In the vast nothingness of the Void, atop a floating obsidian rock, there lay a man.

He was supposed to be dead, his soul, fading away to nothingness. Yet here he still remain, flesh and clothes intact. Mind, not so much.

He gasped, air rushing into his lungs, as he once more remembered how it was like to breathe. His eyes opened, his hands begun moving, feeling his clothes, the same ones he wore during his time at that forsaken city, and then caressing his face, which now felt much younger than before. His memories came rushing in like a waterfall, and his mind, was bewildered by the fact he now felt "alive" once more.

After all, he specifically recalled taking his last breath on that fateful day, in the cold embrace of the Dreadful Wale, where he laid and waited as the Void drew him from the living world.

He remembered every second of it. The uncaring embrace of death, as he felt every ounce of essence of his life agonizingly withering away. Perhaps a fitting end for someone like him. Like an inevitable flood, the darkness claimed him.

But in the midst of that darkness, he also experienced a flicker of light. It was his last moments with Billie Lurk, his former apprentice. He appreciated their time together, as messy and broken as it was. Perhaps the closest thing he ever had to a daughter, a rebellious one in fact. Not that he ever deserved one.

And further on, his last conversation with her, as a spirit anchored to the Void. He remembered a promise he made to himself, one last mission before the end of his life. And how unforeseen circumstances eventually led to himself giving up on said mission in the end at the behest of his apprentice, freeing... him. The Outsider.

The being who gave him powers no man should have. Made him almost invincible. And with thay gift, carved a name for himself from the belly of the Empire of the Isles, his blade being the fear from the people of the Isles. Fear of him. The Knife of Dunwall.

And how it all changed when he pushed the tip of his blade into the former Empress of the Isles, Jessamine Kaldwin.

He felt something break that day. Maybe it was his mind. Maybe it was his soul. He wasn't sure which. He also wasn't quite sure why. Maybe his final target was just too much. Or that all the guilt he had tried so hard to contain, from all the lives he had taken before, finally broke through in that fateful moment.

It didn't matter anymore. With the Mark, the Outsider gave him power. But with it, he had also taken away his chance. A chance for a better life.

But he didn't give up. He knew he had done wrong, and he set out to make it right again. He hoped it was enough.

He had lived his life to the fullest he possibly could, even though it wasn't a life he was proud of. And though there were regrets, there was no point in turning back time now, assuming that was even possible to begin with.

And yet, here he was. In the Void. No longer a spirit, but alive.

Why?

"Welcome back, Daud."

Now on his two feet, the former assassin turned in surprise to the foreign voice from behind him.

A single glance was all it took, and he knew just whom, or what he had laid his eyes upon. But it was not the Outsider that he once recognized. He knew why, for the boy whose mark he once bore, in an unpredictable series of events, was no longer chained by the very Void that had long trapped him.

But this new being in front of him... strange. Unfamiliar. With a voice that sounded human, yet.. isn't.

Perhaps it was the crimson collared shirt underneath the raven-colored tailcoat jacket along with a pair of dark trousers and shoes that gave the stranger an slightly peculiar look. Or perhaps it was his snow white hair accompanied by the familiar pure black irises and scleras of the eyes, giving off a haunting appearance.

Unknowingly, Daud's tongue began to speak his thoughts.

"You're... the Outsider."

The stranger smirked.

"That is correct. Glad to see your perceptiveness is still intact."

"... How?" Was all Daud could ask.

" All in due time. I understand your confusion. Perhaps a tinge of frustration, as well? But your presence here, is for a reason.

I will admit, bringing you back... was not a simple task. Especially considering how the Void deals with souls. Yours was especially difficult to trace. After all, it is not easy to extract something from what is essentially... nothing. Although, to be more precise, there is really no such thing as true nothingness. Even the Void itself, contrary to its name, is far from being an infinite space of pure emptiness."

