The Call of the Abyss

The sound of the alarm clock shattered the tranquility of the small apartment, its incessant beeping cutting through the heavy fog of sleep like a knife. Kai groaned, slapping the clock into silence, and sat up in bed. The cold morning air bit at his skin, and he pulled the thin blanket tighter around his shoulders. Another day, another grind.

Life had been a blur of monotony ever since his father disappeared five years ago. The police called it an unsolvable case, but Kai knew better. His father wasn't the type to simply vanish. He left clues—cryptic notes, fragments of an old map, and a warning not to trust anyone.

Kai stretched, his dark hair falling messily over his eyes, and shuffled to the window. Outside, the city was alive with the hum of activity, its towering buildings casting long shadows under a gray sky. But Kai's eyes weren't on the city. They were on the horizon, where the Rift loomed like a scar in the heavens.

The Rift appeared ten years ago, a swirling vortex of energy that split the world in two. Monsters spilled out in waves, creatures from nightmares that shattered the peace humanity had taken for granted. But the Rift also brought something else—Shards, fragments of alien power that bonded with humans and awakened abilities no one thought possible.

Kai didn't have a Shard. He was just another normal human struggling to survive in a world that now belonged to the Awakened.

He turned away from the window and grabbed his jacket, heading out the door. His first job of the day was a delivery to one of the high-rises near the Rift Zone. The pay was decent, but the risk was high. Awakened gangs often roamed those parts, and they didn't take kindly to trespassers.

As Kai weaved through the crowded streets, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him. He glanced over his shoulder, but the sea of faces behind him seemed normal. Just tired workers, restless children, and the occasional Awakened flaunting their powers.

He quickened his pace.

The alley he cut through was dark and narrow, the kind of place where trouble often brewed. Halfway through, he froze.

A figure stood at the other end, cloaked in shadow.

"Delivery boy, huh?" the figure said, their voice low and smooth. "You shouldn't be wandering alone near the Rift."

Kai backed away slowly, his heart pounding. "Look, I don't want any trouble."

The figure stepped forward, revealing a man in a tattered black coat. His eyes glowed faintly, a telltale sign of an Awakened. "Oh, you've already found trouble," he said with a grin.

Before Kai could react, the ground trembled, and the air grew heavy with an oppressive energy. A portal, swirling with the same chaotic energy as the Rift, tore open behind the man. From within, a massive beast emerged, its claws dripping with darkness and its glowing red eyes locked onto Kai.

Panic set in as Kai stumbled back, his legs refusing to cooperate. The Awakened man chuckled, stepping aside to let the beast advance.

And then, a voice—calm, commanding—spoke inside Kai's head.

"Do you seek power?"

Kai froze. The voice was clear, undeniable. It wasn't his imagination.

"What…?" he whispered aloud.

The voice continued. "The world you knew is gone. If you wish to survive, take the shard before you."

Before he could question it, a small, glowing crystal appeared in the air before him. Its light was warm, almost comforting, but it pulsed with a raw, untamed energy.

The beast roared, its claws swiping inches from Kai's face. Without thinking, Kai reached out and grabbed the Shard.

Pain.

Unimaginable, searing pain coursed through his body as the Shard melted into his palm. His vision blurred, his screams echoing in the alley as his body burned from the inside out.

And then, silence.

When Kai opened his eyes, the world had changed. He could feel it—power surging through his veins, coiling like a serpent waiting to strike. The beast lunged at him, but this time, Kai didn't run.

His hand moved instinctively, and a blade of pure black energy erupted from his palm, slicing through the air with a sharp hiss.

The beast froze mid-attack, its body severed cleanly in two.

The Awakened man stared, his grin replaced by a look of shock. "You… bonded with it?"

Kai turned to him, the blade still humming in his hand. He didn't know what was happening, but one thing was clear.

He wasn't just a delivery boy anymore.

He was something else.

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To Be Continued...