Eclipse Requiem

Kael's vision was swallowed by **darkness**.

There was no floor beneath him, no sky above—just an **endless abyss** stretching in every direction. His body plummeted through the void, weightless, as the whispers from the Veilborn's chamber grew into **roars**.

*"He has touched the Abyss!"*

*"The Eclipse Bearer walks the path of ruin!"*

*"Will he fall... or rise?"*

The words clawed at his mind, each voice overlapping, sending a sharp **pain** through his skull.

Kael gritted his teeth. **Focus.**

He forced himself to **breathe**, to control the panic rising in his chest. But before he could make sense of what was happening—

**Something grabbed him.**

A cold, skeletal **hand** wrapped around his arm. Then another. And another.

Figures **rose from the darkness**, their hollow eyes glowing faintly. Their bodies were thin, stretched unnaturally, their arms clawing at him as if **pulling him deeper**.

Kael thrashed, trying to fight back, but his strength felt **distant**—as if it belonged to someone else.

*"Join us..."* the voices whispered.

*"Embrace the Abyss."*

Kael **refused.**

With all his strength, he called upon the **Eclipse Seal**.

The mark on his arm **flared**, releasing a pulse of **black energy**. The spectral hands recoiled, screeching as they were **torn apart**.

Kael gasped for breath, his body regaining sensation. He was still falling—

But now he could **see**.

Below him, the void **shifted**, forming into a vast landscape of **floating islands**, each one **twisting and changing** like a dream. In the distance, a massive **black tower** loomed, surrounded by swirling shadows.

Then, suddenly—

A **voice** called out.

*"Kael…"*

His eyes widened. That voice—

It was **his father's**.

The sound sent a **shockwave** through his mind.

No. It wasn't possible.

His father had died years ago, executed by the **Celestial Church** for treason. Kael had seen it with his own eyes.

And yet—

*"Kael… find me."*

The voice was **clear**, as if his father stood right beside him.

Kael's breath hitched.

"Where are you?!" he shouted into the void.

The black tower in the distance **shuddered**.

Then—

Everything **rushed forward**.

Kael felt his body being **pulled** toward the tower, faster and faster, until—

**SLAM.**

He hit solid ground.

Kael groaned, pushing himself up. He was no longer falling. Instead, he stood on a cracked stone bridge leading toward the **tower**. The air around him was thick with an **unnatural stillness**.

A presence was here. Watching. Waiting.

Kael's pulse quickened. "Where am I…?"

"You stand at the edge of fate," a voice answered.

Kael whirled around.

A figure stood behind him—**cloaked in flowing black robes**, its face hidden beneath a hood.

It wasn't one of the Veilborn. It was something **older**.

Something **not human**.

"You have touched the Abyss," the figure continued. "Now you must make a choice."

Kael steadied himself. "What kind of choice?"

The figure gestured to the **tower**. "Inside lies the truth of your power. The truth of the Eclipse."

Kael's mind raced. His father's voice… the Eclipse Seal… everything led him here.

But was it a **trap**?

He clenched his fists. "And if I refuse?"

The figure's glowing **white eyes** peered from beneath the hood.

"Then you will be consumed."

Kael exhaled sharply.

He didn't come this far to turn back now.

Steeling himself, he stepped forward and walked toward the **tower's entrance**.

The doors creaked open on their own.

And inside—

Was **darkness**.

A **hollow throne** sat at the center, its seat empty. Strange **symbols** lined the walls, pulsing faintly, whispering secrets in a language Kael couldn't understand.

But what caught his attention—

Was the **sword** hovering above the throne.

A **black blade**, its edges outlined with flickering **violet fire**.

Kael felt its presence immediately.

It wasn't just a weapon.

It was **alive**.

The hooded figure spoke again. "This blade is yours… if you are willing to claim it."

Kael hesitated.

Something about it felt **familiar**, as if it had been waiting for him.

He reached out—

And the moment his fingers touched the hilt—

**Everything changed.**

A surge of **power** erupted from the sword, latching onto Kael's Eclipse Seal. Shadows coiled around his arm, his entire body **burning** with an overwhelming force.

Memories—not his own—**flooded his mind**.

A warrior standing atop a ruined battlefield, wielding this very blade.

A battle against **gods**.

A voice—ancient and cold—whispering a single word:

*"S̷̤̳̠̳̣̼͎̩̣͚̔͐̽̏̋̔̂́̑͜a̸͕̲̺̞̰͓̗̰̪̟̥̬͈͑̈́̂͘c̸̛̳̟̦͖͔̞͉̠̮̯̱̰̺̱̓̅̾̔̇͆̽͜͝r̵̢̞͇͙͕̱͕̫̲̝͙̞͆̎̆͒̀͂̽̏̓͠i̴̛̼̲̪̺͇͈̦͇̞̦͍̳̠̾̓͛̀̍̏̍̎͝͠͝f̸̢̢̡̡̪͎̮͉̪͎̻̦͙͗͑͗͒̎͑̇̓̎̎̑̈̚͜͜͜͝į̷̛̪̰̜̦̲̗̺̦̺͓̹̪͖́̿͌̏͂̀͊̕͝͠͠c̷̨̧̪̠̼̙͙̰̙͈̜̠͍̤͕͕͗̿̎͛͑̇̽̓̈́͊̅̚̕̕͜͝e̴̡̡̘̞̩̪̺̪̹̮͖̮͚̿͌̿̅͛̃͘͠…"*

Kael's eyes **snapped open**.

He was **back** in the Veilborn chamber.

The robed woman stood before him, watching **silently**.

The **black sword** rested in his grip.

Its **violet flames flickered** softly, as if acknowledging him.

Lyra stared at him, eyes wide. "Kael… what happened?"

Kael took a shaky breath.

"I saw something." His voice was quiet, but firm.

The woman tilted her head. "And what did you see?"

Kael's grip on the sword tightened.

"Something… dangerous."

The whispers still echoed in his mind. His father's voice. The vision of war. The **sacrifice**.

He didn't know what he had just **awakened**—

But he knew one thing for sure.

This was only the beginning.

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