"Attention, class! "The sharp voice of Mrs. Darwell, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-D, boomed across the room, snapping everyone from their daze.
She stood at the front of the room with her usual strict expression, clipboard in hand and that eerie gleam in her glasses that said, This is not a drill.
Mrs. Darwell: "Today marks the beginning of your new semester honorific physicals—as well as the Class Evaluation Test for our newest student, who also happens to be a candidate for the school's Head Hollow Team."
The room erupted in murmurs again.
Head Hollow Team? He's being evaluated for that?! Already?!
Mrs. Darwell raised a hand and the class fell silent once more.
"Now, I know you've got a newbie among you, so do him a favor and bring him up to speed. No excuses. You're classmates now."
She adjusted her glasses and pointed to the board where five blank slots were listed under "Team Format."
"To continue forward, you'll each need to form a squad of five. That way, all of you will at least have a fair chance of passing. Don't wait around—your team must be finalized before the end of this week."
She turned on her heel, walking toward the door.
"Oh, and one last thing…"She glanced over her shoulder.
"Tests begin next week. No extensions. No exceptions. Good luck."
With that, she left, and the class broke out into chaos.
Some students whispered nervously. Others were already scanning the room, eyeing who they wanted—or didn't want—in their squad.
And a few brave souls looked toward Clide… wondering if teaming with the school's new powerhouse might be the smartest—or most dangerous—move they could make.
Clide sat there with a stern look of confidence as he stood up and walked out of the room, much to the confusion of some students. However, he caught the eye of one mysterious kid wearing glasses.
During the school break, while all the other students were out and about, Clide did not have that kind of luxury. Instead, he was enduring a long and boring lecture from the school board to make up for not being present for an entire semester.
This lecture was led by Sanchez and was designed to teach Clide the basics of how to use his "Void." Despite possessing an incredible Void range, the truth was that Clide had no idea how to actually use it.
Sanchez:"Clide! Are you even listening? This is important for you to know, okay? So please, pay attention."
Clide:"Fine! I'll do whatever you want, geez... So, are you gonna continue?"
Sanchez:"You're lucky I'm a patient Hollow... Well anyway, your first lesson is on a force you'll probably be using for the rest of your life. It's the basis of all Hollows—"
—you could say, our life force.
{Get on with it already!}
Sanchez ignored the jab and continued.
"It is called a 'Void.' It is the center of all Hollow. This Void is basically the substitute for the soul that we Hollows lack—and it's the main source of our power."
"First order of business is assessing your range... but since you've already done that, we can just skip that part."
{Wait, when did I do that? What do you mean?}
"You don't need to worry about that, okay?" Sanchez said with a smirk. "So let's continue."
"The next phase is learning to use the Void to create manifestations."
"As a demonstration—here."
A crackle of dark energy sparked from Sanchez's hand as he conjured a sleek, black cane from thin air.
Clide felt a flicker of interest spark in his eyes.
(Now we're getting somewhere.)
Sanchez:"Now, for someone like you, this might seem impressive, but for someone of my caliber? This is nothing but elementary level—hahahah!"
{Hey!! Tsk... bastard.}
Sanchez:"Now, this is the first of your lessons. You're not allowed to leave this room until you can manifest something!"
Clide:"Wait, what?! How is that allowed!? At least tell me how the hell this Void thing works!"
[Oh, is that so? Looks like someone should've paid a little more attention to the lecture.]
Clide:"Screw this!"
Clide attempted to leave, but the moment he approached the door, he felt an unreasonable force pulling at his very being. Before he could process it, he blinked—
—and suddenly, he was right back in the chair he had been sitting in moments ago.
Clide:"What? What just happened? I... I was at the door..."
[As I said, you're not leaving until you manifest something.]
Clide sat there for a while, trying to figure out how to leave the room.
He tilted his head toward the door—only to see Sanchez standing right beside it, not moving a muscle, completely still like a statue.
Considering this was a lecture room, there were no easily accessible windows. The door was the only exit... and that option was clearly off the table.
"Fine!" Clide shouted in frustration at Sanchez, finally giving in and deciding to try using void conjuration.
Sanchez finally spoke again, his usual grin returning as he said,"Well, of course I'll help you. I'm not gonna just let my newbie student suffer, haha."
"Then why did you say you weren't gonna help me?" Clide snapped.
"Because you weren't interested. I needed you to want to do it before I helped."
"So you decide to trap me in a room I can't escape from? Wow—teacher of the year."
"Okay, enough of that. Let's begin your real training."
Sanchez extended his hand and conjured his cane before stepping to the center of the lecture room.
With a sharp tap of the cane against the ground, something strange began to happen—the entire room started to transform.
Clide jumped up from his chair, visibly confused and on alert.
Sanchez raised a hand casually."Relax. This is a skill called Void Conversion," he explained.
