Eclipse Requiem

The tension from the encounter still lingered in the air, thick and suffocating. Kael's hands remained clenched, his body stiff as he stared at the empty space where the mysterious man had stood. **Abyssborn.** That word echoed in his mind, refusing to fade.

Saren exhaled sharply. "Kael… who was that?"

He remained silent for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't know."

That was a lie.

Deep down, he had a feeling. That man was connected to the abyss—the same force that had nearly consumed him during his battle with Orin. And if Kael had to guess…

**He wasn't the only one.**

Saren studied his expression, her lips pressing into a thin line. "You're not telling me everything."

Kael turned away, adjusting Orin's weight on his back. "Now's not the time, Saren. We need to move."

Saren sighed but didn't argue. She knew as well as he did that **they were still in danger.**

Kael scanned their surroundings. The battlefield they had left behind was nothing more than smoldering ruins now, littered with broken weapons and bodies. The remnants of war.

A war that was far from over.

"We should head toward the eastern ridge," Kael said. "If we keep moving through the forest, we can avoid any stragglers."

Saren nodded. "And after that?"

Kael hesitated. He didn't have an answer. Not yet.

But he knew one thing.

**He needed to understand what was happening to him.**

And to do that, he needed to find someone who had those answers.

---

### **A Long Road Ahead**

The journey through the forest was slow. The night air was thick with the scent of damp earth and blood, a lingering reminder of the battle that had just taken place.

Saren kept a close watch behind them, her fingers resting on the hilt of her blade. "That man… the one who called you Abyssborn. You think he's connected to all of this?"

Kael nodded, his jaw tightening. "Yeah. And I don't think he's alone."

Saren didn't respond, but her grip on her sword tightened.

They walked in silence for a while, the only sounds being the crunch of leaves beneath their feet and the occasional rustle of nocturnal creatures hiding in the underbrush.

Eventually, Saren spoke again. "You spared Orin."

Kael glanced at her. "I did."

"You could've killed him."

"…I know."

Saren's gaze softened. "I'm glad you didn't."

Kael exhaled. He wasn't sure if *he* was glad or not. Orin had betrayed them. Had tried to kill him. And yet, at the very last moment, Kael **couldn't go through with it.**

Maybe it was because of their past.

Or maybe…

Maybe he was just afraid of what would happen if he took that final step.

Saren looked ahead, her expression unreadable. "Do you think he'll ever wake up?"

Kael glanced at Orin's unconscious form. His breathing was steady, but weak. The abyssal energy Kael had unleashed on him had **taken more than just his strength.**

"I don't know," Kael admitted. "But if he does… I hope he's still himself."

Saren nodded, though the doubt in her eyes was clear.

---

### **Abyssal Echoes**

They continued walking until they reached a small clearing. Moonlight filtered through the trees, casting long shadows across the ground.

Kael gently set Orin down against the trunk of a large oak tree before taking a seat himself. His muscles ached, and exhaustion clawed at him, but sleep felt impossible.

Saren sat beside him, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders. "Kael."

He turned to her. "Yeah?"

She hesitated before finally saying, "Back there… when you were fighting Orin. You *changed*."

Kael's fingers dug into the dirt. He had known this conversation was coming.

"…I know."

"I felt it," she continued. "That darkness around you. It wasn't just your aura—it was something else. Something *alive.*"

Kael exhaled. "The abyss."

Saren blinked. "You mean the thing that man called you?"

Kael nodded. "I don't know what it is exactly. But ever since that night… the night I should have died—"

He stopped himself.

He didn't need to say more. **Saren already knew.**

She had been there.

The night Kael had been fatally wounded in battle, when he should have died alongside their fallen comrades. But instead, **he had awakened something inside himself.**

And now, he wasn't sure if he was even the same person anymore.

Saren looked at him carefully. "Do you… feel different?"

Kael hesitated. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Yeah. Every day, it gets harder to fight back. Like something's trying to take control."

Saren was silent for a long moment before saying, "Then we need to figure out what's happening to you. Before it's too late."

Kael glanced at her. "You're not afraid of me?"

She smirked, though there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I'd be an idiot if I said I wasn't. But I trust you, Kael. And I know you're still in there."

Kael closed his eyes.

For now.

---

### **A New Destination**

They rested for a few hours before continuing their journey at dawn. The forest stretched endlessly before them, but Kael had made his decision.

They couldn't keep running. They needed answers.

And there was only one place that might have them.

"The ruined city of Veyna," Kael said as they walked.

Saren frowned. "That place is cursed."

Kael nodded. "I know. But if the abyss is connected to me… then the ruins of Veyna might hold the truth."

Saren sighed. "Great. Another death trap."

Despite her sarcasm, she didn't argue.

Kael glanced at Orin, still unconscious, slung over his back. He didn't know if Orin would wake up before they reached Veyna.

But one thing was certain.

The path ahead would change everything.

And when they reached Veyna—

Kael would finally learn what it meant to be **Abyssborn.**

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