Chapter 16: The Abyss Stares Back

The storm had passed, leaving Kaizen standing amidst a wasteland of ice and ruin. The ground was shattered where his power had erupted, jagged spikes of frozen rock jutting from the earth like the ribs of some long-dead beast.

The hunger inside him had subsided, but it hadn't vanished.

It would never vanish.

Kaizen flexed his fingers, watching the faint glow of the shard-infused power pulse beneath his skin. He had feared it once, fought against it, but now he understood. This strength wasn't a curse—it was a gift.

The world had betrayed him. Now, he would return the favor.

But first, he had to leave the Wastes.

And something didn't want him to.

The Black Pillar

Ahead of him, rising from the endless white, stood a single black pillar. It was ancient—covered in runes that twisted and shifted as if alive. Cold mist curled around its base, the air humming with unseen energy.

Kaizen approached cautiously, gripping his blade. The closer he got, the heavier the air became, pressing against him like an unseen force. His breath fogged, his heartbeat slowed.

Then, a voice echoed in the wind.

"You walk a path that is not yours."

Kaizen froze. His eyes darted around, searching for the source. The voice wasn't the demon's—this was something older, deeper. It came from within the pillar itself.

The runes flared to life, glowing with an eerie blue light. The mist thickened, swirling into the shape of a massive, shadowed figure.

It had no face, no true form—just shifting darkness and piercing, burning eyes.

Kaizen's grip tightened. "Who are you?"

The figure's form flickered, and suddenly Kaizen felt something clawing at his mind.

It was searching.

For what, he didn't know. But before he could react, the presence saw him.

It saw everything.

Sayuri's betrayal. Daigo's execution. The moment he absorbed the demons into his soul. The rage, the hunger, the abyss growing inside him.

And then—it laughed.

The Test

The laughter was hollow, ancient. The figure took a step forward, the ice beneath it shattering.

"You are broken," it murmured. "But not yet whole. Not yet worthy."

Kaizen bared his teeth. "Worthy of what?"

The figure raised a hand, and the entire landscape twisted.

One moment, he was standing on the frozen ground.

The next, he was drowning.

A Battle of Wills

Black water surrounded him, endless and suffocating. There was no sky, no surface, just cold and darkness.

And something was moving in the depths.

Kaizen struggled, kicking upward, but there was no escape. The water churned, and out of the abyss, a colossal form emerged—a serpent, larger than any temple, its scales like obsidian, its eyes burning like twin suns.

The snake demon.

The very entity Kaizen had consumed.

"You stole my power." The voice rumbled through the water, shaking Kaizen to his core. "Now, prove you can wield it."

The serpent lunged.

Kaizen barely had time to react. He twisted in the water, summoning his power, and struck out with a wave of dark energy. The blast hit the beast's side, but it barely flinched.

The serpent coiled around him, squeezing, crushing.

Kaizen felt his ribs crack. His vision blurred.

The demon inside him stirred.

"Let me out."

Kaizen clenched his jaw. "No."

"You will die."

The pressure increased. Blood filled Kaizen's mouth. His bones felt like they were about to snap.

Then he realized—this wasn't a battle of strength.

It was a battle of will.

The serpent wasn't testing his power. It was testing his control.

Gritting his teeth, Kaizen did the one thing the demon inside him didn't expect.

He stopped fighting.

He let go.

And the darkness swallowed him whole.

Rebirth

Kaizen woke on the frozen ground, gasping for air.

The pillar was gone. The mist had vanished. But something inside him had changed.

The shard's power no longer raged uncontrollably.

It obeyed.

Kaizen rose to his feet, flexing his fingers. His body felt lighter, faster, stronger. He had faced the abyss and emerged in control.

The world had feared him before.

Now, it would bow.

With renewed purpose, Kaizen turned toward the horizon.

The Wastes would not hold him any longer.

It was time to return.

And when he did, he would bring hell with him.