The early hours of dawn bled into the city of Aethlar, casting long, jagged shadows along its narrow streets. The once tranquil air now felt heavy with something unseen, a pulsing energy that lingered just beneath the surface. Kael Relan could feel it—dark, primal, and beckoning. He hadn't slept since they'd left the archives, and the memory of the scholar's warning clawed at the edges of his mind.
The reawakening of his Eternal Class had set something in motion, a path not just for power but for potential ruin. Worse still, visions had begun to haunt him—flashes of the Abyss creeping into Aethlar. Dark tendrils that slithered through the cracks in the walls, their oily blackness flickering just out of reach, then disappearing as quickly as they came.
As Kael stood on the balcony of their rented room at the Void Inn, he closed his eyes, trying to make sense of the sensations writhing beneath his skin. There was a pull, deep inside him, connected to the Void itself. It felt ancient and vast, yet tied directly to his new class—Eternal Shadowmaster. But this power wasn't just his to command; it was something dangerous, something hungry.
"Kael."
He flinched at the sound of Varin's voice, turning to see his mentor standing in the doorway. Varin's expression was neutral, but there was a sharpness to his gaze, an edge that Kael knew well. Varin had been watching him, more closely than usual, and that fact hadn't gone unnoticed.
"You're distracted," Varin said, stepping onto the balcony, his voice low but firm. "I've seen the way your eyes drift, the way your hand twitches toward your weapon when no one's near. Tell me what's going on."
Kael hesitated. For days now, he had wrestled with the weight of his newfound powers. The Eternal Classes had always been a mystery, but now they were more than just a mystery—they were a responsibility. But could he trust Varin with that knowledge? Could he admit to being tied to something even Varin feared?
"I've been… seeing things," Kael admitted, his voice barely a whisper.
Varin arched an eyebrow, waiting.
"Flashes. Shadows slipping through walls, cracks that shouldn't be there. I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me, but it's been happening too often to ignore."
For a moment, Varin's gaze softened, though his expression remained guarded. "You've been exposed to the Abyss for longer than most. That kind of exposure leaves marks, even if you don't realize it. But this is different, isn't it?"
Kael nodded. "It feels like more than just the Abyss. It's tied to my Eternal Class… and the Void." He swallowed, then finally said the words that had been clawing at him for days. "I unlocked not just the power of the Void, but something else—Eternal class."
Varin's reaction was subtle but undeniable. His eyes widened slightly, and the air around him seemed to still. "The Eternal Classes," he murmured, as though the very words tasted of ancient ruin. "And you've been carrying this all this time?"
"I wasn't sure what it meant," Kael said, his voice tightening. "But after what the scholar told me about the Eternal Cities, I'm starting to understand. This power… it's not just a gift. It's a curse. I was told at my level right now, I might not be able to control it. And if I try to use it, the more it pulls me toward something darker."
Varin's silence was telling. His fingers twitched at his side, brushing the hilt of his dagger, a habit he only had when deep in thought.
Finally, he spoke. "There's a reason why the Eternal Classes have been lost for so long, Kael. They come with a price. The more power you wield, the closer you come to the Abyssal corruption. I've seen it before."
Kael stiffened. "You have?"
Varin's eyes locked with his, and for the first time, there was a shadow of vulnerability in his mentor's expression. "Yes. I've faced it myself. The Abyss doesn't just corrupt places and objects—it corrupts people, too. I've walked that line, Kael, and I barely made it out. My Rebirth Core... it was damaged in the process."
The admission hit Kael like a cold splash of water. Varin—the unshakeable, unbreakable Varin—had come face to face with the same darkness he now feared. And somehow, he had survived, albeit scarred.
"But you fought it off," Kael said, hope rising in his chest. "You resisted."
Varin gave a bitter smile. "Resisted? Maybe. Survived? Barely. But the price I paid was steep, Kael. And if you're not careful, you'll pay it too."
Kael took a deep breath, the weight of Varin's words settling over him like a shroud. The power he wielded wasn't just dangerous—it was a ticking time bomb. And if Varin, with all his experience, had barely survived its pull, what chance did Kael have?
"I need to understand it better," Kael said, his voice resolute. "I need to learn how to control it."
