Pendant

As soon as Lock agreed to the offer, an immense amount of dark energy started invading his body. Based on the information given to him by the mysterious voice, this energy was called void matter.

The process was excruciating beyond words. His body was literally being destroyed and rebuilt within seconds. 

For what reason? His body was apparently capable of holding void matter. Not only that but he was also apparently sealed. How was it possible? He didn't know.

'AGHHHHHHHH!!!' Lock screamed inside his head. 

The void matter disintegrated his body and rebuilt it using the same matter. Not only that, but his soul was also undergoing the same procedure. 

The worst part about it was that he could not pass out. The moment he passes out, he will die. All he could do was scream inside as his physical and astral forms were destroyed over and over. 

...

After a while, the gruesome procedure finally ended. His body was thoroughly rebuilt. It didn't change his looks, but all the impurities in his body were gone. Not to mention, he was now capable of holding void matter and resisting it. 

The reason he was losing consciousness back then was because his body was already vanishing from existence. 

What bothered Lock was how he had some void immunity. The voice gave him a lot of information, and one of those mentioned that only creatures born from the void had such power. 

Then realization dawned on him. 

'Could it be because of my father..? The story my mother told me stated that my father had the power of Void. Could that be the reason?' Lock wondered. 

Lock pushed the unnecessary thoughts away and focused on what changed. As mentioned earlier, he now had full immunity against Void matter. Impurities were also not a problem anymore. 

His soul was also "better," but he didn't know in what way. Aside from those, he received some basic increase in his overall physical capabilities. 

While Lock was checking his body, the voice spoke to him once more. Only this time, it was much clearer, and he felt more connected to it. 

"The pendant.. A fraction.. Power.. Seal.. Stab.. Use.." 

Lock was confused but didn't get the chance to clarify things as the voice faded away. He was on his own now. It didn't take long before a blinding light engulfed him once more. 

...

Lock opened his eye and was greeted by an unconscious examiner. 

'Sh*t! Did I do that?' Lock cursed inside before running away. It was best to avoid complications. 

It didn't take him long, and he got home without any delays. Right now, the only thing he wanted was to check if anything changed. 

He experimented, and it seemed that he did indeed get a physical boost, but aside from that, he didn't notice any big changes. 

"Is that it?" Lock said in dismay. 

Since there wasn't anything else to check, Lock sat down and decided to refresh his memory of earlier. 

He didn't have any clues as to who that voice belonged to. All he know is that it takes something powerful to command such power to destroy souls. 

He also remembered the last lines it said. Lock tried connecting the dots and came to a conclusion. 

"Pendant... could it be pointing at the crystal pendant my mother gave me?" Lock suspected. 

His mother told him to keep the pendant close at all times as it would protect him in the future. Back then, he thought it was real, but as time passed and he experienced the harshness of reality, he stopped believing. 

But it looks like he was wrong. Lock held the pendant in his palm, and he noticed that he felt a connection with it. It was faint, but it was there. 

"It said absorb it. But how do I absorb this thing.." Lock asked himself. 

Lock tried to feel it, but nothing happened. He imagined sucking it, but nothing happened either. He even tried to turn it into dust, but it didn't even crack. 

"What the hell am I even supposed to do with this?" Lock said in annoyance. 

Lock decided to retrace the phrase the voice said. And upon closer inspection, it said something about a fraction of a power, a seal and something about stabbing. 

"Am I supposed to stab myself with this?" Lock said. 

"Man, I must be going crazy. There's no way that's going to work.." Lock said as he eyed the crystal in his hands. 

'Fu*k it!' Lock thought before stabbing himself with the crystal in his chest. 

Somehow he didn't feel any pain prior to the stabbing. It just felt like he hit himself in the chest. 

"Huh. That's not that bad-" But before he finished his phrase, he felt an excruciating pain, just like earlier. 

'Fu*k!! I knew it was not that simple!' Lock cursed himself. 

The pain was so bad that he started bleeding all over his body as it underwent a change. His body got leaner and more dense. Signs of malnutrition were nowhere to be seen. 

His hair got a lot shinier, and his skin got fairer. However, the more changes that occurred, the more painful it got. It was so bad that he was on the verge of becoming unconscious. 

But before the darkness took him, the pain suddenly ceased. It was immediately replaced by a feeling of relief and refreshment. 

Lock felt like he slept for an entire week. He felt like he could wrestle with a boar! Lock stood up, his fatigue gone, and he noticed he got a slight bit taller. 

His vision was also sharper, and his hearing had improved. Whatever happened to him was a blessing. Now he understood why his mother wanted him to keep it. 

In the heat of the moment, Lock decided to run in the forest as he enjoyed his improved body. He breezed through the wind, and for once, he felt free. 

While he was at it, he decided to test his strength as well. He chose a tree as a target. Lock took a stance and punched the tree with all his might. 

Boom! 

His punch tore a hole through the tree, and he wasn't even hurt. Lock couldn't help but laugh at his newfound strength. He could probably take down a boar by himself now! 

"Hahaha! This is great! I feel great!" Lock said it out loud, unable to contain his voice anymore. 

However, as all good things come, bad things also follow. His attention was suddenly caught when he heard a growl from behind him. 

Lock looked back and froze on the spot. In front of him stood a 2-meter-tall humanoid figure. It had a black skin stained with blood and had multiple eyes. 

It also had massive claws and sharp teeth protruding from its mouth. It was a sight for nightmares. 

Lock froze as he saw the abomination up front, and his mind started panicking. He just realized one crucial point. He didn't have any power.

The creature slowly approached Lock, and Lock started going back slowly. He was weighing his odds of escaping from this creature. 

'Why did I even go here!' Lock scolded himself. 

It didn't take long before Lock hit the tree behind him. He had nowhere to run now; he was cornered. To make matters worse, the monster also started drooling while looking at him. 

"Hey.. hey.. let's talk this out, yea? I'm not tasty, trust me." Lock said. 

The creature looked at Lock hungrily and jumped at an insane speed. Lock was surprised by this and tried to dodge. However, he was highly inexperienced, so he tripped on the tree roots. 

He fell on the dirt and watched in horror as the monster tore the tree he was previously standing on in half. 

"What the fu-" 

But before he could finish his sentence, he was knocked back a few meters by the monster. The monster didn't waste any time and immediately ran straight at Lock. 

The creature bared its fangs and raised its claw. It jumped up in the air, and Lock had no choice but to watch it. 

His life flashed before his eye, and for the first time he felt.. rage. For a long time now he has contained his anger, his wrath. He pinned it down at the bottom of his heart. 

And now it has resurfaced. The anger he kept for years eventually turned to rage, and now.. wrath. 

Lock felt mad. It was as if he had been thirsty for years, and the only way to satisfy it was to kill. Kill whoever blocked his path. 

Then Lock felt a tug. He didn't resist it anymore, and he let whatever it was pull him to the depths. 

Then.. then there was no then.

BOOM!

A huge boom echoed in the forest, followed by consecutive little explosions. And there Lock stood. his fist in front and his body stained in blood. 

He sent the monster flying. His punch was so strong that it destroyed trees when he sent the abomination flying. 

Upfront was the dead body of the monster with a hole in its chest. Lock's hands were also covered in void matter, which coated his fist and wrist. 

Lock had unlocked the power of the void.