The Fragment of the Abyss loomed before them, its ever-shifting form a pulsating mass of shadow and fire. Each roar felt like it tore through the fabric of reality itself, making the air thick and oppressive. Around them, the townsfolk scattered in terror, fleeing the destruction.
Rei tightened his fists, his eyes narrowing. For the first time, he felt an oppressive weight pressing against him—not just physically but mentally, as if the Abyss was trying to suffocate his very existence.
Lena stepped forward, her crimson eyes flickering with determination. "Rei, this isn't like the last one. The Fragment is a pure manifestation of the Abyss's will. It doesn't just exist to kill you—it exists to consume everything around you."
Rei smirked, though his confidence felt forced. "Great. No pressure, then."
Sylvia unsheathed her sword, planting herself firmly at Rei's side. "You can crack jokes all you want, but we need a plan. If your power feeds it, then what do we do?"
"Simple," Lena said, summoning a dark orb of chaos energy to her palm. "We don't play by its rules. We fight it on our terms."
The Fragment surged forward with unnatural speed, its massive form crashing down on the ground. The shockwave threw debris into the air, and Rei instinctively raised his hand.
"I deny this attack!"
The wave of force dissipated, but the Fragment absorbed the energy, growing larger. Its flaming eyes locked onto Rei, and its form twisted, coalescing into a singular mass.
Sylvia shouted, "It's targeting you! Move!"
Rei leaped back, narrowly avoiding a massive tendril of shadow that struck where he had just stood. The ground cracked, and the tendril left behind an empty void, swallowing everything in its path.
Lena cursed under her breath. "Every time you deny it, you're feeding it. Stop trying to use your power directly!"
Rei frowned. "Fine. Any bright ideas?"
"Yeah," Lena said, her voice cold. "Let me handle it."
---
Lena strode forward, her aura dark and ominous. She extended both hands, conjuring swirling torrents of chaotic energy that crackled with unpredictable force.
"You want to consume everything?" she taunted. "Let's see how you handle pure chaos!"
The Fragment reacted instantly, shifting into a towering beast with dozens of tendrils lashing toward her. Lena met its attack head-on, unleashing a barrage of chaotic blasts. The tendrils disintegrated on contact, but for every piece destroyed, two more sprouted in their place.
"Keep it distracted!" Sylvia shouted as she dashed in, her sword glowing with an ethereal light. She slashed at the Fragment's base, cutting through its shadowy form. It shrieked, recoiling, but the damage was fleeting—the wound closed almost instantly.
"Great," Sylvia muttered. "It regenerates."
Rei stayed back, observing the battle with a furrowed brow. His power was practically useless here, but his mind was racing. There had to be a way to stop it without feeding it more energy.
As Lena and Sylvia continued their assault, Rei noticed something. The Fragment's form shifted erratically whenever it was attacked, but one part of it—the fiery core at its center—remained constant.
"That's it," Rei murmured.
He sprinted toward the battle.
"Rei, what are you doing?!" Sylvia yelled, parrying a shadowy tendril.
"I have an idea!" Rei shouted back.
He closed the distance, dodging the Fragment's attacks with practiced ease. When he reached Lena, he grabbed her arm, pulling her back.
"Hey!" she snapped. "I was handling it!"
"Yeah, you were also wasting energy," Rei said. He pointed to the Fragment's core. "That's the target. All the other stuff is just a distraction."
Lena raised an eyebrow. "You're sure?"
"Nope," Rei said with a grin. "But we're out of better ideas."
---
Sylvia joined them, her sword glowing brighter. "If we're going for the core, we'll need to hit it all at once. Whatever this thing is, it's not going to let us just waltz in and destroy it."
Rei looked at Lena. "Can you pin it down?"
Lena smirked. "Please. I'm a goddess."
She raised her hands, and tendrils of chaotic energy shot out, wrapping around the Fragment's shifting form. The creature thrashed violently, its tendrils lashing out in every direction, but Lena's power held firm—for now.
"Hurry up!" she yelled. "This thing isn't going to stay still for long!"
Sylvia nodded, gripping her sword tightly. "Rei, whatever you're planning, do it now."
Rei took a deep breath. He didn't know if this would work, but he had to try. He focused all his energy, not on denying the Fragment's existence, but on denying its connection to the Abyss itself.
"I deny your link to the void!"
The Fragment let out a deafening roar as its form began to destabilize. The shadowy tendrils fell limp, and the fiery core flickered like a dying flame.
"It's working!" Sylvia shouted.
Rei's vision blurred as the strain of the denial took its toll. His legs wobbled, but he forced himself to stay upright.
"Sylvia! Now!"
Sylvia leaped into the air, her sword blazing with light. She brought it down with all her strength, driving it straight into the Fragment's core.
For a moment, everything was silent. Then, with a final, ear-piercing scream, the Fragment collapsed in on itself, imploding into a single point of darkness before vanishing entirely.
---
The battlefield was eerily quiet. The rift was gone, and the air felt lighter, as if the Abyss's presence had been completely erased.
Rei collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. Sylvia rushed to his side, while Lena stood nearby, watching the horizon with a thoughtful expression.
"You did it," Sylvia said, her voice filled with relief.
Rei let out a weak laugh. "Yeah. Piece of cake."
Lena turned to them, her expression unreadable. "That wasn't the end."
Rei groaned. "Of course it wasn't."
"The Abyss doesn't send Fragments lightly," Lena said. "This was a warning. A test. The real fight is still ahead."
Sylvia clenched her fists. "Then we'll be ready."
Rei sighed, lying back on the ground. "I really need a vacation."
But even as he joked, a nagging thought gnawed at the back of his mind. The Abyss wasn't just an enemy—it was something far worse. And if they were going to survive, they would need more than just his power.
They would need a miracle.