Chapter 176: The Temptation

Zac slowly opened his eyes, only to meet an absolute, suffocating void. There was no forge, no pocket dimension, and no sign of Armani or Siegfried.

Around him stretched nothing but an endless, impenetrable darkness. More than a simple lack of light, it felt like the total absence of existence itself, leaving him suspended and floating in a timeless vacuum.

For a fleeting moment, Zac believed he had gone entirely blind.

Yet, when he lifted his hands, they appeared clearly before him. He could see his body just as vividly, suspended in the void.

"Where am I?"

Suddenly, memory began rushing back to him. The hidden pocket dimension. The sword. The moment his fingers had closed around its hilt. And then... nothing.

"That’s right. What happened? Where are Armani and Siegfried?"

"System? Are you there?" Zac called out, waiting in the stillness. When no answer came, he tried again, "Hey, answer me."

Still, the void offered nothing but silence.

For a brief, suffocating moment, panic threatened to seize him. But Zac drew a slow breath, forcing the rising tide of hysteria back down.

"Am I dead? Is this what the afterlife looks like?"’

Then, suddenly in the distance, he saw a beacon of light, and without hesitation, he moved toward it.

As he drew closer, the dim illumination gradually unveiled the scene beneath its glow.

A lone woman sat beneath the light, her shoulders deeply slumped under the weight of utter exhaustion.

"Mom?" The word died in his throat as his entire body froze.

It was Martha. Yet, this version of her looked vastly younger and terribly tired. Her hair was disheveled, damp strands of sweat clinging to her face, while a chaotic scatter of bills covered the table before her.

She was slowly counting the meager amount of currency she had left, pausing every few moments to rub her weary eyes before forcing herself to continue.

Zac recognized the scene instantly. He had witnessed it far more times than he cared to remember.

It was the time when they had first relocated to Mellow City. After selflessly surrendering all of his father’s property to various orphanages, Martha had arrived in the city with practically nothing, and with the last of her remaining funds, she had purchased a modest home for them.

And then, the grueling labor began. Menial jobs. One after another, without respite.

Most variants devoted their lives entirely to portal diving or tasks tied directly to their awakened abilities, meaning they rarely received a formal academic education.

So consequently, if a variant desired to live as an awakened being, their practical avenues were severely limited to private security or menial labor.

Martha had steadfastly refused to enter private security.

Guarding the elite meant interacting with high-society figures, which brought an inevitable risk that her relationship with Zac’s father would be exposed. So, she chose the path of invisible, exhausting labor instead.

Two jobs a day. Sometimes three. She persisted relentlessly.

Even for an A-Rank awakener, forcing a high-tier body through the gauntlet of three daily jobs without proper rest or the dense nourishment required to sustain an A-Rank physiology was madness.

Eventually, her body began to break, paying the steep price of her stubborn love. Yet, even when she could barely stand, Martha always wore a mask of perfect composure and refused to let Zac or Carrie worry.

Carrie had been a mere child back then, but Zac had not. He was already past nine years old, more than enough to comprehend the quiet agony his mother was enduring, old enough to see right through her artificial smiles.

"Mom..." Zac rushed forward, desperate to close the distance. "Mom, it’s me!"

He screamed for her again and again, but no matter how violently he strained his voice, Martha remained entirely deaf to his presence.

"You don’t have to worry anymore," he pleaded, his voice trembling as he reached out to comfort her. "I’ll take care of everything. I promise."

He only wanted to touch her, to let her know he was there. But the exact moment his hand extended forward, the fabric of the illusion tore away, and the scene shifted abruptly.

He was now standing inside a vibrant classroom filled with clusters of students laughing and chatting.

Zac, however, sat entirely isolated at his bench. His clothes were clean but visibly cheap; his textbooks were tattered, second-hand copies, and his shoes were noticeably worn.

Whenever a group of classmates passed by his desk, they would cast disdainful glances, whisper crudely to one another, and mock him.

Watching the painful tableau unfold, Zac felt memories he had spent years burying begin to violently resurface.

The hardships, isolation, and verbal bullying he had endured upon first enrolling in the Mellow City school.

No matter how flawlessly he performed in his studies or how desperately he strove to move forward, poverty followed him like an indelible stain that everyone else could see.

The scenery warped again. A popular clique of students walked away together, heading out for an excursion without bothering to cast a glance or offer him an invitation.

Then, Marty materialized beside him.

"Come on, don’t sit here alone," he said warmly. Before Zac could offer a response, Marty grabbed his wrist and playfully dragged him along.

A bittersweet smile touched Zac’s lips. Even within the darkest recesses of his mind, Marty had always been the exception, who never cared about Zac’s lack of wealth, status, or social utility.

The vision fractured once more. Inside a classroom near a wide window, a girl with striking auburn hair was passionately making out with a tall student.

Zac’s eyes instantly flushed crimson with a surge of fury.

From the periphery of the window, he could see his younger self and Marty playing outside, laughing lightheartedly at some forgotten joke.

Zac stared at the betrayal playing out before him, filled with a profound regret for ever having loved the girl in front of him.

"Stop it!" Zac’s voice echoed.

"Just stop this!"

But the malicious darkness paid no heed to his commands. The environment transformed again, plunging him into a sterile room.

His mother lay pale and motionless upon a bleak hospital bed. Zac watched his past self-standing by the bedside, utterly powerless, paralyzed by an inability to change the horrific reality unfolding before him.

