CHAPTER 286: 286: THE WHISPER OF DAWN

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Kai stared at the glowing beetle in Batbat’s paw, still half dazed from everything that had just happened. The air still hummed from the aftermath of the divine connection. Sparks of residual blood and aura flickered like dying fireflies around the camp. His blood still tingled at the fingertip where Batbat had taken more than his fair share of blood.

Kai opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a single word out, the voice returned.

"You don’t have to do much, I only have one request. If you can fulfill it, that will be enough."

It was Dawn Walker, the God of Blood. His voice was velvet, drenched in divine authority and mild mischief. He did not speak in a rush or with demand. He spoke like a man watching a chessboard with all the time in eternity to make his next move.

"My request is... I need to speak with your system."

Kai blinked. His eyes twitched. "What?" he said out loud, his voice cracking. "How... how do you know about my system?"

None of his companions knew. Not Azhara, not Akayoroi, not even Luna or Mia. It was his deepest secret, the thing that set him apart in this unforgiving world. He had never told a soul. The system had warned him never to share it. The fact that this entity, this god, not only knew but casually mentioned it sent a bolt of ice through his body.

There was a pause. Then came the answer.

"Because I am older than most things, young Ant Kai. I have seen the birth of a system and the death of stars. Your system is not ordinary, it is a high tier abyss artifact. Bound. Sentient. One of the last of its kind."

Kai’s breath caught. He opened his mouth but had nothing to say.

"It is bound to your soul. That makes it loyal. But it is still its own being. You must give it permission to speak with me. I will not force it, nor will I pry into what it chooses to hide. But if you wish for Batbat to find his way home... the system must assist. It alone can decipher the true path hidden in the void signature. I am very far away, so I can’t find the right location."

Kai gritted his mandibles. His heart pounded.

He asked aloud, "System... is that true? Are you really some artifact?"

A familiar chime rang in his head, calm and collected as always.

[Yes in a way, Host. I am classified as an Abyss-Level Soulbound Artifact. However, you are not ready to learn the rest of this information. Please continue your growth. I will reveal more when the time is right.

All I can say, I am more than just an artifact.]

Kai’s head spun. He looked at Batbat, who was currently hanging upside down on a tree branch, licking the last of his blood off his tiny claws. The fat bat winked at him.

He turned back toward the empty air, as though addressing Dawn Walker directly. "All right. You can talk to the system. I give permission."

There was no flash. No thunder. But he felt something. Like a ripple across the pond of his thoughts. His system went quiet. Then eerily quiet.

No pop ups. No internal voice. Nothing.

Seconds ticked by. Kai tried not to shift or fidget, but he could not shake the feeling that two ancient beings were having a whispered conversation behind his back.

Batbat was now stacking grasshoppers in a tiny pyramid while humming a tune about energy cheese and ankle biting.

A minute passed. Then another. And finally, Kai felt the system return.

[Host. I have obtained the void coordinate signature embedded within the living map. Displaying it now.]

A thin projection appeared over the glowing beetle. It shifted, shimmered, and morphed until a map took shape, one layered with pulsing routes, each dotted with ominous looking waypoints and ancient symbols. In the far corner of the map, a jagged rift glowed blacker than black. The label read only: Null Road — Veiled Route to the Void.

[Map interface updated. Location saved to primary objective.]

Kai blinked. "That’s it?"

[That is it. The blood god did not attempt to interfere with core functionality or extract unrelated data. The interaction is complete. The blood god also has a system. We both work together.]

Dawn Walker’s voice returned, warmer now.

"Thank you, Kai. You have done more than you realize. This path will help my familiar return. And in turn, it may help you survive the days to come. I owe you one."

Kai snorted softly. "Can I write that on a contract?"

"You may etch it on stone, ink it in blood, or carve it into the bones of history. I honor my debts."

Batbat dropped his pyramid of grasshoppers and flapped over, wings fluttering like oversized pancakes. He hovered at eye level with Kai, stuffing a star core into Kai’s hand. It pulsed with quiet rage, radiating the dormant aura of a recently slain void beast.

"I almost forgot!" Batbat said cheerfully. "This is yours. Payment for the blood, or parting gift, call it what you want. But don’t trade it for snacks. It’s worth more than anything in this world."

Kai stared at the core. "This is... high grade. It will be helpful to me. Thanks"

"Yup!" Batbat chirped. "Also, it glows when you sing to it."

"I’m not going to sing to it."

"But what if it gets lonely?"

"I am not singing to the beast core."

Batbat sighed dramatically. "No one appreciates void symphonics anymore."

Kai rolled his eyes.

"Goodbye, Kai," said Dawn Walker, his tone solemn now. "We will meet / talk again. You’ll know when. Until then, stay alive. You have more eyes watching you than you think."

And just like that, the presence vanished.

Note:Dawn Walker is a future project set in the next world, where the stories of Ant Lord and Void Lord will continue after their endings. The Dawn Walker book will be released on Webnovel during next year’s WSA competition. Starting from September or October this year, it will be published full-time on Patreon first.