DEMON SOVEREIGN'S REIGN

The gates groaned as they parted, not by force, but by acknowledgment. This was no entrance meant to be broken—only remembered. Beyond lay a realm bathed in eternal dusk, where the sky bled violet and ash rained upward from unseen fires.

The Second Beacon was near.

Liu Shen stepped into the canyon, his companions trailing behind. The moment his foot touched the blackened stone, the atmosphere shifted. Weight settled on their shoulders—memories not their own pressing into their minds.

Yu Meixing staggered. "These aren't illusions. They're echoes… of him."

Zhao Ying clutched her head, sweat beading her brow. "No… not of him. Of the one he left behind."

From the shadows emerged twisted monuments—statues of Liu Shen, not as the Sovereign, but as a monster. His face warped in stone, eyes filled with betrayal. Chains sculpted around his limbs, as if to contain what he had become.

Lei Qing touched one of the statues, frowning. "They worshipped you… and then they cursed you."

"Not me," Liu Shen murmured. "Him. The Guardian."

The further they walked, the heavier it became. The landscape turned erratic—time folding in on itself, creating loops of events. At one point, they watched an ancient version of Liu Shen stride forward, alone, cloak billowing, gaze filled with sorrow.

He stopped at a crumbled altar and laid a single black rose.

"I'm sorry," the echo whispered. "But I had no choice."

And then he vanished.

Yu Meixing turned to Liu Shen. "That was you?"

He nodded. "One of the few things I remember clearly… I buried the Oath here."

She tilted her head. "What oath?"

Before Liu Shen could answer, the ground trembled.

A voice boomed through the canyon—deep, ragged, and filled with betrayal.

"You returned."

From the depths of the earth rose a colossus—twelve feet tall, with flesh forged of obsidian and bones carved from oath-stone. Two curved horns jutted from his temples, and glowing brands marked his chest in the language of Sovereigns.

One word pulsed among them: Betrayed.

Liu Shen's gaze sharpened. "So… you still live, Kael."

The giant growled. "I waited. When the heavens tore you apart, I kept the gate sealed. I bore the Abyss's wrath in your name. And what did you leave me?"

Liu Shen's voice was quiet. "A broken world. Just like I left everyone."

Kael roared. "You left me! The one who swore his soul to your flame! The one who would've burned for you!"

His eyes blazed. "But I didn't die. I endured. And now… I am the Guardian of the Second Beacon."

Yu Meixing stepped forward. "You want to protect it? Or keep it buried?"

Kael's eyes flicked to her. "It chose to be buried. Because it knew he'd never return."

Liu Shen stepped forward. "Then let it choose again."

A long silence.

Then Kael raised his fist.

"So be it."

The ground shattered. Kael charged, each step shaking the canyon. Liu Shen met him head-on. Fist against fist. Spirit against spirit. The impact cracked the sky, sent shockwaves through reality. Meixing and the others were blown back, barely able to stand.

This was no ordinary battle. This was a collision of vows—oaths that defied time and fate.

Kael's strength was rooted in agony. Every strike carried centuries of resentment.

Liu Shen's blade flashed. His power, once sealed, now flared in defiance.

"You swore to protect me," Liu Shen growled, blocking another blow.

"And I did!" Kael snarled. "Even when you died!"

"But now I live."

Kael hesitated.

"I live," Liu Shen said again, slower this time. "And I remember you. Kael of the Black Flame. My first general. My brother-in-arms."

The obsidian colossus trembled.

"I should hate you," he said.

"You already do," Liu Shen replied. "But that hate is proof you still feel. That our bond wasn't a lie."

Kael sank to one knee. The rage didn't vanish—it merely quieted.

"I guarded the Beacon… but I could never reach it. Only you can awaken it."

Liu Shen stepped past him.

In the heart of the canyon, the Second Abyssal Beacon pulsed faintly—bound in chains of promise and sorrow. It floated above an altar carved from a fallen celestial's rib, surrounded by words etched in Liu Shen's ancient hand:

"Only in memory shall we be whole."

He placed his hand on the Beacon.

It did not resist.

Chains unraveled.

The Beacon surged into him—its memory, its burden, its oath. His body convulsed. His aura flared, cloaking the canyon in darkness. Visions flooded him—battles long past, comrades lost, cities burning beneath celestial spears.

And one final image:

A throne carved from the bones of a god, empty and waiting.

When the light faded, Liu Shen stood taller, more complete. The second Beacon now burned in his soul, harmonizing with the first.

Kael lowered his head.

"You are whole," he said. "Then I shall serve once more."

"No," Liu Shen replied. "You shall lead—the Vanguard of the Abyss Reclaimed."

As they turned to leave, Meixing looked at Liu Shen with new clarity.

"You're gathering more than power," she whispered. "You're gathering your army."

Liu Shen nodded.

And above them, a new crack formed in the sky.

Not from the heavens—but from below.

The Abyss itself was awakening.