The path Kairos followed was narrower than the ones before, a jagged line of fractured platforms suspended in the darkness. The fragments around him pulsed faintly, their light weaker here, as though the Abyss itself held its breath.
The silence was unsettling. The Core inside him, usually a steady rhythm of whispers and energy, was quieter than it had ever been. Yet its presence lingered, like a predator waiting for the right moment to strike.
Kairos pressed forward, his blade resting on his shoulder. He wasn't naïve enough to believe the silence would last. The Abyss thrived on chaos, and it wouldn't let him walk unchallenged for long.
His instincts were right.
A low hum began to build in the air, faint at first but growing steadily louder. The fragments around him vibrated in response, their light flickering erratically. Kairos stopped, his gaze scanning the void for the source of the disturbance.
The hum became a rumble, and then a roar.
From the shadows ahead, a figure emerged. It moved with slow, deliberate steps, its presence radiating an aura of power that made the air around it shimmer.
Kairos narrowed his eyes. The figure was humanoid but larger, its body encased in sleek, black armor that glowed faintly with red sigils. A cape of tattered energy billowed behind it, and in its hand was a massive glaive, the blade crackling with Abyssal energy.
The Core pulsed sharply, the whispers returning in a flurry.
"A fragment of Sovereignty. A remnant of the Prime's will."
Kairos' smirk returned, his fingers tightening around his blade. "Finally. Something worth breaking."
The figure stopped, its gaze locking onto Kairos. Though its face was obscured by a featureless helm, the weight of its stare was palpable.
"Kairos of the Abyss," the figure said, its voice deep and resonant, like a judge pronouncing a sentence. "You wield the Core, yet you defy its purpose. You walk a path that was not meant for you."
Kairos tilted his head, his smirk widening. "Is that supposed to scare me? Because you'll have to try harder."
The figure's grip on its glaive tightened. "The Core exists to sustain the Sovereigns' thrones. It is a tool, nothing more. You are a fragment—a piece of debris pretending to be whole. Submit to the will of the Abyss, and you may yet serve."
Kairos chuckled, his blade glinting in the faint light. "I'm not really the 'submit' type. But thanks for the offer."
The figure raised its glaive, its energy crackling with power. "Then you will be broken."
The figure moved faster than Kairos expected, closing the distance between them in an instant. The glaive's blade arced toward him, leaving a trail of crimson light in its wake.
Kairos barely managed to dodge, the edge of the weapon grazing his arm and sending a jolt of pain through his body. He rolled to the side, his blade snapping up in a defensive stance.
The figure didn't relent. It pressed the attack, its strikes precise and unyielding. Each swing of the glaive sent shockwaves rippling through the platform, the fragments around them trembling under the force.
Kairos grit his teeth, the Core's energy surging within him. He met the figure's strikes head-on, his blade clashing against the glaive with a burst of sparks.
The impact rattled his bones, but he didn't back down. He could feel the Core feeding him strength, sharpening his reflexes, guiding his movements.
"You're strong," Kairos said, his voice strained. "But I've fought things stronger than you."
The figure didn't respond. It swung its glaive in a wide arc, forcing Kairos to leap backward. The blade struck the ground, splitting the platform beneath them and sending shards flying into the air.
Kairos landed on a nearby fragment, his breathing heavy. The Core pulsed sharply, its whispers growing louder.
"Use the fragments. They are yours to command."
Kairos smirked, his gaze flicking to the shards floating around him. "Don't mind if I do."
He raised his free hand, the fragments responding to his will. They swirled around him, forming into jagged constructs that hovered in the air like blades.
The figure raised its glaive, its stance shifting. It seemed to sense the change in Kairos, the energy radiating from him growing stronger.
Kairos didn't give it a chance to react. He thrust his hand forward, the fragments hurtling toward the figure like a storm of daggers.
The first wave struck its armor, the impact forcing it back. The second wave followed, shattering one of the sigils glowing on its chest.
The figure roared, its voice echoing through the void. It swung its glaive, the weapon carving through the air with destructive force.
Kairos dodged, the Core's energy pushing him forward. He closed the distance between them, his blade slashing at the figure's exposed side.
The strike landed, carving through the armor and drawing a burst of crimson energy. The figure staggered, its movements slowing as the fragments around it began to dim.
Kairos didn't let up. He pressed the attack, his strikes relentless. The Core's power surged with every movement, its whispers driving him forward.
The figure swung its glaive in desperation, but its movements were sluggish now, its strength fading.
With a final, decisive blow, Kairos drove his blade into the figure's chest. The sigils on its armor flared brightly before shattering, the light consuming its form.
The figure let out a guttural roar as it dissolved into a cloud of dark mist, its glaive clattering to the ground before vanishing.
Kairos stood amidst the fading fragments, his chest heaving. The Core pulsed faintly, its whispers softer now.
"A Sovereign's shadow. A fragment of their will. You rise, but the Sovereigns will not ignore you much longer."
Kairos smirked, his fingers brushing against the fragments floating around him. "Good. Let them come."
The path ahead shimmered, the fragments forming into a new bridge that stretched into the darkness. Kairos stepped forward, his blade resting on his shoulder.
The Abyss had tested him again, and he had risen.
But he knew this was only the beginning.
The Sovereigns were watching now, and soon, they would act.
Kairos welcomed the challenge.