ABYSS REBORN

The arena was nothing but a void now—an endless chasm of shadowstone and obsidian, as though the very foundations of the Citadel trembled beneath the weight of the brothers' confrontation. The air was thick with the smell of ozone, the hum of dark energy charging the atmosphere. It was as if the Black Citadel itself had come alive, breathing with the intensity of the battle unfolding beneath its ancient halls.

Zephyr's golden eyes gleamed with unrestrained amusement. His stance was relaxed, almost bored, as though he was savoring every moment of Riven's struggle. "Is this really all you've got, little brother?" he taunted, his voice a mixture of mockery and deadly calm. "I expected more from the so-called prodigy."

Riven's chest heaved as his body pulsed with raw energy. He was no longer the boy who had once cowered in the shadow of his elder brother. No, tonight, he would forge his own legacy. Tonight, he would carve his name into the abyss.

The shadows around him rippled, his body cloaked in a veil of darkness that seemed to warp the very air around him. The forbidden technique—Shadow Eclipse—coursed through his veins like liquid fire, amplifying his power beyond the limits of his human form. His eyes, burning crimson, locked onto Zephyr with unyielding focus.

"Don't underestimate me," Riven muttered, the words low, but laced with venom. His hands clenched into fists, shadows spiraling around his wrists, forming ethereal weapons—black daggers made of pure darkness, crackling with destructive energy.

Zephyr raised an eyebrow, intrigued but still indifferent. "Let's see if you can back up that confidence, little brother. After all, you're just playing with shadows. I, however, command the abyss itself."

With a swift motion, Zephyr raised his hands, and the arena trembled. Abyssal Tendrils—writhing, black masses of dark energy—shot forth from the ground, snapping toward Riven with terrifying speed. Each tendril carried the weight of an entire mountain, imbued with the raw power of the abyss.

Riven was fast, but even with the power of the Shadow Eclipse surging through him, the tendrils were too quick. His body flickered as he vanished into the shadows, reappearing a split second later, narrowly avoiding one of the tendrils that could have easily torn him apart. But even as he dodged, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being hunted. Zephyr wasn't just attacking him—he was dissecting his every move, reading him like an open book.

"You've improved," Zephyr acknowledged, his voice colder now. "But speed and evasion won't win you this fight, Riven. Not when the abyss answers my every call."

Riven's gaze flickered to the ground.

Beneath his feet, the shadowstone pulsed, as if reacting to the bloodline that flowed through him. He could feel it now—the deep, endless well of power that lay dormant within him, waiting for the right moment to surface. The shadows whispered his name, beckoning him toward the darkness. He knew what he had to do. He couldn't keep dodging forever.

With a guttural cry, Riven leaped into the air, his form becoming a blur of dark energy as he activated his Abyssal Ascension—an extension of the Shadow Eclipse. His body transformed into a whirlwind of shadows, a torrent of darkness that seemed to tear through the very fabric of reality. Time itself bent around him.

In the blink of an eye, Riven was upon Zephyr, his dagger—infused with the power of the abyss—lashing toward his brother's heart. But Zephyr, ever the predator, wasn't fazed. He raised a hand, and a shimmering barrier of dark energy surrounded him, blocking Riven's strike with ease.

Riven's eyes flashed. He hadn't expected this.

Zephyr smirked, watching his brother's attack fail. "Pathetic," he whispered, his aura flaring once more, sending a pulse of energy that sent Riven crashing into the ground. The air hummed with the weight of Zephyr's power as the golden-eyed prince took a slow step forward.

"You think you can challenge me, Riven?" Zephyr's voice echoed through the arena, carrying a chilling certainty. "I've already surpassed the limits of your shadow tricks. You're not even in the same league."

Riven struggled to push himself up, his breath ragged. His body ached, and the pain was almost unbearable. But his spirit… his resolve… they burned brighter than ever before. He couldn't lose here. He couldn't be eclipsed by the very darkness that had once consumed him.

"Zephyr," he spat, his voice raw. "You've never understood. Power is not about domination. It's about control over the darkness within. I am the shadow now."

The words rang out like a challenge, an invocation. Riven's bloodline, long dormant, surged to life within him. The abyss was his, not Zephyr's.

The ground beneath them cracked, and the shadows recoiled in fear as Riven unleashed the final manifestation of his power—the Abyssal Rebirth. A maelstrom of shadow and dark energy exploded outward, tearing through the arena like a storm of destruction. The very sky seemed to darken, as if the abyss itself were opening its mouth to devour the world.

Zephyr's eyes widened in genuine surprise. The force of the explosion sent him stumbling back, struggling to hold his ground. He had underestimated Riven's resolve—his potential.

"You… impossible!" Zephyr hissed, raising his hands to shield himself as the darkness swarmed him, attempting to engulf him completely.

But Riven was relentless. With a final, thunderous roar, he thrust his blade into the heart of the storm. The dagger, infused with the full power of the Abyssal Rebirth, tore through the air, its edges cutting through Zephyr's shield of energy like paper. It was a strike fueled not just by power, but by everything Riven had ever felt—every injustice, every betrayal, every moment of despair that had led him to this very moment.

The impact was catastrophic. Zephyr was thrown backward, crashing into the obsidian walls of the arena. His golden eyes flashed one last time, his expression a mixture of shock and grudging admiration.

Riven stood, panting, his body trembling with exhaustion, but his gaze was unyielding. He had won. The fight was over.

Zephyr, lying motionless amidst the shattered remains of his aura, chuckled weakly. "You've finally surpassed me… little brother."

Riven's eyes narrowed, his victory bittersweet. "No, Zephyr. I've become something beyond both of us."

The shadows around him stirred, almost as if they had a life of their own, and in that moment, Riven knew that this was just the beginning. The abyss had chosen him. And now, the world would feel its wrath.