"And you will," Varin replied, his eyes hardening with determination. "But you'll need to be careful. The Abyss is already creeping in, and once it takes hold, it won't let go."
Back inside their room, Kael sat cross-legged on the floor, his mind focused inward. He had called on The Guide—the mysterious presence tied to his Rebirth Core—hoping for answers.
"Is what the scholar said true?" Kael asked, his voice echoing in the stillness of his mind.
Yes. The Guide's voice was soft but absolute. But you are not yet ready to understand the full extent of your powers. You have barely scratched the surface of your Eternal Class.
Kael clenched his fists. "Then when? When will I be ready?"
When you've familiarized yourself with its essence. And your level is not yet high enough. If you try to wield its full power now, you will lose control.
He sighed, frustration gnawing at him. The power of the Eternal Shadowmaster was within his grasp, but still just out of reach. He needed more time—more practice. But would time be enough?
Deciding that he needed to start small, Kael opened his status screen and focused on the Eternal Shadowmaster class. One skill stood out, glowing faintly—Void's Embrace.
The description intrigued him. Cloak yourself and your allies in an impenetrable shroud of darkness. Invisible. Undetectable.
He turned to Varin, who had been watching him with a calculating gaze. "Let's test it," Kael said, standing. "Spar with me."
Varin's eyebrow lifted, but he nodded. "If you think you're ready."
They faced off in the empty courtyard behind the inn. Varin moved first, flickering from sight with his Void Step. Kael's eyes darted, trying to track him, but Varin was a shadow in the wind, his movements impossibly fast.
"Void's Embrace," Kael muttered, activating the skill. Immediately, a cold shroud of darkness enveloped him, bending the light around his form. He felt his body blur, his presence vanishing from sight as if the world itself had forgotten him.
Varin reappeared, his blade slashing toward where Kael had been, but he struck only empty air. Kael moved silently, stepping through the shadows like liquid, slipping behind Varin's defenses.
But the power surged within him—uncontrollable, wild. The darkness twisted, coiling around his limbs like serpents. His Void Daggers flared with dark energy, pulsating with the Abyss. He slashed at Varin, his movements too fast, too deadly.
Varin dodged at the last second, his expression one of genuine surprise. "Kael, stop!"
Kael's heart raced, his blood pounding in his ears. He couldn't stop. The power wouldn't stop. He lunged again, the dark energy flaring—
Suddenly, Varin was gone, vanishing into the Void with a Void Step, reappearing a few feet away. His hand shot out, releasing a wave of Void Pulse that sent Kael stumbling backward, the dark energy dissipating around him.
Kael fell to his knees, breathing hard. The power subsided, but the echo of its pull remained, lingering in his veins.
"Kael," Varin said, walking over, his voice low but firm. "You need to be careful. That power—it's dangerous. You were close to losing control."
Kael stared at his hands, still trembling with the remnants of the Abyssal energy. "I thought I had it," he muttered, more to himself than to Varin.
Varin knelt beside him. "You're not ready to wield that kind of power yet. Not without guidance."
Later that night, as Kael wrestled with his thoughts, there was a knock on the door.
A hooded figure stood in the doorway, a stranger wrapped in shadow and secrecy. "Kael Relan," the figure said, their voice low and smooth. "We've been watching you."
Kael tensed, his hand inching toward his dagger.
"We are The Veil," the figure continued, stepping forward. "We protect the balance between the Eternal Cities and the Abyss. We know of your powers… and of your mentor's condition."
Kael's heart skipped a beat. How could they know about Varin's damaged Rebirth Core?
"We can help you," the figure said, a glint of something sinister in their eyes. "But our help comes with a price."
Before Kael could respond, a deafening crack split the air. The ground trembled as a rift tore open in the heart of Aethlar. Screams filled the night as Abyssal creatures poured into the city, their monstrous forms crawling through the rupture.
Kael felt the pull immediately—his corrupted energy flaring to life, reacting to the rift like a beacon.
Varin burst into the room, his eyes wide with shock. "The Abyss," he hissed. "It's here."
Kael's heart raced as the dark energy within him stirred, drawing him toward the chaos outside. He could feel it—the Abyssal power calling to him, pulling him in.
And for the first time, he wasn't sure if he could resist.