The crystal pulsed with an otherworldly glow, its energy suffusing the realm with a deep, resonant hum. Shadows coiled around the altar, drawn to the light, and the Abyss's voice roared louder than ever, filling the void with its presence.
Kael stood at the heart of it all, the shard and ring glowing in his hands. He could feel the Abyss coursing through him, its power overwhelming yet strangely calming. The visions of the past, the endless void, and the shattered wasteland all swirled in his mind, but now they felt closer, sharper—real.
"Kael," Ryn said, her voice cutting through the din. She was at his side, her hand resting on his arm. "Whatever this is, you don't have to face it alone."
Kael met her gaze, her steadiness grounding him. "I don't think I have a choice."
The crystal's light flared, and the altar trembled. The shadows surged forward, enveloping them all as the Abyss's voice echoed through the realm. "The key is turned. The Abyss is open."
The Truth Revealed
The light faded, leaving Kael, Ryn, and Sylas standing in a vast, empty void. The air was heavy, charged with Abyssal energy, and the ground beneath them shimmered like black glass.
In the distance, a figure emerged. It was tall, its form shifting between shadow and light, its features indistinct. Its voice was low and resonant, carrying the weight of eternity.
"You have unlocked the Abyss," the figure said. "Now you must understand its purpose."
Kael stepped forward, his grip tightening on the shard and ring. "What is this place? What does the Abyss want?"
The figure tilted its head, its voice calm. "The Abyss is not a thing. It is not a place. It is a choice. A path. It is power unbound and truth unveiled. But it demands sacrifice."
Kael's chest tightened. "What kind of sacrifice?"
The figure's form shifted, and Kael saw flashes of his past—his parents, their faces twisted with pain; Ryn, her blade raised against him; the Sovereign, standing amidst a shattered wasteland.
"The Abyss consumes," the figure said. "It takes what you hold most dear, and it gives what you cannot imagine. To walk this path is to embrace both creation and destruction."
The Cost of Power
The figure raised a hand, and the void shifted. Kael saw the Dominion as it could be—a realm of unmatched power, its disciples wielding the Abyss with mastery, their enemies crushed under its weight. But he also saw the cost—disciples falling to its influence, their humanity stripped away; Ryn and Sylas lost to its darkness; the Sovereign standing alone, triumphant but hollow.
Ryn stepped forward, her voice sharp. "Kael, don't listen to it. This isn't what we came here for."
The figure turned to her, its voice quiet but firm. "You fear what you do not understand. But fear is the Abyss's first gift."
Sylas tilted their head, their tone unusually serious. "And the second gift? Let me guess—death?"
The figure's form flickered, and its gaze fixed on Kael. "The second gift is choice."
A Fateful Decision
Kael felt the shard and ring growing heavier in his hands, their energy pulling him toward the figure. The Abyss's whispers were deafening now, a chaotic symphony of voices urging him forward.
"You can walk this path," the figure said. "Or you can turn away. But know this—once the Abyss is unlocked, it cannot be closed."
Kael glanced at Ryn and Sylas, their faces etched with worry. The weight of the Abyss pressed heavily on him, its presence suffocating.
"I don't want to lose myself," Kael said quietly.
The figure's form shimmered, and it stepped closer. "To gain the Abyss is to lose what binds you. But in losing, you become free."
Kael closed his eyes, the shard and ring pulsing in his grip. He could feel the Abyss's power coursing through him, overwhelming and intoxicating. The visions of the Dominion's rise and fall swirled in his mind, and he knew the choice before him was not just his own—it was the Dominion's.
The Abyss's Consequences
The moment Kael made his choice, the realm shifted. The crystal shattered, its fragments dissolving into the void, and the altar's light dimmed. The Abyss surged outward, its energy rippling across the wasteland.
The shadows around the Dominion's camp grew darker and more restless, their movements more deliberate. Disciples reported strange phenomena—voices in the dark, fleeting visions of figures long gone, and a growing unease that pervaded the camp.
Rogue sects and smaller clans began to feel the Abyss's influence as well. Reports of strange creatures and unstable regions of shadow energy spread across the wasteland, drawing both fear and curiosity. The coalition, though weakened, rallied around these signs, seeing them as proof that the Abyss was a threat that must be destroyed.
Kael's Transformation
When Kael and his companions emerged from the void, the Dominion's disciples gathered around them, their faces filled with awe and fear. The shard and ring no longer glowed faintly—they burned with a steady, ominous light, their energy radiating from Kael like a second aura.
Ryn stepped forward, her expression a mix of relief and concern. "What happened in there?"
Kael met her gaze, his voice steady but heavy. "The Abyss is open. And we can't turn back."
Sylas smirked faintly, though their eyes betrayed a flicker of unease. "Well, that sounds promising."
The Sovereign approached, his crimson eyes glowing brightly. "The Abyss has chosen you, Kael. Now you must choose what you will do with it."
Kael nodded, though the weight of his decision pressed heavily on him. The path ahead was dark, but it was clear—the Abyss demanded more, and the cost would only grow.
End of Chapter 40