Threads of Infinity chapter 8: The Uncontrolled Void
Tsukasa stood in the aftermath of his rage, his mind racing. The sudden surge of Infinity had left him breathless, his body tingling with the aftershock of such raw, untapped power. Yet, as the silence of the estate settled around him, a strange feeling gnawed at him—something was missing.
The elder's words echoed in his mind: "Control yourself. If you want to be strong..."
But control felt like a prison. His frustration—his rage—was still alive in him, pulsing beneath the surface like a living, breathing thing. And with it, his desire to surpass everything and everyone, especially Satoru.
Tsukasa clenched his fists again, his eyes blazing with a growing intensity. If Infinity was just a wall to stop others, then what could he do to make them feel the same fear he felt when Satoru walked away? What if he could destroy?
He focused, his cursed energy rippling around him like a living current. He concentrated, pushing past the raw, unfiltered anger that fueled him and reaching deeper. He remembered something—Satoru had told him about the techniques, about the ways he could manipulate his cursed energy.
"Blue..." Tsukasa whispered, his breath catching as he tried to remember the concept.
A pulse of cursed energy shot through him, far more controlled than before, but still untamed. His mind focused on the emptiness, on the void—the same cold emptiness that had filled him since Satoru left.
As his energy spiraled out of him, it twisted and compressed into a singularity, a vortex that began to suck in everything around him. The ground cracked and splintered as the pull of the expanding void intensified, tearing at the landscape in all directions.
The wind howled as Tsukasa's cursed energy reached a new, terrifying apex. His eyes were wide with awe and fear as the gravitational pull of his own creation crushed the world around him.
It wasn't just a force of destruction; it was a force of complete rejection. Everything within the sphere of influence felt as though it were being torn apart, shredded by the weight of Tsukasa's energy. The air itself seemed to buckle under the pressure.
But as Tsukasa watched the growing void, something within him froze. The power felt immense, overwhelming, but it also felt... hollow. Just like Infinity, just like his anger. It was destructive, but it was still empty. Still driven by the same emotion that had haunted him ever since Satoru had walked away.
His grip on Blue faltered for a moment, the void flickering and sputtering. The elder's voice rang in his head again: "Control yourself."
But Tsukasa wasn't sure he wanted control. What would it even matter? His anger and power were all that remained. He clenched his teeth, tightening his focus, forcing the void to stabilize.
The pulling force of Blue intensified once more, but Tsukasa didn't stop it. He let it consume everything within reach. The land, the trees, the remnants of his shattered training ground—nothing was spared.
The vortex swirled with a terrible, empty beauty, and in that moment, Tsukasa understood: this was power. It was raw, it was destructive, and it was his. But at the same time, it was a reminder of what he had lost.
For the first time since Satoru's departure, he realized that power alone wouldn't fill the void inside him. Not Blue. Not Infinity. And certainly not his rage.