Rain pelted the Keep, hammering against the stone roof like the fists of the heavens themselves. Lightning split the sky, casting long shadows into my chamber.
Perfect.
The Crumbling Obsidian Core sat before me, dark, jagged, humming with unstable power. One false move and it would shatter, dragging me—and possibly the entire wing of Blackthorn Keep—into ruin.
The System pulsed coldly in my mind:
[Reforge Option Available: Stabilize Crumbling Obsidian Core → Hollow Obsidian Core. Cost: 7 AP + Pain.]
I weighed the cost. Seven Abyss Points. The agony of siphoning unstable fragments through my hollowed meridians. Risking backlash, of course.
Do it.
The thunderstorm outside provided the perfect cover. Not just for noise, but for energy. Lightning arced down, striking distant trees, rattling the iron-bound windows. I channeled its rhythm into my pulse, synchronizing, masking the fluctuation of the Core.
Hands trembling—not from fear, but from the strain—I guided the Core's fracture points, letting Hollow Palm's energy weave through its obsidian veins. The System narrated mechanically:
[Hollow Obsidian Core formed. Stabilization complete. Backlash: Temporary stat drain.]
Pain clawed at my spine, each nerve screaming. But I endured. Every micro-tribulation, every minor failure, every surge of wrath from the heavens—they all passed through me, absorbed by the Abyss.
Finally, the hum settled. I opened my eyes. The Core lay dark, stable, resonating faintly with the Abyss itself.
Foundation. Abyssal Variant.
A low, metallic hiss reached my ears—not the storm. Far above, a glint of gold shimmered through the clouds. A Balance Warden.
It had seen the Core's stabilization. Its gaze, like molten sunlight, scanned Blackthorn Keep. Then it paused, glancing toward me—or at least the shadow that had moved in perfect synchronization with my heartbeat.
Let it watch. I flexed my hands, tasting the hollow power thrumming beneath my skin. Let it mark me. Let Heaven think it could touch me.
The storm roared, drowning out everything else.
I had crossed the first real threshold of power—unseen, untested by the clan, and unnoticed by the mortal world.
But not by the Abyss.
And certainly not by Heaven.