The creature's scream was unlike anything Kaelis had ever heard a cacophony of voices, each one shrieking in anguish, layered on top of one another in a twisted symphony of torment. It echoed through the Crimson Abyss, shaking the very ground beneath his feet as the monstrous abomination lumbered toward him. Every step it took left a trail of blackened earth, corrupted by the festering energy that radiated from its grotesque form.
Kaelis tightened his grip on his sword, the Hellfire Chakra coursing through his skeletal arm, igniting the blade in flames that danced in the air like restless spirits. The heat was almost unbearable, but it was the only thing that had kept him alive this long the cursed fire that consumed anything in its path, including his own soul if he wasn't careful.
His eyes locked onto the beast's many faces, each one a distorted reflection of the souls it had devoured over the years. Eyes bulged from misshapen skulls, mouths twisted into grotesque snarls, and teeth snapped and gnashed at the air as if eager to tear him apart. The creature's body was a patchwork of limbs, some human, others more animalistic, all fused together in a nauseating display of flesh and bone.
And deep within its twisted form, Kaelis could feel it the shard of his soul. It pulsed faintly, like a dying heartbeat, calling to him from the depths of the creature's corrupted core. He could sense its agony, its desperation to be whole again, and it filled him with a rage he hadn't felt in years.
He would reclaim it, no matter the cost.
"Stay sharp," Lyra's voice cut through the creature's wailing, steady and composed as always. She moved with deadly grace, her twin blades glinting in the dim light of the abyss as she circled the creature, looking for an opening. "This one's different. Stronger."
"I can feel that," Kaelis muttered, his skeletal arm twitching involuntarily as the Hellfire Chakra surged, feeding off his anger. He had faced Fragmented before, but this one was unlike anything he had encountered. Its size, its power, the sheer malice that radiated from it it was as if the creature had absorbed not just souls, but entire timelines, entire lives lost in the chaos of the Eclipse.
The ground shook again as the beast lunged, its massive claws slashing through the air with terrifying speed. Kaelis barely had time to react, throwing himself to the side as the creature's clawed hand crashed into the earth where he had stood moments before. The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, cracking the already unstable terrain and sending jagged rocks tumbling into the abyss below.
Kaelis rolled to his feet, his body screaming in protest from the exertion, but he couldn't afford to slow down. Not now. Not when he was so close.
The creature roared, its many faces contorting in unison as it swung its other arm toward Lyra. She darted backward with lightning speed, her blades flashing as she sliced through the air, severing two of the creature's grotesque limbs in a single fluid motion. Black ichor sprayed from the wounds, sizzling as it hit the ground, but the creature barely seemed to notice.
"We need to end this fast," Lyra called out, her voice calm but urgent. "The longer we fight, the stronger it'll get."
Kaelis nodded, his mind racing. He knew she was right. The Fragmented fed off chaos and pain, growing stronger with every moment of battle. If they didn't finish it soon, it would become unstoppable.
But how?
His eyes flicked to the shard within the creature, still pulsing faintly, buried deep within its monstrous form. If he could get to it, he could weaken the creature, reclaim a part of himself, and maybe just maybe stand a chance of killing it.
But the shard was so deep, entangled in the beast's corrupted flesh, protected by layers of twisted limbs and bone.
He needed to get inside.
The thought chilled him, but he pushed it aside. There was no other way. He had to do it.
"Lyra," he called out, his voice hoarse. "I need you to distract it. I'm going in."
Her masked face turned toward him, and though he couldn't see her expression, he could feel her hesitation. "Going in?" she echoed, her tone sharp. "That's suicide."
"Maybe," Kaelis said, his lips curling into a grim smile. "But it's the only shot we've got."
For a moment, there was silence, the only sound the distant wails of the fragmented timeline swirling around them. Then, without another word, Lyra moved. She launched herself at the creature with a burst of speed, her blades flashing as she tore into its twisted form, drawing its attention away from Kaelis.
The creature howled in rage, its many faces contorting in fury as it swung its massive claws toward her. But Lyra was faster, slipping between its strikes like a shadow, her movements precise and deadly.
This was his chance.
Kaelis took a deep breath, steadying himself as he summoned the Hellfire Chakra. The flames ignited along his skeletal arm, burning brighter, hotter, until they consumed his entire body. The heat was unbearable, the fire scorching his skin, but he didn't care. He welcomed the pain. It made him feel alive.
With a roar, he charged.
The creature didn't notice him at first, its attention focused on Lyra. But as he closed the distance, it turned one of its many heads toward him, its eyes widening in surprise.
Too late.
Kaelis leaped into the air, his flaming sword held high, and plunged it into the creature's chest. The blade sank deep into its flesh, cutting through muscle and bone as the Hellfire Chakra flared, scorching the creature from the inside out.
The beast screamed, its many faces twisting in agony as it writhed beneath him, trying to shake him off. But Kaelis held on, driving his sword deeper, until he could feel the shard pulsing beneath his fingers.
With a final, desperate surge of strength, he reached out with his skeletal arm, his fingers closing around the shard.
The moment he touched it, his mind exploded.
The world around him shattered, dissolving into fragments of memory and time. He was no longer in the Abyss. He was somewhere else somewhere dark and familiar. The air was thick with the scent of incense and blood, and the distant sound of chanting echoed through the shadows.
Kaelis blinked, his vision blurring as the memories flooded back.
He was in the Temple of the Broken Sun, the place where he had been reborn. The place where his life had ended and his cursed existence had begun.
He could see them now the monks who had once been his brothers, their faces twisted in horror and betrayal as they surrounded him, their weapons drawn. He could hear their voices, accusing him, condemning him for the power that now coursed through his veins.
And then, the pain.
The searing, unbearable pain as the Hellfire Chakra consumed him, burning away his humanity, leaving only a shell of the man he had once been.
He had begged for death that day, but death had not come. Instead, he had been reborn as something else something monstrous.
A murderer.
A demon.
A Soulshard Monk.
The memory faded, and Kaelis found himself back in the Abyss, his hand still wrapped around the shard. But something was different now. He could feel it the power, the connection. The shard was no longer just a piece of him. It was a part of the creature as well, a fragment of its soul entwined with his own.
And now, he could control it.
With a scream of fury, Kaelis ripped the shard free from the creature's chest. The beast howled in agony, its body convulsing as the shard's removal tore through its very essence, unraveling its form.
For a moment, Kaelis thought it would collapse, that the battle was over.
But then, something went wrong.
Instead of disintegrating, the creature's body began to shift, its twisted limbs contorting, reshaping. Its many faces merged into one, a grotesque, ever-shifting visage of agony and rage.
And then, in a voice that was both many and one, it spoke.
"You... are me."
Kaelis staggered backward, his heart pounding in his chest as the creature rose to its full height, its form more monstrous than ever.
It had absorbed the shard.
It had become him.
And now, it was coming for his soul.