The walls of the room began to shift and ripple like water before morphing into what looked like a swirling galaxy. The ceiling and floor faded into a celestial void, vast and glowing.
Within seconds, the room had completely changed—now appearing as a massive pocket dimension.
At the front stood a throne, regal and dark, and the ground beneath their feet had become a checkerboard design, glowing faintly with void energy. Above them, there was no longer a roof, but instead a transparent dome that revealed a stunning sky full of stars, drifting planets, and a galaxy stretching across the cosmos.
Clide stood there, stunned, taking in the breathtaking sight.
Meanwhile, Sanchez just smirked—clearly enjoying the chance to flex what he could do.
Sanchez: It's time, Clide. Let's start with using your Void.
Clide: How do I do that?
Sanchez: Close your eyes.
Clide: Okay...
Sanchez: First, you need to connect with the Void inside your body and use that connection. To do that, you need to focus—feel the stream rushing within you like an overflowing river. Then follow that river... watch as it flows into the endless ocean of darkness. Go with it.
Go deeper into that ocean, until you can't see any light—until you're fully covered in darkness.
Clide was completely entranced. His entire body began to emit an aura of darkness. But something strange happened—a faint golden glow started to rise within it, catching Sanchez completely off guard.
The aura grew even more intense, creating shockwaves of pressure that erupted from Clide's body. The sheer power sent ripples through the air.
Sanchez was stunned. He hadn't expected this much pressure. At this point, Clide was completely unconscious—his body floated midair, pulsing with intense Void energy.
Sanchez tried to get close to wake him up, but each time he stepped forward, he was pushed back by the force.
Meanwhile, inside Clide's mind, he was falling endlessly through a void of darkness. He sank deeper and deeper, until finally he hit what felt like the bottom.
When he opened his eyes, he was met with a crimson light. He swam toward it, only to see a shadowy figure sitting upon a throne made of darkness and bone. Clide approached cautiously.
Before he could get any closer, the figure suddenly spoke:
???: D̵͍̓ò̴͙ ̶̛̤ǹ̸͉o̴̟͌t̵̳͘ ̸͚͆a̶̢͝ṗ̸̻p̸͔̕r̷̹̾ö̴͙́á̵͜c̴͇͗h̴͎͌.̶͉͑ ̸̥̅Ḓ̵͒o̸̺̾ ̶̲̿n̴̤̿o̴̱͠t̷̰́ ̵̮̾t̷̩̃r̸̢̓ǔ̶̪ŝ̷̩t̶̘̎.̸͇͛ ̸̳̃D̷̻͒o̶̘͝ ̶̱͛n̸͔͐ò̴̭ṱ̵̓ ̵̓ͅf̵̻͗ë̸̗́a̵̼͗r̷̩̽.̷̜̇
As the words echoed, the figure revealed its face—bright red eyes and a twisted, chilling smile.
Then it stood.
In an instant, it launched Clide straight upward—through the darkness, through the Void—until he snapped awake, crashing onto the floor of the training room.
Clide, wide-eyed and gasping, looked up at Sanchez.
Clide: What the hell... just happened?
Sanchez:Honestly? I have no idea.
Clide, still shaken by the events that had just taken place, decided to take a walk to the nearest town outside the Hollow Institute.
It was a little old-school and far less modern compared to the futuristic cities he used to walk through back on Earth—but at least it wasn't as ancient-looking as Hollow S.
Hollow S, or The Society of the Hollows, is built to mirror a medieval setting—unlike Earth, where humans live in advanced, futuristic societies.
As Clide strolled through town, passing shops and vendors, he noticed something in a nearby alleyway—four students, one of whom was on the ground while the other three beat on him.
Without hesitation, Clide rushed over to the scene. One of the boys grabbed the kid with glasses and was about to land a punch—until Clide stepped in, giving the guy a stern look.
Clide:Get your hands off him.
The three boys froze. They recognized him—he was that new kid. The one rumored to be the strongest student in Class 1-D.
Not wanting any trouble, they backed off.
Without another word, the three bullies ran off, leaving the glasses kid behind.
Clide helped him to his feet.
Clide: "You okay?"
The kid nodded, brushing himself off. "Yeah... thanks for that."
Clide: "No problem. What's your name?"
The kid adjusted his glasses, still catching his breath.
Glasses Kid: "Eris. Eris Graywalker."
Clide: "Oh, well—I'm Clide. Nice to meet you. Hey, you shouldn't let those assholes bully you, okay?"
Eris: "They weren't really bullying me."
Clide: "What do you mean?"
Eris: "Well… it doesn't matter. But now that I've finally met the so-called new top dog, can I ask you for a favor?"
Clide: "Oh… sure. What is it?"
Eris: "I have a proposition. Will you be my teammate?"