Kael awoke to silence—but not peace.
He was no longer in the Hollow Sanctum. The landscape had shifted again, as if the Abyss itself had chosen to transport him. Around him stood seven towering obelisks, each glowing with a different color of dark energy: blood-red, void-blue, bone-white...
> [System Notice:]
"Welcome to the Inner Circle."
"Initiating Trial of Darkness."
The ground beneath Kael glowed with a massive rune. A voice—not from the Abyss, not from Nyxar, but from within—spoke directly into his mind.
> "To rise, you must be broken."
"To command the Abyss, you must be consumed by it."
Kael tried to move, but couldn't. Chains of black light wrapped around his arms and legs. He was dragged into the center of the rune.
The ground cracked open, and from it rose three mirrored versions of himself.
One wore the armor of his past—Kael the loyal knight.
One dripped in shadow—Kael the monster he feared he'd become.
And one... stood silent, bloodied, with eyes full of regret.
> [Trial Objective:]
"Defeat the three versions of yourself without losing control of your soul."
The knight version stepped forward. "You betrayed your oath."
The shadow version hissed, "You want this power. Stop lying to yourself."
The broken version whispered, "You couldn't even save your own men."
Kael gritted his teeth. He knew these thoughts. These voices weren't foreign—they were his.
He drew his blade. The first to strike was the knight. Kael parried, but the clash sent waves of pain through him. The strike wasn't physical—it attacked his memories.
Suddenly he was there again—on the battlefield. Watching his squad fall. Their eyes accusing. Their bodies burning.
---
> "I tried to save them...!"
Kael screamed, unleashing a burst of shadow energy. The knight staggered, his form flickering.
> [Soul Anchor: Stable]
[Will Integrity: 89%]
Then the shadow version attacked.
It moved faster, spoke in Kael's voice, mocked his desires. "You love this, don't you? The fear in their eyes. The way power trembles in your hands."
Kael closed his eyes.
And embraced it.
He didn't deny it. He accepted the hunger—but refused to be ruled by it.
> [Trait Unlocked: Controlled Corruption]
"Power accepted without submission."
With one swing, he shattered the shadow.
Only the broken version remained.
---
Kael stepped forward, slowly. The final version didn't fight. Just stood still.
"I am you," it whispered. "And I will never leave."
Kael looked him in the eye. "I know."
And then he embraced him.
> [Trial Complete]
[Title Gained: Abyss-Walker]
[Skill Unlocked: Abyssal Form I]
[Your soul is now partially bonded with the Abyss.]
Kael opened his eyes, now glowing faint violet. His veins pulsed with dark light. His blade had changed—longer, sharper, humming with energy that responded to his emotions.
He was no longer just surviving the Abyss.
He was mastering it.