Chapter 8: Fractured Echoes

The Forgotten Sentinels came in a silent wave—dozens of masked figures gliding toward them with eerie precision, their empty sockets fixed on Kael as if recognizing something buried within him.

Something that shouldn't exist.

Kael didn't have time to think.

The first Sentinel lashed out, clawed fingers slicing through the air where his throat had been a second before.

He barely dodged.

Another system notification flared in his vision—

[Skill Unlocked: Sovereign's Instinct]

[Effect: Temporarily enhances reaction speed. Cost: Accelerated system fracturing.]

Kael felt his body respond before his mind did, his movements sharper, more precise. He ducked under the Sentinel's strike and drove the Voidfang Dagger into its chest.

The black blade pulsed.

The Sentinel convulsed, black veins spreading from the wound before the creature crumbled into ash.

[Enemy Defeated: 2/??]

[Warning: Fracture Progression: 8% → 11%]

Kael's breath hitched. Damn it. The more he fought, the faster the fractures spread.

But there was no time to hesitate.

Lysara's runeblade ignited, golden light crackling as she cut down a second Sentinel, her movements raw power and precision.

Nyssa stood behind them, her hands moving through the air in fluid, arcane patterns—sigils of protection and destruction swirling at her fingertips.

Raith was a shadow, slipping between enemies, twin daggers flashing in the dark. Every Sentinel he struck collapsed without a sound.

For a moment, it seemed they were holding their ground.

Then the ground shook.

Kael stumbled back as a new presence awoke in the ruins.

The Sentinels suddenly stopped.

The air turned heavy. Thick. Wrong.

And from the depths of the ruins, something massive began to rise.

The Gatekeeper of the Abyss

Kael's system pinged violently, flooding his vision with warnings.

[High-Level Entity Detected: Gatekeeper of the Abyss]

[Threat Level: Catastrophic]

The earth split open as something titanic emerged from beneath the ruins—an obsidian colossus, its body covered in shifting, cracked armor, as if reality itself struggled to hold it together.

Its head was a featureless mask, smooth and unbroken.

And yet—Kael felt it staring directly into his soul.

Nyssa staggered, her magic flickering. "That's… not supposed to be here."

Raith's grip on his daggers tightened. "So we run?"

Lysara planted her sword into the ground, her gaze defiant. "We fight."

Kael's entire body screamed at him to move, to escape, but the system had already locked onto the new enemy.

[New Quest: Defeat the Gatekeeper]

[Failure Consequence: Death]

Kael gritted his teeth.

Of course.

The First Strike

The Gatekeeper raised one massive hand. A pulse of dark energy rippled from its palm—

And the world broke.

Kael's vision fractured for a split second, like a mirror shattering in his mind.

Then the attack hit.

The force tore through the ruins, obliterating stone and sending Kael flying. He hit the ground hard, pain exploding in his ribs.

His system flickered with warnings.

[Impact Damage Sustained. HP: 73%]

[System Instability: Increasing.]

Kael forced himself up just in time to see Lysara charging.

Her runeblade burned like a falling star, cutting through the air as she struck at the Gatekeeper's leg.

The sword bit deep—but then the colossus moved.

With inhuman speed, the Gatekeeper backhanded her across the battlefield.

Lysara crashed through stone, her body skidding to a halt.

Kael's blood ran cold. "Lysara!"

She coughed, pushing herself up. "I'm—fine." But blood dripped from her lips.

Not fine. Not even close.

Nyssa's voice cut through the chaos. "We can't fight it like this! We need a plan!"

Kael's mind raced. If raw strength wasn't enough, they needed something else.

Then his system pinged again.

[Weakness Identified: The Seal of Varrenthia]

[Objective: Sever the Seal. Use the power of the Fractured Sovereign.]

Kael froze.

The system wasn't just telling him how to win.

It was telling him to use its power.

The power that was destroying him.

His hands clenched into fists. He didn't have a choice.

"Nyssa!" he shouted. "Can you keep it distracted?"

The sorceress nodded sharply, her hands already weaving magic. "Thirty seconds. That's all I can give you."

Kael exhaled.

Then let's end this.

Breaking the Seal

Kael sprinted toward the Gatekeeper, his dagger pulsing with dark energy.

The fractures in his mind ached, but he pushed forward, eyes locked onto his target.

A massive sigil burned on the Gatekeeper's chest—the Seal of Varrenthia.

That was his target.

Nyssa unleashed hell.

Chains of arcane fire lashed around the Gatekeeper's limbs, slowing its movements.

Raith flickered in and out of the shadows, striking at its joints, forcing it to stagger.

Lysara, injured but unyielding, drove her runeblade into the ground, summoning a barrier of golden light.

Kael reached the Seal.

His system screamed.

[Activate Fractured Sovereign Ability: Rupture]

[Warning: High Risk of System Collapse]

Kael didn't hesitate. Yes.

Pain ripped through his body.

The fractures in his mind tore open, and for a split second—he wasn't alone.

Something whispered in the back of his mind.

"One step closer to ruin, Sovereign."

Kael drove the Voidfang Dagger into the Seal.

A shockwave of raw power erupted, tearing through the Gatekeeper—

And the colossus shattered.

Aftermath

Kael collapsed to his knees, gasping. His vision swam, his body felt unreal, as if he was slipping between worlds.

His system notifications flickered violently.

[Gatekeeper Defeated.]

[Fracture Progression: 11% → 17%.]

Seventeen.

He was breaking faster.

Lysara limped toward him, gripping his shoulder. "You did it."

Kael let out a hollow laugh. "Yeah. Sure feels like it."

Nyssa stood over the remains of the Gatekeeper, her expression unreadable. "The Archive is ahead. But whatever's inside…"

She looked at Kael.

"…it's tied to you, isn't it?"

Kael exhaled. It had to be.

And now, there was no turning back.

He had to know the truth.

Even if it destroyed him.

End of Chapter 8

The Gatekeeper is defeated, but Kael's fractures are getting worse. Now, the entrance to the Abyssal Archive is open—but what secrets are buried inside?

The next chapter will uncover the truth behind past Sovereigns—and what really happened to the ones who came before Kael.