Marcus and Ezra made it to a safe house hidden in the mountains, a small cabin that had been stocked with supplies and weapons. The older man immediately began examining Marcus's new cultivation markings, running his fingers along the black lines that covered his arms and chest.
"The transformation is complete," Ezra said, satisfaction and concern mixing in his voice. "But there's something wrong. Your Void Cultivation is more powerful than it should be at this stage. Usually, it takes months or years to fully integrate an Ascension Technique into your body. But yours has already begun to stabilize."
"Is that bad?" Marcus asked.
"It's unprecedented," Ezra replied. "It could mean you're even more naturally gifted than I thought. Or it could mean that something is actively accelerating yo
