They called themselves the True Void.
Unlike worshippers, they rejected containment entirely.
"The Hunger was evolution," their leader proclaimed beneath torchlight in an abandoned underground transit system. "The Architect stole transcendence from humanity."
They believed the divided Core still held untapped potential.
And they were not entirely wrong.
Using stolen arcane instruments and corrupted relics left from the Lords' battles, the cult began experimenting with resonance frequencies aimed at the Boundary Stars.
Small at first.
A tremor in orbit.
High above, one of the twin stars flickered.
Kaito felt it immediately.
A strain in the rotation—like a skipped gear.
Silver Eyes reacted sharply.
"That interference is external and intentional."
The cult activated their device fully.
A narrow beam of distorted shadow shot skyward.
It didn't break the Boundary.
But it caused friction.
Energy sparked between the two divided halves.
Lightning cascaded across the upper atmosphere.
Citizens panicked, believing the eclipse had returned.
Kaito vanished from the mountainside.
Moments later, he stood within the cult's chamber.
Their leader smiled calmly.
"You felt it, didn't you? It wants to be whole."
Kaito's eyes hardened.
"No."
The machines disintegrated around him.
"But you just proved something dangerous."
The Boundary could be stressed.
And humans now knew how to touch it.