The ocean floor stretched vast and silent, a realm of eternal twilight where the sun's light could not reach. Here, in the crushing depths, life clung to the shadows in forms of both strange and ancient. Fathoms below even the bravest diver's descent lay the Abyss- a chasm so deep, so unfathomable, that it was said to pierce the world's heart. It was not a place that welcomed the visitors. The currents above its mouth swirled violently, forming whirlpools that devoured ships whole. The water here felt alive, as if some unseen force directed its movements, pulling all who ventured too close into black maw below. Legend whispered that the Abyss was not merely a void but a prison a gateway to something far older than the kingdoms of men or the depths themselves.
Tonight the Abyss churned.
Its depths pulsed faintly, a rhythm like the slow beating of a monstrous heart. The waters shimmered with a strange luminescence, casting eerie light across the jagged walls of the chasm. A deep vibration resonated through the surrounding ocean, sending ripples outward that reached the shores of distant villages and the cliffs of the Blackstone keep.
Something within was waking.
In the blackness, ancient glyphs carved into the Abyss's walls began to glow, their patterns twisting and shifting as though alive. They spoke of a language forgotten by all but the sea itself- a warning, a promise, a curse. The glyphs pulsed in time with the chasm's rhythm, their light growing stronger with each beat. Within the depths, an enormous shadow stirred. Its form was formless, a mass of shifting tendrils and jagged edges, its sheer size incomprehensible. It moved slowly, its presence radiating an oppressive power that sent creatures scattering in terror. Even the leviathans that ruled the deep fled before it, their great form dwarfed by the shadow's immensity.
The creature did not breach the surface, but its thoughts, ancient and vast, began to extend upward, reaching through the currents like probing fingers. It searched, seeking the source of the disturbance that had awakened it.
For centuries, it has slumbered, held in place by the balance between land and sea, by the pact forged long ago by those who dared to wield its power. But now, something had shifted. The dreams, the whispers, the tides-they were the first sign of its growing awareness.
It knew hunger, but this was more than that. It was anger. Betrayal. The balance was crumbling, and within it, the chains that bound it. Far above the Blackstone keep, the storm raged, its wind carrying the vibrations of the Abyss's awakening to the mortal world. The ocean itself seemed to rise and fall with its breath, the waves crashing harder against the shore.
And in his chamber, Darian woke with a start. The dream had returned, sharper and more vivid than ever before. He had seen the chasm, felt the pull of its depths, and heard the voice that called to him-not in words, but in a sound that resonated through his very bones
It was not a call for help. It was a warning.