The new Outsider, sounded cold, a faint yet noticeable sinister hint in his voice, even more so than the previous Outsider whom Daud knew. He spoke in a manner that suggested he knew of his previous life. But why bring him back?

"So you know who I am, who I used to be. And yet you brought me back.. after all I've went through? Why? What could you possibly want from me? How did you become the new Outsider!?"

"You seek many answers for a man who had experienced death. But there are far more questions than you would realize. Unfortunately, I do not have the patience to satisfy your curiosity right now.

I understand your frustration, your hatred towards me, or anything like me. But I will make you a proposal that might entice you-"

"No. I don't know what you're planning, but I'm done. I'm done with.. all this bullshit. I'm sick of being someone's puppet. Find someone else." Daud retorted with a tone that he had not used for a long time.

The white haired Outsider remained stoic. Seconds flew by, but it felt like eternity.

And then, he spoke. "Very well."

His answer, was not what Daud expected to hear. "... What?"

The Outsider continued. "It seems like I expected too much of you. Of course you wouldn't want anything to do with the world anymore. After all, you of all people surely deserves a rest, forever in peace in the Empty, like all others who passed on, and are lucky enough to escape the clutches of the unforgiving Void.

But I sincerely thought that after 10,000 years, you would have had enough rest already. Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe an eternal slumber is all you desired.."

Upon hearing the Outsider finishing his statement, Daud's mind came to a screeching halt.

Ten thousand years?

Has it really been that long?

No. That's... this black-eyed bastard must be lying. Ten whole millennia, gone, just like that?

The Outsider, as if noticing Daud's stumped look, decided to further explain.

"I know you will find that hard to believe, but I speak nothing but the truth. After all, it's not like one would be capable of perceiving time when their being was nothing more than a mere nonexistence. So why should it be such a surprise to you?

The world... has drastically changed, to say the least. I have witnessed the worst of humanity, whether it be misfortune caused by the world, or tragedies by their own actions."

"... What happened.. to the world?" Daud could not restrain himself from asking.

The Outsider's answer, was horrifying. "Chaos. That is the best word I could think of. I'm sorry to say, but your efforts to remove the previous Outsider did not benefit the world at all, like you'd hoped."

Daud narrowed his eyes upon hearing that remark. Before he had a chance to ask, the Outsider continued.

"Allow me to explain. In my quest to.. retrieve your soul, I saw through your memories, and your experiences. Up until your last moments. Suffice to say, your... decision to relieve the previous Outsider of his position and power, did not sit well with the Void.

The way I see it... this place, this infinite plane outside of your normal reality, a boundless force of discord.. it had grown accustomed to having a host, quite ironically. It needs a keeper. For without a being that could control it, the Void is nothing more but an endless dark mass that seeks to devour all that exists. As nothing that exists can last forever, in due time everything must eventually return to it.

When you released that young boy that day from his immortal cage, the Void once again found itself wanting. Starving. And at some point, it became... unstable. In a way that it had never been. The invisible fabric that separates reality and the Void itself began breaking apart. And the world suffered for it.

When the Void... began to affect the world on an unprecedented scale, there was no one to control it. No one to contain the ravaging tides. In the coming centuries after your time has passed, catastrophe after catastrophe ravaged the earth, and the continents became twisted by the Void's devastating tides. Humanity as you once knew, nearly perished. But despite everything... surprisingly, your kind persevered. An impressive feat, I would say."

"And what about you?" Daud concluded. "So you became the Outsider, and what? The Void is now under control, and everything is fixed? Is that how this story goes?"

The black-eyed stranger chuckled lightly. "If it were that simple, you wouldn't be here right now. By the time I became what I am now, the damage.. was already done. There was no more Dunwall, no more Empire of the Isles. All traces of human society and history up to that point in time, all of it was lost. Consumed by the darkness of the Void. But, if it makes you feel any better, none of those you cared about lived long enough to see the cruel demise of the world they knew.

