She hadn't aged a day.
Lyria floated above the stone floor, bound in radiant chains that shimmered with holy fire—utterly out of place in the darkness of the Abyss. Her golden armor was cracked but still gleamed. Her hair hung loose, glowing faintly, as though her very presence resisted corruption.
But Kael felt it instantly.
Something was wrong.
Her eyes.
Once fierce, clear, unshakable… now flickered between gold and violet. Her voice echoed with duality—hers, and something else.
> "Kael. I knew you'd come. They told me you would."
He stepped closer, but cautiously.
> "Who told you? Lyria… who did this to you?"
Her head tilted, ever so slightly. "You did."
---
The words cut deeper than any blade.
Kael froze. "What?"
Lyria's voice shifted—just slightly darker. "Your fall... your awakening… it was always meant to lead you here. You were not sent to the Abyss, Kael. You were forged in it."
> [System Warning: Host nearing Truth Threshold – 91%]
"Cognitive overload may result in instability."
> "The Gate didn't open because of you," she whispered. "It opened for you."
Kael took a breath. "Then tell me the truth."
She smiled—tragically. "I'm part of the lock. My soul, bonded to the Origin Gate. To free me, you must break it. But if you do... the Abyss won't just be opened."
> "It will be unleashed."
---
A rumble shook the chamber.
Taren appeared behind Kael, panting, blade drawn. "What is this place—what the hell is happening to her?"
Kael didn't answer.
Lyria looked between them. "He still doesn't know, does he?"
> "Kael... you were the key all along. Your blood. Your death. Your rebirth. They shaped you to awaken what sleeps in the Ninth Rift."
She extended her hand, chains groaning.
> "You can still choose. Free me… and accept what you are. Or walk away—and let the Abyss starve inside you."
> [System Prompt: BINARY CHOICE INITIATED]
1. Break the chains – Awaken the Gate.
2. Turn away – Seal the Gate forever.
Warning: This choice is irreversible.
Kael looked at her. At the chains. At his own reflection in the shattered floor.
His face no longer looked human.
The Abyss pulsed in his veins.
---
He stepped forward.
> "I didn't come this far to be a pawn. Not theirs. Not the Abyss's."
He raised his blade.
Lyria's eyes widened. "Then what are you—?"
Kael struck.
Not the chains. Not her.
He drove the blade into his own palm.
A surge of violet and silver light erupted from his body.
> [New Path Forged: Third Route Unlocked]
[System Override: Sovereign Protocol Detected]
"I'll choose my own way."
The Gate shattered—but did not open.
The chains broke—but Lyria did not fall.
The darkness howled in rage.
The light trembled in fear.
And Kael stood between them.
Not Abyss. Not Light.
Something new.
---