Kairos' steps echoed faintly as he moved through the void, though there was no ground beneath him. The fragments of light and shadow that surrounded him had rearranged themselves, forming a shifting, flickering path. Each step sent ripples through the jagged shards, as though the Abyss itself was testing his resolve.
The Core pulsed faintly in his chest, a steady rhythm that resonated with the fragments around him. Its energy was both comforting and unsettling, like a wild beast curled against his heart. It whispered to him, faint murmurs he couldn't quite understand, but the words didn't matter. The power did.
The path twisted and turned, leading him deeper into the Abyss. As he walked, the shards around him grew larger and more distinct, their surfaces reflecting fractured memories of shattered worlds.
He paused before one particularly large shard, its surface rippling like water. A memory flickered within it—a vast city of stone towers, its skies darkened by an endless storm. Lightning arced across the heavens, striking the ground with deafening force. People screamed as the storm consumed their city, their voices lost in the chaos.
Kairos reached out, his fingers brushing against the shard.
The memory surged into his mind.
He was there, standing in the middle of the storm. The wind howled, tearing at his clothes, and the air crackled with the scent of ozone and ash. Around him, the people fled in all directions, their faces twisted with terror.
In the sky above, a figure descended—a Sovereign. His armor gleamed like polished gold, and his eyes burned with cold, detached power. With a wave of his hand, the storm intensified, the lightning striking with precise, deliberate fury.
The city was not being destroyed randomly. The Sovereign was targeting its key structures—its defenses, its temples, its archives. It was systematic annihilation, calculated and cold.
Kairos clenched his fists, the memory searing into his mind like a brand. He felt the Sovereign's power, his arrogance, his utter disregard for the lives below him.
And then, just as quickly as it began, the memory ended.
Kairos staggered back, his breathing ragged. His hands trembled as he looked down at them, half-expecting to see the burns left by the storm. But there was nothing.
The shard pulsed faintly, its light dimming as though exhausted by the memory it had shared.
"They just… destroyed it," he murmured, his voice hoarse. "Not for survival. Not for defense. Just because they could."
"Because they must," the whisper returned, its tone cold and unfeeling. "The Sovereigns feed on the fragments of what they destroy. To rise, they must consume. To maintain their power, they must continue the cycle."
Kairos' jaw tightened, his mind burning with anger. "And the Abyss? Is it just their trash heap? The place where they throw away everything they don't want?"
"The Abyss is more than their refuse," the whisper replied. "It is the scar of their ambition. And it is the forge of rebellion."
The path ahead flickered, shards rearranging themselves into a new pattern. The Core pulsed within him, urging him forward.
Kairos gritted his teeth and kept walking.
The fragments grew darker as he moved deeper into the Abyss, their edges sharper and more jagged. The air—or whatever passed for air in this place—grew heavy, pressing against his chest like a weight.
He wasn't alone anymore.
He felt it before he saw it—a presence in the shadows, watching him. The Core reacted to it, its pulses quickening like a warning.
Kairos stopped, his body tensed. "Who's there?"
A low growl answered him, deep and guttural. From the darkness ahead, a pair of eyes appeared, glowing faintly with crimson light.
The creature stepped into view, its massive form illuminated by the flickering shards. It was an Abyssal Beast, a twisted amalgamation of flesh and metal. Its body was covered in jagged, rusted armor, and its claws glinted like blades. Its face was a grotesque fusion of a wolf and a serpent, with rows of jagged teeth and a forked tongue that flickered in and out.
Kairos' heart pounded in his chest, but he didn't back away. The Core pulsed within him, its energy rising in response to the threat.
The beast growled again, its muscles tensing as it prepared to lunge.
Kairos raised his hands, his fingers trembling but steady. He focused on the Core, willing its power to the surface. The fragments around him responded, their light intensifying as they began to move.
The beast lunged.
Kairos threw himself to the side, the beast's claws slicing through the air where he had been standing. He hit the ground hard, his body skidding across the jagged shards, but he didn't stop moving.
The fragments around him pulsed with energy, their surfaces rippling like water. Kairos reached out instinctively, grabbing one of the shards.
It was cold to the touch, but it thrummed with power, and as he gripped it, the Core's energy surged through him. The shard twisted and reshaped itself, elongating into a blade of jagged, flickering light.
The beast charged again, its jaws snapping inches from Kairos' face. He swung the blade with all his strength, the weapon slicing through the creature's armored hide.
The beast howled in pain, its body writhing as dark, viscous blood poured from the wound. But it didn't stop. It turned on Kairos, its claws lashing out with blinding speed.
Kairos barely managed to block the strike, the force of the blow sending him staggering backward. The blade in his hand flickered, its light dimming as though it couldn't sustain itself for long.
"Damn it," he muttered, his breathing ragged.
The Core pulsed again, its whispers growing louder. It wasn't just warning him—it was guiding him.
Kairos closed his eyes, focusing on the fragments around him. He reached out with his mind, willing them to move. The shards responded, their light intensifying as they floated into the air.
When he opened his eyes, the fragments had formed a circle around the beast, their edges glowing with sharp, jagged energy.
The creature growled, its crimson eyes darting between the shards. It lunged toward Kairos, but before it could reach him, the shards closed in.
The fragments sliced through the beast's body like blades, their edges tearing through flesh and metal alike. The creature howled one last time before collapsing, its body dissolving into a cloud of dark, swirling mist.
Kairos dropped to his knees, his chest heaving. The blade in his hand crumbled into light, disappearing as the Core's energy subsided.
The fragments around him pulsed faintly, their light dimming as they returned to their original positions.
Kairos stared at the spot where the beast had fallen, his mind racing. He had won, but the battle had taken everything he had. The Core had given him power, but it demanded more than he was ready to give.
"This is only the beginning," the whisper said. "The Abyss will test you. The Core will consume you. And the Sovereigns will hunt you. Are you prepared for what lies ahead?"
Kairos gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists. He looked at the fragments around him, their jagged edges gleaming faintly in the darkness.
"I'll rise," he said, his voice steady. "No matter what it takes."
The Core pulsed in agreement, and the path ahead flickered once more. Kairos stood, his legs trembling but unyielding.
He stepped forward, his mind burning with purpose. The Abyss wouldn't break him.
And when he rose, the Sovereigns would fall.