on his neck bristled.

It was faint, barely noticeable, but unmistakable—a ripple in the spiritual flow, like a shadow passing through the very fabric of the world. A trace of something not quite void, not quite spirit... but something older.

He turned sharply, eyes narrowing at the forest beyond the shrine.

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.

Nothing.

But deep within the trees, far from sight, a faint figure crouched silently on a branch. Cloaked in dark foxfire, twin eyes—silver and cold—watched the shrine with unreadable intent.

Nogitsune.

He said nothing, but the corner of his mouth curled into the faintest smirk.

"So... you're beginning to wake up, little brother."

His voice didn't escape his lips, but echoed faintly in the spiritual realm—low, calm, and dangerous. Yuki stirred in his sleep, his brows twitching slightly. Somewhere in his dreams, that voice had already returned.

Yuki flinched, gripping his blanket tighter.

"Not yet," the voice whispered in the dark corner of his mind. "But soon."

Nogitsune turned away, leaping effortlessly from tree to tree, vanishing into the deeper woods, leaving behind nothing but the faint scent of foxfire and a barely-there echo.

---

Back at the shrine, Himari stepped into Yuki's room with a damp cloth. She paused, sensing something... wrong.

"Ren," she said softly as she came back out. "Did you feel that?"

Ren nodded, staring into the trees. "He was here."

"Should we warn Yuki?"

Ren glanced over his shoulder, then looked up at the sky.

"...Not yet. Let him rest while he can."

---

The darkness around Yuki wasn't like before.

This wasn't the same void he trained in with Ren. It wasn't the endless emptiness that responded to his will or lashed out with emotion. No... this was alive.

He floated in weightless silence, surrounded by shifting fragments of broken mirrors—each one showing distorted images of people he barely remembered: his mother's smile, a father's blurred face, a younger version of himself—crying, running, laughing—then gone.

A cold breeze wrapped around him.

"You're starting to see," a voice echoed, low and intimate.

Yuki's head snapped toward it—but there was no one there. Just fog... until it parted.

A silhouette emerged, half-shrouded in shadows, fox ears faintly visible atop his head, but something darker coiled around his body like smoke. His eyes glowed faint silver, like cold moons.

Yuki's heart pounded. "Who are you?"

The figure didn't answer at first. Instead, he walked slowly, the dream shifting with each step.

"Who I am doesn't matter," the voice replied, calm but edged. "What matters is what you're becoming."

Yuki clenched his fists. "Why do you keep showing up in my dreams?"

A pause.

"Because you're starting to remember," the figure said softly, almost fondly. "The pieces are coming together."

The dream fractured suddenly. The ground beneath Yuki cracked open into a thousand swirling stars. He stumbled back, falling—falling endlessly—until he landed, softly, in a field of glowing blue flowers.

He looked up.

The figure knelt beside him now, just inches away. His face... almost familiar.

"Don't trust everything they tell you," the figure whispered. "Not even her."

Yuki's eyes widened. "Her...?"

The flowers around them started to wilt. The dream darkened.

"You'll understand soon."

A silver glint flashed across the figure's eyes as he stepped away into the fading light.

"I'll be waiting, little brother."

Yuki's breath caught in his throat.

The dream shattered.

---

He jolted awake, sweat pouring down his face.

Himari and Aiko were beside him in a flash.

"You're okay," Aiko said softly, placing a hand on his arm.

"You were talking in your sleep," Himari added, watching him closely. "Someone... you called out to someone."

Yuki stared at the ceiling, heart racing.

He didn't say anything.

Because deep down, he knew that wasn't just a dream.

It was a message.

A warning.

And a promise.

---

If you're enjoying the ride, don't forget to leave a power stone or a comment—it really helps this grow!