The whispers that had once taunted him with doubt now became fainter, their presence muted by his resolve. And while Nihil's influence remained a constant threat, J felt prepared-not because he thought he could defeat it, but because he understood its role in shaping the journey. Light and shadow were not opposites, but partners in the dance of existence.
The path ahead grew darker, the faint crimson glow beneath J's feet fading into an ominous void. The air was thick and heavy, charged with the unmistakable presence of Nihil. This time, it wasn't a subtle whisper or shadow lingering at the edges-it was fully here, pressing against reality with all the weight of its unmaking. The shard in J's hand trembled violently, its light flickering as though struggling to hold its shape. The vial of Essence grew cold, the warmth it had always provided replaced by a deep chill.
J stopped at the edge of the void, a massive expanse where the veil between realms had all but collapsed. Fragments of the Logos floated within it, their glow dimmed and distorted, caught in tendrils of chaos that stretched endlessly into the dark. Nihil's presence surged, and its voice echoed through the expanse, deep and resonant, cutting through J's thoughts like shards of glass.