The Abyss Does Not Let Go Easily
Kael paced across the jagged cavern floor, breath sharp and uneven.
The black-gold mark over his heart throbbed with every step, as though something beneath his skin was… breathing.
He pressed a hand over it.
A burning pulse answered him.
"Damn it…"
Each heartbeat felt heavier, slower—
like the Abyss was trying to sync itself with him.
It wanted rhythm.
It wanted alignment.
It wanted entry.
The Divine Spear hummed angrily, the tip glowing with celestial fire.
Kael looked at it.
"Don't start lecturing me now."
But the spear reacted anyway—
a streak of light shooting up its length, then flashing toward the mark on Kael's chest.
Kael winced as the spear's glow collided with the corruption.
The mark writhed.
Shadow tendrils curled up his throat.
The Eclipse's voice whispered inside him:
"Rest, Kael…"
"Let go."
Kael slammed his fist into the cavern wall.
"I'm not yours."
Stone cracked under his knuckles.
He didn't even feel the pain.
---
I — THE FIRST SYMPTOM
He tried to take a step forward.
His foot refused.
Then—
his hand twitched.
Then—
his shadow moved on its own.
Kael froze.
The shadow stretched unnaturally thin, rising behind him like a second figure—
limbs too long, head bowed slightly, as if waiting.
Its voice slithered across the rock:
"I can walk if you cannot…"
Kael's jaw tightened.
"No."
"Then fall, Kael."
His legs buckled.
He caught himself on one knee, teeth gritted.
The Abyss was no longer knocking.
It was inside, pulling strings.
---
II — ERYON'S RETURN
A faint tremor rippled through the cavern.
Kael looked up, panting.
A familiar presence flickered at the edge of his vision—
wings shredded
eyes dim
a broken glow barely holding shape.
Eryon.
Kael exhaled.
"You again."
Eryon's voice was thin, strained.
> "You touched the Eclipse's breath.
It is attempting to make you its host."
Kael forced himself upright.
"I noticed."
Eryon reached toward him—
then stopped, his hand trembling inches away.
> "If it takes control…
you will not serve the Abyss."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"What then?"
Eryon met his gaze with a sorrow that chilled him deeper than the corruption.
> "You will replace Arhaan."
Kael's breath stopped.
The words echoed, impossible to swallow:
Replace.
Arhaan.
As the next Star-Weapon.
As a chained god.
As a sacrifice.
---
III — THE CHOICE
Kael stepped back, shaking his head.
"No. I won't let that happen. I won't become a weapon."
Eryon's broken wings sagged.
> "Then fight harder.
Because the Abyss has chosen you regardless of your will."
Kael clenched his fists.
"Why me?"
Eryon closed his eyes.
> "Because you were the only one who stepped into its mouth willingly."
Silence.
Horrible, suffocating silence.
Kael whispered:
"…To save him."
Eryon looked at him with something like grief.
> "And that is exactly why the Abyss wants you."
---
IV — A TEST OF WILL
Kael forced himself to stand tall, breathing slow, controlled.
"I'm not replacing Arhaan.
I am saving him."
The Eclipse stirred inside him.
Black veins pulsed along his arms.
"Bold words…"
the voice hissed.
"But the deeper you go, Kael—
the more you belong to us."
Kael tightened his grip on the Divine Spear.
"Then I'll carve the belonging out myself."
He stabbed the spear's butt into the ground.
A shockwave of celestial light blasted outward.
His shadow screamed—
a shrill, unnatural sound—
and retreated into his feet.
The corruption recoiled, shriveling back for now.
Eryon watched silently.
> "You bought yourself time."
"But only time."
Kael wiped blood from his lip.
"That's all I need."
He lifted the spear again, eyes burning with new resolve.
"Point me to the Abyss's heart."
Eryon hesitated… then raised a shaking hand, pointing deeper into the darkness.
> "Beyond this path…
lies the place where star-gods are unmade."
Kael stepped forward.
"Good."
He didn't look back.
"I'm going there to unmake something else."