Kael had never fought anything in his life. Not truly. Sure, he'd defended himself from jeering villagers or the occasional drunken fool at the tavern, but this? This was survival, raw and untamed.
The beasts came at him like shadows given form—writhing masses of darkness with eyes like molten silver. Their movements were erratic, their growls resonating in the unnatural silence of the Abyss.
Kael's first instinct was to run. But the shard, still pulsing in his hand, wouldn't let him. Its glow intensified, sending waves of energy rippling through his veins. He felt alive in a way he never had before, as though the emptiness inside him was being filled by something ancient, something… hungry.
The first beast lunged, claws extended. Kael moved on instinct, sidestepping with a fluidity that surprised even him. His hand shot out, and to his astonishment, tendrils of black energy lashed from his palm, slamming the creature into the ground.
"What… was that?" Kael whispered, staring at his hand.
"You wield the Void," Morvath's voice thundered from above. The Abyssal King loomed in the distance, his massive form half-shrouded in the swirling darkness. "It is both a gift and a curse. Use it, or it will consume you."
Kael didn't have time to process the words. Another beast attacked, and this time, he didn't hesitate. He swung his arm in a wide arc, and a crescent of energy erupted from his hand, slicing through the creature. It dissolved into a wisp of shadow.
The shard in his hand flared, brighter and hotter with each movement. The more he fought, the more natural it felt—like he was tapping into something that had always been there, buried deep within him.
But with each strike, he could feel the Void whispering to him. It was seductive, urging him to let go, to embrace the power fully.
---
By the time the last beast fell, Kael was on his knees, chest heaving. The battlefield was silent now, the remains of his enemies dissipating into the air like smoke.
"Well done, mortal," Morvath said, his tone almost… approving. "Few survive their first encounter with the Abyss. Fewer still wield its power as you have."
Kael glared up at the towering figure. "Why am I here? What do you want from me?"
Morvath chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down Kael's spine. "Want? I want nothing from you, boy. You are merely the herald of what is to come. The seals have begun to break, and soon, the Abyss will reclaim what was stolen from it."
"I didn't ask for this!" Kael snapped. "I just touched the shard!"
"And in doing so, you chose your path," Morvath said, his glowing eyes narrowing. "The shard does not bond with the weak. It saw something in you, something even you do not understand yet. But be warned—its power comes at a cost."
Kael's hand tightened around the shard. "What cost?"
"You will see," Morvath said cryptically. "But for now, I will grant you a boon. Survive long enough, and you may yet prove yourself worthy of standing before the Abyssal Kings."
Before Kael could respond, the ground beneath him began to crack. A violent wind tore through the air, and the world around him dissolved into chaos.
---
Kael awoke with a gasp, his body drenched in sweat. He was back in the clearing, the shard still clutched in his hand. Mara knelt beside him, her face pale with worry.
"Kael! You're alive!" she exclaimed, her voice a mix of relief and confusion.
"What… happened?" Kael asked, sitting up. His body ached, and his mind felt like it had been torn apart and stitched back together.
"You touched that thing, and then… you just collapsed," Mara said. "I tried to pull you away, but it wouldn't let go of you. What is it?"
Kael stared at the shard. Its glow had dimmed, but he could still feel its power thrumming beneath the surface. "It's… something ancient. Something dangerous."
Mara frowned. "We need to tell the elder—"
"No!" Kael interrupted, his voice sharper than he intended. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. "No one can know about this. Not yet."
"Kael, you don't understand—"
"I do understand," he said, standing. His gaze hardened as he looked at her. "This shard… it's connected to something bigger than us. If the elder finds out, they'll take it. Or worse, they'll try to use it. I can't let that happen."
Mara hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But you owe me an explanation. A real one."
"I will," Kael promised, though he wasn't sure he believed it himself.
---
As they made their way back to the village, Kael couldn't shake the feeling that his life had changed forever. The power of the Void still lingered within him, and with it, the whispers.
"Embrace it," they said. "Become one with the Abyss."
Kael clenched his fist. He didn't know what lay ahead, but one thing was certain: he would not be a pawn in anyone's game—not Morvath's, not the Abyss's, and certainly not the village's.
If the shard had chosen him, then he would prove he was worthy. On his terms.