The truth is, whatever caused the Void to become violent, that was all on you. You made the decision to remove the previous Outsider. Everything that happened in the past ten thousand years, it was your choices that made them happen."

No. No. He couldn't accept that. He wasted the final years of his life, trying to rectify his sins, reach the depths that others dare not to, all to convince himself that he was somewhat capable of redemption. There was no way all of that, was for nothing. All the things he once knew, things he cared about, all gone.

"... Everything you've said, it's... impossible."

"I don't lie, Daud. What more do you need? Do you want me to show you everything? Will that be enough to finally convince you? Or are you going to choose to forever remain ignorant, in a desperate attempt to hold onto what little conscience you still have?"

"I... I did what was right. I tried.."

"You did what you thought was right. You thought by removing the only guardian of the Void, you could somehow undo everything you did wrong. You may have saved that boy from an eternal sorrow, but you also condemned the rest of the world with your choice."

Daud held his head down in contempt. He stared at his hands, as he imagined them stained with blood. The blood of those who have passed. He thought he was doing the right thing. He thought he could finally undo all his past mistakes and forgive himself.

Was he wrong? Was his bloodthirsty quest to remove the one who gave him the Mark, simply for naught? If what this current Outsider said is true... then how will he ever come to terms with his own past? How could it ever be possible to redeem a man who doomed all of humanity?

It was then, the black-eyed stranger walked slowly towards him, almost as if the stranger heard the sound of anguish and regret from his heart.

"I know the pain you feel right now, but that can all change. Perhaps now you may be willing to hear my proposal?"

The former assassin balled his hands into fists, as he looked up towards the new Outsider, light no longer present in his eyes.

"It's going to be the same as before, isn't it? You'll gift me with your Mark, giving me back powers I don't deserve? All for what? So that I could be your personal entertainment piece?"

The Outsider responded in a tone as cold as Daud's. "What you do with the power I shall give you, is none of my concern. And frankly, so it was for the previous Outsider as well. All he did was give you a choice, and you took it. And you used it to carve yourself a path filled with bloodshed. But it doesn't have to be the same this time.

I will tell you my true reason as to bringing you back. Indeed, I am bored. Frankly, no one in this new world really.. interests me. But I decided to look to the past instead of the present, and found myself fascinated by the history of those before my time.

There were plenty of individuals that I thought would bring me amusement, but in the end, I found myself intrigued by your story. You believe you do not deserve a path to redemption, yet it never stopped you from trying, either through saving the young Emily Kaldwin's life, or sparing the one who betrayed you, and granting her a chance for a better life, something you never had before. But at the end.. who am I to judge?

I ask of nothing but your acceptance. Return to the world of the living with your old body restored, and the powers of the Void that you once held, and more. What you do for yourself afterwards... well, that is all up to you."

He pondered on the Outsider's offer. He had been through this before. He used his powers of the Mark for his own benefit, and he became a monster. But he realized the error of his ways, and tried the best he could to make amends. Protecting Emily Kaldwin from the Brigmore witches was one of his first acts of redemption, and so was sparing Billie despite her betrayal.

And to this day, he could not comprehend what went on in the mind of Corvo Attano, the former Royal Protector of the late Jessamine Kaldwin, as he chose mercy over bloodshed, when Daud's fate was quite literally on his hands.

He might have been a fool, to focus all of his self-hatred and blame it on the former Outsider. But that boy was never to blame. Billie made him realize that. All the mistakes he had done, they had always been his own fault.

Hearing everything the new Outsider had to say, Daud felt a wave of regret splashing against his conscience. But how could he even know if the Outsider wasn't lying? And if he wasn't, what could he even do at this point?

"You said the world was broken beyond repair... then what do you expect me to do? If I decide to go back, how would I know I wouldn't just screw it up even worse?"

"You'd be surprised just how much the right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in a broken world. The future remains uncertain, but that is no excuse to not move forward, is it? Whatever your actions may be, it will have consequences. Whether it be good or bad, remains to be seen. But all that matters now, is your answer."

