Eclipse Requiem

The ruined city of **Veyna** loomed before them, a shadow of its former glory. Once a prosperous stronghold, it was now nothing more than crumbling stone and shattered relics, swallowed by time and the abyss.

Kael stood at the entrance, his fingers tightening around his sword's hilt. He could **feel** the presence of something deep within.

Something **waiting.**

Saren let out a low whistle. "Charming place. I can see why no one comes here."

Kael didn't respond. His eyes were locked on the shattered gates ahead—**a grand entrance to a dead city.**

They stepped forward.

And the moment they crossed the threshold—**everything changed.**

---

### **A City of Echoes**

The air **shifted.**

It was subtle, but Kael felt it instantly. A weight—**like unseen eyes pressed against his skin.**

Saren shivered. "Feels like we're being watched."

Kael scanned the area. The streets were empty, but something about them felt… wrong. **Too clean.** As if the ruins had been **preserved on purpose.**

"This place isn't abandoned," Kael muttered.

Saren gave him a wary glance. "What makes you say that?"

Kael gestured to the ground. "No overgrowth. No signs of weathering on the stone. Someone—**or something—**is maintaining it."

Saren muttered a curse under her breath. "Great. Just what we needed."

Kael adjusted Orin on his back and moved forward. Every step echoed unnaturally, like the sound was being swallowed by the air itself.

And then—**he saw it.**

A **marking** on the wall.

A symbol.

It was carved into the stone, glowing faintly in the dim light. It was jagged, sharp—**and painfully familiar.**

Kael **stopped.**

Saren noticed his reaction. "What? What is it?"

Kael traced his fingers over the symbol, his chest tightening. "I've seen this before."

Saren frowned. "Where?"

Kael exhaled. "In my nightmares."

---

### **The Descent**

They pressed onward, their path leading them toward the **center of the ruins.**

As they moved deeper, the markings became more frequent. **Glowing symbols.** Strange patterns on the walls.

And then, they found it.

A **staircase.**

It was hidden beneath the remains of an old temple, leading down into **darkness.**

Kael exchanged a look with Saren. "This is it."

She sighed. "Of course it is."

Without another word, they descended.

---

### **The Abyss Below**

The air grew colder the deeper they went. The only sound was their footsteps echoing against the stone.

Then—**a whisper.**

Faint. Distant.

Kael **froze.**

Saren's hand went to her sword. "Did you hear that?"

Kael nodded. The whisper was too soft to make out, but it wasn't just **one voice.** It was **many.**

They pressed forward.

And then, at the bottom of the stairs, they found **the chamber.**

It was vast, stretching into darkness. In the center, a **massive black obelisk** rose from the ground, pulsating with an eerie glow.

But what drew Kael's attention **was what surrounded it.**

Figures. **Dozens of them.**

Clad in dark robes, their heads bowed, kneeling before the obelisk.

**The cultists.**

Saren inhaled sharply. "This is a whole damn army."

Kael felt his heartbeat quicken. This wasn't just a gathering.

This was a **ritual.**

And at the center of it all—

A figure stood before the obelisk. Unlike the others, his robes were adorned with silver markings, his aura **crackling with abyssal energy.**

Kael **recognized him instantly.**

**The man from before.**

The one who had called him **Abyssborn.**

---

### **The Abyss Calls**

The man turned, as if sensing their presence. His gaze locked onto Kael's, a knowing smile spreading across his lips.

"Ah… you've finally arrived."

Kael drew his sword. "Who are you?"

The man chuckled. "Names are meaningless in the grand scheme of fate. But if you insist…"

He placed a hand over his chest. "Call me **Malrik.**"

Kael didn't lower his blade. "You're the one behind all this."

Malrik's smile never wavered. "Behind what, exactly? Awakening the truth? Preparing for the return of the abyss?"

Saren's grip on her sword tightened. "So you admit you're trying to bring it back?"

Malrik sighed. "You make it sound so *evil.* The abyss is not a destroyer—it is **a purifier.** A force of change. And you, Kael… are proof of that."

Kael's blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"

Malrik took a step closer. "You feel it, don't you? The abyss inside you. Whispering. Calling. **You were chosen.**"

Kael clenched his jaw. "I didn't choose this."

Malrik's smile deepened. "And yet, it chose you. Why do you resist? Why deny what you were meant to become?"

Kael's fingers trembled around his sword. The whispers in his mind **grew louder.**

*Join us.*

*Accept it.*

*Become what you were meant to be.*

Saren stepped in front of him. "Whatever you're trying to do to him, it's not going to work."

Malrik chuckled. "Ah, the ever-loyal friend. I admire your resolve. But you are standing in the way of something far greater than yourself."

His **eyes darkened.** "And I cannot allow that."

He **raised his hand.**

**The obelisk pulsed.**

And suddenly—**the ground beneath them cracked open.**

---

### **The Awakening**

Abyssal energy **exploded** from the obelisk, tendrils of darkness surging into the air.

Kael barely had time to react before the cultists **attacked.**

Saren was already moving, cutting down the first enemy that charged her. "Kael—snap out of it!"

Kael gritted his teeth. The abyss was **pulling at him.** Calling to him.

*Let go.*

*Unleash your power.*

He **shut it out.**

Instead, he **focused.**

He surged forward, cutting down a cultist with a single swing. Then another.

But there were too many.

And Malrik—**hadn't even moved.**

Kael's instincts screamed at him. **Something was wrong.**

Then—he felt it.

A **force** pulling at him from within.

He gasped, falling to one knee as the abyssal energy **wrapped around him.**

Saren turned. "Kael—?"

His **vision blurred.**

For a moment—he wasn't in Veyna anymore.

He was **somewhere else.**

A vast void stretched endlessly before him. The sky was black, swirling with shadows.

And in the distance—**something moved.**

Something **huge.**

Something **alive.**

A voice—deep, ancient—**spoke.**

*"You are finally ready."*

Kael's eyes **snapped open.**

Malrik was watching him, pleased. "Ah. You saw it, didn't you?"

Kael's breath was ragged. "What… was that?"

Malrik's smile widened.

"The truth."

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