Then he saw Carrie. His little sister was clinging desperately to his side with both hands, tears streaming down her terrified face.

"Brother..." she wept.

Zac’s chest tightened to the point of agony. "No!" he roared at the illusion. "No! Stop it! Not again!"

Yet, the torment refused to cease. The memories began to aggressively overlap and bleed into one another in rapid succession.

"Stop!" Zac slammed his hands over his ears. "Stop! Stop!"

"STOPPPPPPPP...!" he screamed one final time, pouring the entirety of his anguish into the shout.

Suddenly, the illusions shattered, and everything vanished into nothingness.

A profound, absolute silence descended upon the void. Zac stood entirely alone, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for air.

"Why?" he whispered, his voice trembling with a mixture of rage and sorrow. "Why is this happening?"

It will happen again.

A disembodied voice hissed, echoing from the deep recesses of the dark. Zac spun around instantly, his eyes wildly searching the void for the source.

You know it will.

The voice taunted again. Yet, no matter how intensely he focused, the sound seemed to emanate from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

"No, it won’t," Zac growled, clenching his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. "I won’t allow it."

You couldn’t stop it before.

"No. I did stop it!"

Did you?

The surrounding darkness trembled violently. Suddenly, the spectral forms of Martha and Carrie materialized before him. They were weeping bitterly. Their bodies were unnaturally twisted, their appearances aged, bloodied, and broken beyond recognition.

Zac’s face drained of all color.

Beside them, Marty appeared as well, his face covered in blood. "Why didn’t you save me, Zac?" his voice dripped with stinging accusation. "Am I not your true friend?"

"No, Marty, I..."

Before he could finish, another figure stepped out from the shadows: Lima.

Beside her stood a completely faceless man. She gazed at Zac with sheer disgust. "You are worthless, and you will never amount to anything."

She turned to kiss the faceless man beside her before turning her back on Zac and walking away into the dark.

"Lima... No. No, don’t."

Then, the other peers and associates he had made at the academy materialized in a circle around him. They looked down at him with icy, detached expressions.

"We never truly wanted you as a friend. Don’t ever try to mingle with our circle again."

"Why?" Zac’s voice grew smaller, cracking under the emotional weight. "Why?"

As I said. The mysterious voice returned, weaving through the malicious thoughts.

It will happen again.

Different faces. Different circumstances.

"Shut up!"

But the ultimate result will remain exactly the same.

"No." He shook his head violently, trying to block out the malice. "No, no!"

And next time, you may not be able to save them. Everything you hold dear will be brutally torn away or taken from you.

Zac shook his head vigorously, his resolve fighting against the despair. "No. I would never let that happen."

Words cannot save you; only actions do. And you currently possess neither the absolute power nor the unyielding will to take those actions.

You worked remarkably hard, endured humiliation, and tried to protect them as much as your meager capabilities allowed. And still, when it matters most, you will remain entirely helpless.

The darkness seemed to whisper the final, devastating truth directly into his soul:

You are just a D-Rank awakener. What can you possibly do?

Zac stood trembling, the weight of his limitations pressing down on him. "No..."

You know I am right, Zac.

Tears began to silently flow from his eyes, tracing hot lines down his face.

"What do you want? Why are you doing this?"

Accept me.

A faint, reddish-violet luminescence began to coalesce in front of him, piercing the absolute void. Out of the creeping dark.

Accept me, Zac that’s the only way.

"What?" Zac rasped, his mind reeling.

Just let go for a moment. The entity coaxed, as the reddish-violet light swelling softly to envelop his senses.

You no longer have to carry the crushing weight of everything alone. I will keep all of them safe.

Suddenly, the horrific, bloodied illusions dissolved and Martha materialized before him, wearing a gentle, serene smile.

Your mother.

Carrie appeared beside her, laughing with genuine, lighthearted cheer.

Your sister.

Marty and his companions from the academy emerged next, their expressions warm and happy.

Your friends.

Everything you care about in this world... I will protect them all for you.

Zac stared blankly at the radiant figures standing before him. "You? Can you truly protect them?"

We can, Zac. You and I... there will be no boundary between us. We will share the same existence.

"But they are my family," Zac murmured, his eyes desperately locked onto the faces of his loved ones. "How can I simply let go?"

Then they shall become my family as well, we will be bound as one, for eternity.

Zac gazed at their flawless, smiling faces. Slowly, the his tightly clenched fingers gradually loosened.

I can even assist you in finding your father.

"What?"

Yes, you currently lack the strength to locate him on your own. But through me, you will possess the absolute power required to reunite him with you and your family.

Deep within the distant expanse of the darkness, a tall, unfamiliar silhouette materialized. Zac stared at the majestic figure, his heart hammering against his ribs.

"Dad?"

Accept me, Zac, and together, we shall find him.

Zac suddenly clutched his head as a torrent of repressed frustration erupted within his mind.

"For years, everyone hid things from me... Siegfried, Armani, the Association, even my own mother. Everyone kept secrets." His gaze slowly dragged back to the pulsing orb. "But this..." His voice trembled with a terrifying mix of vulnerability and hope. "Could this truly grant me everything?"

"Can my family finally be reunited and safe? Do I no longer have to endure this suffocating helplessness and live in constant fear?"

"Yes, Zac. Just let it all go.

Zac stared deeply into the heart of the reddish-violet sphere floating within arm’s reach. Slowly, deliberately, he raised his hand toward it.

"Yes."