The former assassin remained silent, thinking of the right choice to make. Possibly the most significant one he would ever make.

A part of him wanted to ignore all of this. To just return to his blissful sleep. He had already done more than anyone could have done in their entire lives.

But a small part of him was curious. Curious of what this new world would look like. How his and Billie's actions have shaped the future. Even with how farfetched the new Outsider's tale may sound, it still made him question his own resolve. Was he willing to witness the consequences of his actions, ten thousand years later? And would he do something about it? Something he couldn't do in his old life, in his old world?

A minute of silence passed, and he had finally made a choice.

"Before I go to this new world... is there anything I need to know?"

The Outsider lightly smirked.

"The world is broken, but humanity is not all lost. More than enough time has passed for humanity to rebuild. The Void had left its mark on the world, and with that, humanity's descendants have again risen from the dark ages. A new society reformed, from the ashes of the past.

But be warned, the humans of the current age is... different from what you've known. You will know what I mean when you see it for yourself. The Void did more than simply alter the environment. Their cultures, architecture, social structure, even their appearances will be alien to you, as you will be to them, but in time, all your questions will be answered.

That is all you need to hear. I cannot tell you much more, because otherwise... well, it wouldn't be quite an interesting watch, would it?"

Daud was slightly irritated at that last sentence, but he had come to expect it from his experience with godlike beings.

"Fine. But I won't make the same mistakes I once did. Mark my words."

The Outsider grinned, the most pleased he had ever been so far. "In that case, I expect a good show. Until next time, Daud."

As he felt the familiar burning sensation forming at the back of his left hand, his sight was enveloped with a sudden bright light.

Gone was the endless pitch black sky, as Daud, the former Knife of Dunwall, was no longer in the Void.

A young girl found herself in the middle of a dark alleyway, during sunset. She stood petrified, afraid.

Not for herself, but rather, for the weird looking stranger in front of her, who laid on the floor, unconscious, or maybe dead.

She was unsure of what to do. Call for help? But what if the man was infected? The Infected was never treated well in this city. It might even bring unwanted heat towards her. Should she risk it? Even worse, what if he was part of Reunion? There's no telling what he'd do to her once he regains consciousness. Although she could not see any visible signs of infection, the stranger's clothing practically covered all of his skin, so it didn't help her much in that regard.

Upon taking a closer look, she noticed more peculiarities about the stranger. Mainly, a scar on the right side of his face, stretching vertically through his eyelids. And there was his clothing as well. She had never seen that style of fashion before, it almost seemed.. outdated? She also couldn't see any distinct animal traits on the stranger, something that practically everyone here possesses. But she assumed that maybe there's a tail hidden somewhere.

But the strangest thing of all... was the tattoo on the back of his left hand. She had never seen that kind of mark before. Tattoos usually represent a symbol, or have some sort of meaning. But she couldn't tell what exactly the mark was for. It looked almost... alien. Otherworldly.

Should she try to wake him up herself? But what if the man had bad intentions? Or he mistook her for an Infected and became hostile? Maybe she should call her father and have the city police deal with this? But she wouldn't want to burden him any more, what with the local police already struggling to deal with the sudden rise in riot activity caused by the Infected citizens. It was already getting dark, and this part of the city would become more dangerous at night. She hesitated to act, yet at the same time, she knew she couldn't just.. walk away.

She wanted to do something, but her mind raced through all the different outcomes, struggling to make a decision. But as she was still lost in thought, she failed to notice the stranger's hands begin moving, and his eyes were now wide open.

It was too late before the stranger suddenly jerked upward, surprising the girl and making her take a sudden sharp breath.

Then, as if he heard her, the stranger turned around, and they finally made eye contact. His eyes seemed... malevolent. Like there was a tinge of darkness lurking underneath. The stranger stared her for almost a full minute, and it was the most pressure she had felt in a long time.

