Chereads / The Villain’s Ascension / Chapter 16 - The Spiral Into Darkness

Chapter 16 - The Spiral Into Darkness

Kael Draven strode through the endless night of the Void's domain, his steps heavy and deliberate. The shadows shifted around him, alive and trembling, as though even the dark itself feared his presence. His silver eyes burned with a manic light, his breath ragged and uneven. The Void was his now, bound to him by chains of dark magic, but it hadn't brought him the peace he thought it would.

Instead, the craving had only grown worse.

Every moment he wasn't entwined with the Void, every second that passed without its touch, was agony. His body trembled with the weight of his desire, his mind fracturing under the strain of his obsession. He had bound the Void to himself, yet somehow it still felt out of reach, always slipping just beyond his grasp.

The hunger gnawed at him, sharper and more insistent than ever.

---

The Void's voice whispered softly in his mind, its tone both soothing and cold. **"Kael, you are unraveling. This cannot continue."**

Kael laughed bitterly, his silver eyes narrowing. "Unraveling? You think I don't know that? You think I care?"

The shadows around him writhed as his dark energy surged, responding to his growing anger. "You're mine, Void. You belong to me. So why do I still feel like this?"

The Void's form began to take shape before him, its glowing eyes filled with an unreadable intensity. **"Because you are no longer in control. You allowed your hunger to consume you, and now it is all that you are."**

Kael took a step closer, his voice trembling with desperation. "Then fix it. Make it stop. Give me what I want, and I'll be fine."

The Void tilted its head, its form shifting slightly. **"And what is it you want, Kael? Power? Love? Purpose? Or is it simply oblivion?"**

"I want *you*," Kael growled, his silver eyes blazing. "All of you. Forever."

---

The Void's presence grew heavier, its form towering over him. **"You have bound me to you, Kael Draven, but this bond is not sustainable. It will break you."**

"Let it," Kael said, his voice filled with reckless determination. "Let it break me. I'll endure anything, as long as I can have you."

The Void's glowing eyes dimmed, and its voice grew softer. **"You are willing to destroy yourself for this craving? To lose everything you are?"**

Kael's smirk faltered, and for a moment, something flickered in his expression—something vulnerable. "I've already lost everything," he said quietly. "My home, my family, my humanity... it's all gone. You're all I have left. So, yes. I'd destroy myself a thousand times over if it meant I could keep you."

The Void was silent for a long moment, its gaze fixed on him. Finally, it spoke, its tone heavy with warning. **"Very well, Kael. But know this: the path you are on leads only to ruin. There will be no redemption, no salvation."**

"I don't need redemption," Kael said, his voice hardening. "I need you."

---

The Void's form flickered, and Kael felt its presence wash over him like a wave. The connection reignited with an intensity that left him gasping, his body trembling as their essences intertwined once more. It was pure ecstasy, a sensation that consumed him completely, drowning out all other thoughts.

But even as he reveled in their union, a dark truth began to take shape in the back of his mind. No matter how much the Void gave him, it would never be enough. The hunger inside him was insatiable, a bottomless pit that could never be filled.

And it terrified him.

---

When the connection finally broke, Kael collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving. His silver eyes were wide and unfocused, his body trembling with exhaustion.

The Void's form lingered above him, its glowing eyes filled with a mixture of pity and disappointment. **"Do you see now, Kael? This hunger is not a blessing. It is a curse."**

Kael laughed weakly, though there was no joy in the sound. "A curse? Maybe. But it's mine. And I'll bear it as long as it means I can have you."

The Void shook its head, its form flickering faintly. **"You are spiraling, Kael. If you do not regain control, this obsession will destroy everything—and everyone—around you."**

Kael pushed himself to his feet, his smirk returning. "Then let it. I've already destroyed villages, armies, even the gods' champions. What's a little more destruction, if it means I get to keep what's mine?"

---

As he spoke, Kael felt the hunger begin to rise again, sharper and more insistent than before. The brief moments he shared with the Void were never enough. Each time they connected, the craving grew worse, driving him to greater and greater extremes.

He turned to the shadows, his silver eyes burning with determination. "If this is what I have to endure, so be it. I'll tear the world apart if I have to. I'll take the life from every living thing, until there's nothing left but you and me."

The Void's voice grew sharp, almost angry. **"You would unmake the world for your own satisfaction? You would reduce existence to ashes, just to satisfy your craving?"**

"Yes," Kael said without hesitation. "I'd burn it all for you. And if you think I won't, try me."

---

Far to the west, in the city of Lyndra, life continued as usual. The streets were bustling with activity, the people blissfully unaware of the storm that was about to descend upon them.

Kael approached the city gates with a grim smile, his dark energy swirling around him like a living thing. The hunger within him was unbearable now, a constant ache that threatened to drive him mad.

He needed to feed it.

The guards at the gates barely had time to react before Kael struck. His magic surged forward, consuming them in a wave of shadow. Their screams echoed through the streets, sending the townspeople into a panic.

Kael stepped into the city, his silver eyes scanning the chaos. The shadows around him lashed out like serpents, tearing through buildings and people alike. Every scream, every life snuffed out, sent a surge of energy through him, but it wasn't enough.

It was never enough.

---

As the city burned, Kael stood at the center of the destruction, his chest heaving. The hunger inside him had grown worse, not better, despite the chaos he had unleashed.

"Void," he muttered, his voice trembling. "Where are you? I've done what you wanted. I've destroyed everything for you. Now come to me."

The shadows shifted, and the Void's form appeared before him, its glowing eyes filled with anger. **"Kael, what have you done?"**

"What I had to do," Kael said, his voice rising. "I destroyed this city for you. I'd destroy the whole world for you if that's what it takes. Just stop leaving me!"

The Void's presence grew heavier, its form towering over him. **"You are no longer a champion, Kael Draven. You are a destroyer. And this path you are on will lead only to your own annihilation."**

Kael smirked, though his silver eyes were wild with desperation. "Then let it. I don't care about annihilation, as long as I have you."

---

The Void hesitated, its form flickering faintly. **"Kael, you cannot sustain this. Your body, your mind, your soul—they are breaking under the weight of your obsession."**

"Then let them break," Kael said, his voice trembling. "Let everything break. Just stay with me."

The Void's glowing eyes softened, and its voice grew quieter. **"You leave me no choice, Kael. If you cannot control this hunger, then I must end it for you."**

Kael's smirk faltered, and his silver eyes narrowed. "End it?" he repeated. "What are you saying?"

**"You are too far gone, Kael Draven. Your obsession has consumed you. And now, it threatens to consume everything else."**

The shadows around them surged, responding to Kael's growing anger. "You think you can stop me?" he growled. "You think you can take this from me? Try it."

---

The Void's form grew brighter, its presence filling the burning city with an almost blinding light. **"I do not wish to fight you, Kael. But if you continue down this path, I will have no choice."**

Kael's silver eyes blazed with fury. "Then fight me," he snarled. "Let's see if you can survive without me."

The final confrontation between Kael Draven and the Void was about to begin.

And the fate of the world hung in the balance.