The void folded around Ryojin as he reemerged far from the battlefield.
He stood atop a crumbling temple, its stone worn by time, its inscriptions faded beyond recognition. The night sky stretched endlessly above him, untouched by stars or moonlight. The remnants of his power still crackled in the air, distorting reality itself.
He clenched his fist. The sensation was… different.
Before the Abyss, his strength had been bound by limits—human limits, celestial limits. Now, he was something else entirely. He had not just gained power. He had become a force beyond definition.
But he wasn't alone.
A flicker of movement.
Ryojin's eyes darted to the temple's entrance, where a lone figure stood watching him.
She stepped forward, the dim light revealing her form—a woman clad in black and silver robes, her piercing crimson eyes glowing with a mix of caution and curiosity.
He recognized her.
Elyria Noctis- a former member of the Abyssal Clan.
A shadowbinder, a rogue sorceress once hunted by both the Celestial Order and the Abyssal Clans - after she quit. She was neither enemy nor ally—at least, not yet.
She tilted her head, studying him. "You should be dead."
Ryojin smirked. " And you should be running."
Elyria stepped closer, her boots making no sound against the temple stone. "I felt the shift in the world. The Abyssal energy radiating from your body is like none, what happened?"
He met her gaze, unshaken. "I was reborn."
She paused, as if considering his words. Then, her lips curled into a sly smile. "Perhaps."
Ryojin exhaled, his grip tightening on his katana. " for the first time in my existence I feel free ,free from the Abyssal Clan and free from fear."
A gust of wind passed between them. The silence that followed was heavy, filled with unspoken tension.
Elyria's eyes flickered with amusement. "You're not the only one who's changed, Ryojin." She turned away, her form dissolving into the shadows. "The gods are stirring. The abyssal clans are restless. And you? You are the crack in the foundation of this world."
Her voice lingered as she vanished.
"Be careful, or you might find yourself devoured by the very power you wield."
Ryojin remained still, staring at the space where she had stood.
The world was shifting. The gods would come. The Abyssal Clans would not remain silent. The Celestial Order would prepare for war.
And him?
He would cut through all of them.
For the first time in his life, he was unbound.
And nothing would stand in his way.
A storm was brewing. Not in the skies, but in the unseen currents that dictated the fate of the world.
Ryojin could feel it.
He stood on the temple's highest peak, the wind tugging at his cloak as he overlooked the ruined valley below. His senses stretched beyond mortal perception, tracing the disturbances rippling through the world.
Darius would return. The Celestial Order would not stand idle after witnessing his rebirth. But they would not be alone.
The Abyssal Clans had already begun to stir.
Ryojin closed his eyes, allowing the whispers of the Abyss to guide his thoughts. He saw flickering visions—cloaked figures moving through the shadows, crimson sigils glowing beneath the earth, ancient forces awakening from their slumber.
The world thought the war had ended.
It had only just begun.
A presence approached.
Ryojin didn't turn, but his fingers twitched toward his katana as he sensed a new arrival.
Soft footsteps echoed across the stone. A voice, smooth and knowing, broke the silence.
"You really don't waste time making enemies, do you?"
Ryojin smirked. "Depends on how you define enemy."
The newcomer stepped into the moonlight—a tall man with silver hair and sharp, golden eyes, dressed in a flowing dark coat adorned with intricate runes. Vaelin Duskbane. A name that carried weight among those who dealt in forbidden knowledge. Unlike others who entered the Abyss to draw power, Vaelin, had no interest in power and this fact unsettled many people.
A rogue scholar. A tactician. And, when it suited him, a killer.
Vaelin studied him carefully. "The Celestials have already begun their movements. And the Abyssal Clans?" He chuckled. "They're either preparing to worship you or destroy you."
Ryojin met his gaze. "Let them try."
Vaelin sighed. "That attitude is going to make things messy." He crossed his arms. "So tell me, Ryojin—what's your next move?"
The question hung in the air.
Ryojin had no illusions about what lay ahead. The gods wanted him erased. The Celestial Order wanted him chained. The Abyssal Clans obviously wanted to claim him as their own- to use him as a weapon, such was the type of clan they were.
But Ryojin Kurohane belonged to no one.
His path was his alone.
He turned to Vaelin, his violet eyes glowing faintly. "I'm going to remind this world why it should fear the dark."
Vaelin smirked. " You are a bold one."
Ryojin's grip on his katana tightened.
The storm was coming.
And he would be at its center.