She tried keeping up a calm facade, but at this point, the girl wished she had called her father earlier.

_

Daud didn't know what to make of this.

He stood up and made sure to wipe his eyes a few times, and even pinched his own arm, trying to see if he was in a dream. But nothing changed.

So this was all real? He was now in an unfamiliar place, with strange architecture, and his first "human" contact... was a young girl with short brown-grey hair... and animal ears on top of her head.

Daud also liked to think his vision is somewhat decent, and he could not see any straps whatsoever on her head. Which would mean those ears were real.

A girl. With animal ears.

"What... the fuck?"

He didn't mean to utter those words. At least not loud enough for the girl to hear it.

"Uhm, sir, are you.. okay? I found you unconscious on this alleyway.. do you need a doctor of some kind? Do you have an ID to identify yourself?"

The girl proceeded to ask him a barrage of questions, none of which he could answer. He didn't even know what an "ID" was. But he also had questions of his own, and he wanted the answers now.

"... What is this place? Where am I? Are those ears real?"

The girl looked at him puzzlingly, like he just said the most random thing in the world.

"This is the city of Chernobog, in Ursus territory. And what do you mean by my ears? Of course they're real. Everyone in Terra has animal traits. Sir... are you sure you're alright? Do you need to go to a clinic, or a hospital?"

Chernobog. Ursus. Terra. Daud could not, for the life of him, recognize any of those names. But the one thing she said caught him completely off guard... everyone in this world have animal traits?

"The humans of the current age is... different from what you've known."

He thought that black-eyed bastard was speaking metaphorically. He never expected it to be literal.

Gathering all sense of sanity still remaining in him, Daud asked one last question, just to be sure.

"Have you heard of... Dunwall? Or Karnaca? Anything about the Empire of the Isles?"

"... No, sir. I'm sorry, I've.. never heard of those places before."

So the Outsider was telling the truth after all.

Daud couldn't restrain himself from chuckling to himself, but not in a tone that would suggest amusement, but rather defeat. Everything he once knew was really gone. For the first time, he realized he was truly... alone.

That black-eyed son of a bitch sure had a sick sense of humor.

"... Sir?"

The girl now had a look of pure confusion on her face. In her eyes, this stranger just woke up in the middle of an empty alleyway in the less active parts of the city, started asking odd questions, acted like he was literally just born yesterday, and now began laughing to himself like a madman. She would probably assume him to be an escaped mental patient at this point.

"Do you need to go a hospital? Or perhaps a police station? Do you have any family members or relatives? I could file in a missing persons report if it's necessary-"

"-It's fine. I'm fine. I just.. hit my head on the wall too hard. It'll heal. Thanks for your help. But I think I'll be off now."

He doubted the girl would believe him if he told her the truth about his origin, so the amnesiac excuse should suffice for now. The former assassin pondered on his next course of action. He was essentially a ghost who was technically lost in time. However, his experience as a hired blade had not disappeared from his memory. The first, and most obvious thing for him to do, given the outlandish situation he was currently in, would be to familiarize himself with with this place. Everything else would have to come later.

He looked at his left hand for a brief moment, and he felt the Mark glowing ever so slightly. He turned around to look for a suitable path, glancing at the walls of the buildings surrounding him. The architecture looked different, much simpler than what he used to see Dunwall and Karnaca, but he never had any problems traversing cities before.

However, before he could walk away, the girl suddenly raised her voice.

"Wait! Are you sure you don't need any help with your head injury? You don't seem like you know this place very well... what if you get yourself lost? I could show you some directions if you need. It's... the least I could do."

The former assassin was shocked at her willingness to help out an unknown individual like him. Shouldn't this girl's parents teach her not to be too trusting to strangers?

