Chapter 34 – The Harbinger’s Call

Kairos stood tall, his muscles tense, his eyes locked onto the looming figure of the Nullborne Watcher. The air around them crackled with energy, thick and suffocating. Selene stood by his side, her grip tightening around her lance, ready to leap into action at a moment's notice. Despite her readiness, she could sense the vast difference in power between Kairos and this new adversary.

The Watcher's eyes, glowing like twin moons, fixed on Kairos with an unsettling calm. There was no emotion in his gaze—only the cold weight of inevitability. "So, you are the one who has taken the Abyssal Nexus as your own. Interesting."

Kairos's voice was sharp, his words laced with defiance. "I didn't take anything. It was thrust upon me. And now, I'm going to make sure it doesn't consume me."

The Watcher let out a low, rumbling laugh. "You misunderstand. You don't have the choice to reject it. The Abyssal Nexus is not a gift—it is a pact, a bond forged by destiny. It chooses its vessels, and you, Kairos Valtieri, are now bound to it. There is no escape."

Kairos narrowed his eyes, unwilling to show any sign of fear. The weight of the Watcher's words settled deep in his chest, but he pushed it down. He'd faced worse odds. "I'll decide my own fate. If that's what you came here to tell me, then I'll make sure your visit is short."

The Watcher tilted his head slightly, the pale glow of his eyes intensifying. "You are far more powerful than you realize, Kairos. But this strength is fragile, like the flicker of a dying flame in the wind. The Abyss is not your ally. It will consume you—slowly, surely—until all that remains is an empty shell. But perhaps... you will prove me wrong. I would be impressed if you do."

Kairos clenched his fists. "I don't need your approval. I'll prove to you that I can control the Abyss."

The Watcher's lips twisted into a smirk, the cold amusement evident in his voice. "We'll see about that. It's too late to turn back, Kairos. You've crossed the threshold, and now, the true test begins."

A shift in the atmosphere signaled the Watcher's next move. His form blurred with unnatural speed, and in an instant, he was standing directly before Kairos, the dark energy around him swirling like a storm. Before Kairos could react, a pulse of abyssal force shot toward him, a black tendril of power coiling around his body like a serpent.

"Abyssal Threading!" Kairos's mind screamed, instinctively summoning the power he'd gained. But the moment the tendril wrapped around him, it tightened, locking his body in place.

Selene moved to act, but the Watcher raised a hand. "Stay out of this, mortal," he said, his voice an impenetrable wall. "This battle is between me and him."

She hesitated, but Kairos's voice cut through the tension. "Selene, get back. I've got this."

She hesitated for only a moment longer before stepping back, her eyes fixed on Kairos. "Be careful."

The Watcher's eyes glowed brighter, the abyssal power swirling in the air around them. "You've activated the Abyss, but it is still not fully yours. Let me show you what true power looks like."

With a flick of his wrist, the tendril tightened further, squeezing the air from Kairos's lungs. His vision began to blur as the pressure mounted, but something within him snapped. He'd come too far to be a puppet. Not now.

The Abyssal Surge thrummed within him, its dark energy ready to explode. Kairos roared, forcing his body to move, his hands crackling with dark power. His fingers sparked, tendrils of shadow reaching out to grip the Watcher's black armor. "I won't be your pawn!"

In a sudden surge of will, Kairos's energy exploded outward. The tendrils shattered under the force of his Abyssal Surge, and the Watcher was knocked backward, his body skidding across the earth. The force of the pulse sent a shockwave through the battlefield, knocking trees to the ground and sending dirt flying into the air.

For a brief moment, everything was still.

But the Watcher rose again, his armor scorched but unyielding. He looked at Kairos, his smirk gone, replaced with a look of dark admiration. "Impressive," he said. "You have more fight in you than I expected. But it won't be enough."

Kairos's breath was heavy, his body aching from the battle. "I haven't even begun yet."

Battle Erupts:

The Watcher's eyes glowed even brighter, a swirl of abyssal energy gathering around him. Kairos, still reeling from the surge of power, steadied himself, preparing for what was to come. The Watcher raised both hands, and the air around them thickened with an oppressive energy.

Kairos's fingers twitched, his body readying for his next strike. He could feel it now—the Abyssal Surge surging within him, eager for release.

The Watcher's voice echoed, low and dangerous. "I will break you, Kairos Valtieri. And when I do, the Abyss will claim your soul."

Kairos's heart pounded in his chest. He didn't know what was coming next, but one thing was certain: this battle would determine everything. If he couldn't defeat this Watcher, the power of the Abyss would break him… and the world along with it.