Kharon slowly walked down the stairs as he began clapping, a small smile plastered onto his face as he made his way towards Zack.
"That was quite the fight. Since you have defeated Emelia that means you can take her place as a member of the Hollow Trinity. However, I want to ask you to join me instead. I need someone who is strong and is willing to follow me. What do you say, Zack?"
Kharon slowly stretched out his pale, porcelain hand as Zack looked at him with a confused expression. A few seconds passed as Kharon kept his hand outstretched as he said, "You can just turn down the offer if you aren't interested. There wouldn't be any consequences to saying no."
Zack continued to warily eye the intimidating hand as he looked at Kharon before asking, "What would I get from you that I can't get as a member of the Hollow Trinity?"
Kharon's smile deepened, his eyes gleaming with quiet certainty. "The Trinity will give you a place… a purpose, perhaps. But only on their terms. Their laws. Their leash."
He lifted his hand slightly, palm open—not commanding, but inviting. "I offer something rarer. Freedom. The strength to shape your own fate, unbound by hierarchy or duty. I won't cage you with titles. I'll give you power—and stand beside you when you decide how to use it."
His voice softened, just enough to feel intimate. "So tell me, Zack—will you walk the path they've laid out for you? Or will you take a leap with me… and see just how high you can soar?"
Hearing this, Zack smiled as he took Kharon's hand and shook it.
"I guess I will take a leap of faith. Let's see how far we can go, boss."
His piercing red eyes met Kharon's as they stared at each other before letting go. The by-standers around looked at them in quiet awe as Kharon began walking out of the colosseum. With each step he took, his body became more and more faint until he completely vanished.
Zack's eyes calmly followed his figure as he whispered something under his breath with a smile.
"Freedom..."
Under the gaze of everyone around him, he also left the arena in silence as no one dared to even breathe until he was gone.
Kharon walked through the corridor before standing still for a moment. He looked around before going down the stairs with caution. Ignoring the greetings of all those around him, he went up to the Hollow King's chamber and knocked. He immediately received a response as he pushed the large doors open.
The familiar scent of blood and death filled his nostrils as he walked towards the throne of bones at the end of the large hall. Standing in front of the Hollow King was Axel who seemed to be pitching an idea. He slowly turned around as Kharon stood next to him.
"What are you doing here Kharon? You should be resting."
"I have rested enough. A whole month to be exact; but that's not why I am here. I wanted to ask for Zack to become my right hand man. He won a duel against Emelia but I offered him a position by my side. I hope you don't mind."
The Hollow King looked at him with an indifferent expression as he said, "You can do what you want. You are the Hollow Scion, you don't need my approval for anything. Your rank outclasses the Hollow Trinity so matters regarding them can fall to you."
Kharon's relaxed expression suddenly turned serious as he said, "About that. I want to leave the Hollow Syndicate and take Zack with me. Our contract has almost been fulfilled and I want to end it early. I need to find a way to get my tier 3 ritual. I believe the answer lies with the Arcane Association; so I plan on infiltrating it."
"And why are you telling me this?"
"I need your help. You got to study my path and abilities as compensation for you helping me to get to tier 4. But now I need help to get to tier 3. I'm not sure how I will need your help, but having your support would help me feel more confident. As compensation, I will-"
"No need. Our contract wasn't properly fulfilled so just promise me that you will help the Hollow Syndicate if need be. You wouldn't need to risk your life if you ever need to carry out this promise."
As he said this, the Hollow King stood up from his throne; his gaunt figure clear despite the robes he wore. Kharon moved closer as he bit his finger before extending his hand. The Hollow King reciprocated this action as they shook hands. A faint, yet powerful trace of aether surrounded them before quickly vanishing.
Kharon moved back and slightly bowed as he said, "I will be taking my leave then. Thank you for everything. I am sorry I didn't get to learn from you Axel. I know you would have been a great mentor to me. In the future I would like to work with you. Maybe I will be at the same tier as you, but I am sure you would have ascended further on by then."
Axel faintly smiled as he moved closer to Kharon before hugging him. The hug lasted for less than a millisecond as Axel quickly pulled away. He smiled at Kharon who had barely been able to react and looked towards the door with furrowed brows before vanishing.
"You seemed to have changed him in just a few hours. He has never shown such obvious affection for someone before ever since his younger sister passed. I have only ever received a handshake and a thank you."
The Hollow King chuckled as he continued, "He sees you as a brother. Whether as a younger or older brother, I am unsure. But that doesn't really matter does it?"
"No, it doesn't."
Kharon smiled melancholically as he slowly walked towards the door. He paused for a second as he looked back at the Hollow King who had returned to his bone-filled throne before walking out of the door. With a quiet thud, he was gone...
Waiting outside the door was a figure in brown leather armour. Their brown hair fit seamlessly with their clothing as their piercing red eyes created a contrast with their other features.
"So we are leaving the Hollow Syndicate? You could have told me before leaving the colosseum. I will start getting ready then. Unless we are staying the night."
"If we stay another night I don't think I will be able to sleep. But considering that you just had a duel you can stay and say your final goodbyes. Is there anyone you'll miss?"
"No, not really. They all treated me badly when I first arrived. I was merely a servant to them. That is why I went down the path of enhancement, and because of my desire to improve myself I was able to quickly assimilate with my essence core in a year and ascend."
Zack's gaze grew distant, shadows of memories flickering behind his eyes. Kharon looked at him as he began walking away. Zack followed as he said, "I will go wherever you go. You said I am your right hand, aren't I?"
"How did you hear what we said? I don't think I spoke very loudly."
"I have a mystic construct of imagination. I used it to glean the key phrases in your conversation. But I am surprised that the Hollow King didn't send a mental attack towards me. I doubt that he failed to notice me."
Kharon thought about Axel's furrowed brows and quickly put the pieces together. As he walked up the stairs, he said, "Axel noticed so the Hollow King probably noticed as well. As for why he didn't attack you mentally, it must be because you have technically left the Hollow Syndicate. So attacking you would mean he is attacking my organisation."
Zack chuckled as he repeated, "Organisation? I am the only member you have."
"Not for long. Make no mistake, I will create a powerful group of people who rival the Hollow Syndicate and will eventually rival the Arcane Association. But for now, I guess we can only be considered a duo."
"Well, that is fine by me. I have the freedom to do as I wish don't I?"
Kharon looked back at Zack's sly smirk and nodded.
'I wonder just what he is planning. As long as it doesn't affect me negatively, then it doesn't matter.'
Zack left Kharon as he went through the third floor corridor. As Kharon continued on, he quickly reached the top floor and went into his room. Looking at the tidy room, he sighed and walked in.
He started putting all his things into his bag as he made the bed and picked up the bracelet he had discarded. He looked at it for a while before putting it on. He could feel the cold, metallic texture on his skin as he shuddered.
'It feels so cold, yet so comforting. There must be an underlying connection between several paths which make them compatible. I just need to find which ones...'