The obsidian ground trembled beneath the Abyssal King's steps.
Each movement sent cracks of dark energy spreading across the island like veins. He raised one massive hand.
The air collapsed inward.
Arin was thrown backward, skidding across the black stone. Lyra barely managed to stay on her feet, driving her blade into the ground to anchor herself.
Mira cried out, lifting her staff.
Light of the First Dawn!
A radiant barrier formed just in time, stopping a wave of crushing darkness from tearing them apart.
The Abyssal King laughed—a deep, hollow sound that echoed endlessly.
You still believe light can touch me?
He pointed at Arin. You were born from fear.
You carry my mark. Arin's chest burned.
A symbol—black and twisted—flared to life on his skin.
Lyra gasped. Arin… that mark
I know, Arin said through clenched teeth.
It's why I survived as a child. The King stepped closer.
Because I allowed it. Rage surged through Arin.
He charged.
The Blade of Eternum clashed against the King's arm, releasing a shockwave that sent Kael and Ethan flying.
The King didn't even flinch.
Kael roared, leaping onto the King's back, fists blazing.
HEY, SHADOW FACE! OVER HERE!
Dark tendrils erupted from the King's body, slamming Kael into the ground.
Lyra moved fast, slashing through the tendrils.
Ethan fired arrow after arrow, each exploding with light.
Still—the King advanced. Mira's voice trembled.
He's not just a creature… he's a force.
The Abyssal King leaned down, his ember eyes locking onto Arin.
You cannot destroy me. I am the fear your world refuses to face.
Arin felt the mark on his chest pulse.
Fear tried to flood his mind—memories of falling, screaming, losing everything.
Then—Lyra grabbed his hand.
Look at me, she whispered.
You're not alone anymore.The fear weakened.
The mark flickered. Arin's eyes widened.
He understood. The Blade of Eternum blazed brighter than ever.
You're wrong, Arin said, voice steady.
Fear doesn't rule me anymore.
He raised the sword high.
Light burst from his body, forcing the Abyssal King to step back for the first time. The King snarled.
Then let us see how long your courage lasts.
The sky above the island cracked open.
From the rift poured an endless army of shadows.
The real battle was only beginning.
The sky above the obsidian island tore wider, spilling shadows like a storm without rain.
They poured down in waves—faceless, shrieking, endless.
Ethan loosed arrows until his fingers bled.
Kael fought like a living weapon, fists glowing as he crushed shadow after shadow.
Mira stood at the center, her staff blazing, chanting ancient words that shook the ground itself.
Still, the shadows kept coming.
Lyra fought beside Arin, her blade moving in perfect harmony with his.
Every strike of the Blade of Eternum sent arcs of light across the battlefield, burning darkness away. Yet Arin could feel it.
The mark on his chest pulsed harder, hotter.
The Abyssal King watched from behind his army, amused.
You resist… but you belong to me.
The mark flared violently. Arin dropped to one knee, gasping.
Lyra rushed to him. Arin! Fight it!
The shadows surged toward them.
Arin closed his eyes. For a moment, everything went silent.
Then he remembered—The fall. The darkness.
The fear that once controlled him.
And the promise he made to himself:
Never again.Arin stood. He pressed his palm against the burning mark.
You don't own my fear, he whispered.
I do.
The mark cracked.
Light burst through the black symbol like lightning through stone.
The Abyssal King roared—
a sound filled with disbelief.
Impossible!
Arin raised his sword.
The Blade of Eternum resonated with his heartbeat, glowing brighter than ever before. Fear turned into strength. Doubt into resolve.
With a single swing, Arin unleashed a wave of pure light that tore through the shadow army, leaving nothing but silence behind.
The sky cleared. Only the Abyssal King remained.
For the first time, he stepped back.
Arin walked forward, eyes calm.
You're not fear itself," he said.
You're what fear becomes when we refuse to face it.
The King snarled, darkness gathering around him.
Then face me.The two forces collided—
Light against abyss.
The island shook violently, cracks spreading everywhere.
Lyra shouted his name. Mira screamed a warning.
But Arin didn't look back. Because he knew—
This fight would decide everything.
And he would not turn away.
Light and darkness collided with a thunderous roar.
Arin was thrown back as the Abyssal King unleashed a wave of pure void. The obsidian island cracked, pieces breaking away and falling endlessly into nothingness.
Arin skidded to a halt, barely staying on his feet.
The Abyssal King advanced, his form growing larger, more monstrous.
You cannot destroy the Abyss, the King thundered.
I am its heart. The ground beneath Arin's feet pulsed.
He felt it then—A rhythm.
Not the King's.The Abyss itself was alive.
Mira shouted from behind him:
Arin! The island—it's beating like a heart!
Arin closed his eyes.
The Blade of Eternum hummed in his hands, responding to the same rhythm.
A realization struck him like lightning.
You're right, Arin said calmly.
But hearts… can be healed.
The Abyssal King froze. What?
Arin planted his sword into the ground.
Light surged downward, not outward.
The obsidian beneath them glowed, cracks filling with white fire instead of darkness. The island screamed. The Abyssal King staggered.
Stop! You'll destroy everything!
Arin shook his head.
No. I'll free it.Memories flooded Arin's mind—
fear, pain, loss, survival.
He let them flow. Not fighting them.
Not rejecting them. Accepting them.
The Abyss trembled violently.
The shadow army disintegrated into dust.
The King screamed as his form began to fracture.
I was born from your fear!
Arin looked at him with quiet resolve.
And I've learned to live with it.
With one final surge, Arin released all the light he had.
The Blade of Eternum shattered into countless fragments of glowing energy, sinking into the island.
The Abyssal King let out a final, deafening roar—
Then he collapsed into nothingness. Silence followed.
The beating stopped.The island stabilized.
Arin fell to his knees, exhausted.
Lyra rushed to him, catching him before he collapsed.
You did it… she whispered.
Mira stared in awe.The Abyss… it's quiet.
But Arin felt something else.
A deep pull. A voice—faint but urgent—whispered from beneath the ground:
A heart cannot beat without a bearer.
Arin's eyes widened.
What does that mean…?
The ground began to glow beneath him.
And the Abyss answered.