Lord of Deception

Abyss. The name alone carried weight—whispers of the forgotten, the condemned, the erased.

Kael Ardyn awoke within its depths, his body sprawled across cold, cracked stone. Shadows coiled around him like living serpents, their breath a silent hum against his skin. The air was thick with something ancient, something watching.

His first conscious thought wasn't of pain or confusion—it was clarity.

He should not exist.

A symbol burned across his chest, its jagged edges pulsing with an unnatural light. He traced its shape with his fingers—an ancient sigil, one that should have never been carved into mortal flesh. It thrummed with power, but with it came a sensation that clawed at his mind, whispering of costs yet to be paid.

Memories flickered at the edge of his thoughts—another life, another world. He had lived before, but the details were shrouded in fog. A single truth cut through the haze:

He was not meant to be here.

A distant bell tolled. Deep. Hollow. A sound that did not belong to this world.

And then—movement.

The darkness stirred. Shapes slithered from the edges of ruined pillars, their eyes burning with violet fire. Abyssal Hunters. Beings that feasted on anomalies, on creatures that defied the will of the cosmos. And Kael? He was the greatest anomaly of them all.

A grin touched his lips. So, even the Abyss rejects me?

They lunged.

Kael didn't panic. He had no sword, no armor—only the instincts buried within his soul. He stepped forward, twisting his body as the first hunter's claws slashed through empty air. Another pounced—Kael ducked, rolling beneath its attack.

His fingers brushed the stone, and the sigil across his chest flared to life.

A single pulse of power erupted from his body—the world itself recoiled. The air warped, reality bent, and the Abyssal Hunters shrieked in agony. One crumbled into dust, its very existence erased in an instant.

But Kael's vision blurred. His limbs felt like lead. The cost.

His power was absolute—but it would consume him if he used it too freely.

Not yet. Not here.

The remaining Hunters hesitated, sensing weakness—but Kael had already calculated their minds. He staggered, his breathing labored, his expression shifting into one of feigned terror. The creatures, driven by instinct, moved in for the kill.

Kael's hand shot forward, grasping the throat of the largest one.

And then, he whispered.

"Did you think I was afraid?"

A sickening crack echoed as he crushed its windpipe. The others hesitated—just long enough for him to vanish into the shadows.

He emerged from the ruins, breath steadying. The Abyss was endless, but ahead, a light shimmered—a way out.

And standing at the threshold was a woman.

She was not Abyss-born. Her robes, once regal, were tattered. Her dark hair, matted with blood, cascaded over her shoulders. And her eyes—silver like the moon—locked onto him with something between fear and recognition.

Kael didn't speak. He studied her.

Her stance was weak—injured, exhausted. Yet she clutched a blade with a trembling grip, ready to fight.

Interesting.

Finally, she broke the silence. "Who are you?" Her voice was hoarse, edged with defiance.

Kael tilted his head. He could lie. He could give her a name that meant nothing.

But instead, he took a step closer, letting the dim light cast shadows over his face. Let her mind weave the illusion.

"A man who does not exist."

She tensed, but he saw the flicker of intrigue beneath the fear.

Good. Fear could be turned into trust. Trust into devotion. Devotion into power.

And this woman? She was a piece on the board.

One he would move at his leisure.

As Kael stepped past the ruins, a force gripped his mind.

His vision shattered—replaced by golden fire.

A voice, neither male nor female, spoke with the weight of eternity itself:

"You are an abomination."

"Your existence is a mistake."

"The balance will not allow you to remain."

Pain lanced through his skull, but Kael laughed. A low, knowing chuckle.

He met the burning gaze of the unseen entity and whispered:

"Then let the balance tremble."

And he walked forward—into the light, into the world that was never meant to be his.

But soon, it would be.

Every throne.

Every kingdom.

Every soul.

All of it.

His.

To be continued...