However, he surmised that being toured by a native inhabitant might actually help him achieve his current goal much easier than simply Blinking to the rooftops and scouting the old fashioned way. At the very least, it'll help him get familiar with the natives faster. And it didn't seem like this girl was asking for anything in return. He could definitely appreciate this kind of generosity, something he could never find in his old life.

"Alright, show me the way then."

"Oh, but before that.. I need to know if I could really trust you. So.. could you tell me your real name?" The girl asked.

The former assassin hesitated at first, but he remembered he was not in Dunwall anymore. And he doubted anyone would recognize his infamy after millenia has passed.

"... Daud. Just Daud."

"Hmm, strange name. Anyway, my name is Zoya. Pleased to meet you." The girl, whom he now know as Zoya, extended her hand, expecting a handshake of some sort.

Daud looked at her weirdly. She was being slightlytoo trusting. But he thought that perhaps first impressions are important here, so he put on the friendliest facade he had ever done to another person outside of his own acquaintances. With a soft smile, he extended his own hand for the handshake.

Daud had decided that if this was how it was going to be for his first day as a living person, after 10 thousand years of nothingness, then so be it. Being guided around by a minor for directions. He had probably done weirder stuff before.

Still, making friends with a teenager with animal ears. That's got to at least crack his top 5.

And just when he thought the day couldn't get any stranger, the girl, Zoya, broke the tension.

"By the way, my dad's a cop, so.. try not to do anything suspicious with me around, promise?"

The former assassin had to completely halt his tracks, both physically and mentally, in order to process her ominous, yet friendly "threat".

Huh, maybe he was wrong about her parents after all.

_

Author's Note

So... after what felt like almost a year, I'm finally back to writing again.

It's been a rough year for all of us. I never planned to put all my other stories in an indefinite hiatus, but right now I just couldn't find enough motivation to finish writing another chapter. But fortunately it seems my desire to write in general hasn't completely been reduced to atoms yet, since here I am again, with another new crossover fic.

So, why did I write this? Not sure. But maybe it's got something to do with my love for the Dishonored franchise, and just being really thirsty for more Dishonored stuff. Including fanfictions.

But why Arknights? That's... a complicated question. Thing is, I NEVER played Arknights. BUT... I have read most of the lore and story myself, because for a gacha game, it's a damn good story that kept me hooked. Something about the whole setting, the style and characters of Arknights really kept me engaged in its world, even though I've never actually played the game.

And for whatever reason, by chance, one day I just had the crazy idea of, "What if I put this(AK) and this(Dishonored) and put them together?" And that's how this fic came to existence. Really, I'm just trying to satisfy my own imagination the easiest way I could. That's just how it is with most fanfics in general, right?

I chose to use Daud as the vessel of this story for reasons. I initially planned to use Corvo or Emily, but I felt like Daud just has the most interesting and one of the more fleshed out characters of all the games. He was the most involved with the Void and the Outsider's antics, so it would be interesting to see his perspective on a world that was permanently transformed because of his actions in the last game, Death of the Outsider.

Obviously I took some creative liberties and spun my own original lore for the world of Arknights to fit the universe of Dishonored, among other things like inserting some OCs of my own. I already have an explanation for how the Arknights world is intertwined with the Dishonored universe, but I think you(the ones reading this) could figure it out on your own.

If you do end up liking this prologue, or "one-shot" if I'm unlucky, be warned: I don't have a strict uploading schedule. It may take weeks, or months, for the next chapter to come out. I'm sorry, but writing and finishing fanfics aren't exactly at the top of my to-do list. I even have other fanfics I haven't updated in... forever. I don't want to say that my other fics are discontinued, so it's best to just describe it as a temporary hiatus. Hopefully this one wouldn't be added to the collection.

(P.S. If you're really wondering what the new Outsider Mark looks like in this fic, just look at the image cover of this story)

(Extra Post-Edit: Special thanks to SomethingNeu for the Daud fan art and Petra Nikolic for her Mask of Corvo artwork)

Well, that's enough out of me. Until next time.