The Eternal Abyss

"We must move to another room," Michelle declared, her voice unwavering, her emerald eyes fixed on Edward's. Her words carried a sense of urgency, leaving no room for hesitation.

Edward followed as they entered a small, dusty chamber nearby. The room was barely furnished, with only a writing table and a couple of old chairs in the dim moonlight. Heavy dust hung in the air, making each breath feel thick and weighted.

It was stifling, yet Edward's anticipation of uncovering the truth outweighed his discomfort. His gaze wandered across the walls. Faint silhouettes were painted there—dark figures, their details obscured by shadow, emanating an unsettling aura. The only light in the room came from the moon, its glow weak but steady, casting long shadows across the wooden floor.

For a moment, neither spoke. Then, Michelle broke the silence by raising her hand and gesturing toward a chair.

"Sit."

Edward silently obeyed. Once they were both seated, she began her explanation.

"We are on the continent called Schachtel," Michelle began, her voice steady.

"A vast and flourishing land, surrounded by water. Numerous nations, kingdoms, and empires have thrived here, each with history and ambitions. Among them stands our home—the Dragon Empire."

She paused briefly, letting the weight of her words settle before continuing.

"Legend has it that the Dragon Empire was established a thousand years ago by its first Emperor—a warrior of unparalleled strength who defeated the legendary two-tailed dragon in a battle so intense that it nearly shattered the skies. In that narrow victory, the Emperor gained immense power and forged an empire, forever immortalizing his greatest foe as the emblem and symbol of his reign."

Edward listened closely as she continued, the weight of history settling into the dim room.

"Thanks to his formidable strength, exceptional leadership, and astute political strategies, he expanded the empire's borders, conquering the entire western region, claiming substantial portions of the south and north, and establishing political dominance even in the East. Each subsequent Emperor followed in his footsteps, enhancing authority and power while advancing the Dragon Empire further toward absolute control."

"And they nearly succeeded."

Her emerald eyes gleamed in the moonlight, reflecting something between admiration and unease.

"A little over 20 years ago, the Dragon Empire was on the brink of controlling half of Schachtel. It was a time of unparalleled power, prosperity, and dominance."

"But then..." Michelle's voice became softer, darker.

"Then came The Eternal Abyss… or as some call it, The Great Calamity."

Michelle's voice lowered, her tone carrying the weight of something ancient that had shaken the very foundations of the world.

"It came out of nowhere," she murmured, her fingers tightening on the wooden table. "A tear in the very fabric of the world. A wound in reality itself."

She let the words settle, their meaning far heavier than they should have been.

"The sky… it didn't simply darken. It broke."

She looked up, her eyes shimmering in the faint moonlight.

"No storm, eclipse, or divine wrath—it was something else entirely. At first, it was just a sliver: a thin, jagged line high above the heavens, as if something vast and unseen had ripped through the sky like fragile cloth. Then, it grew."

"It was unlike anything we had ever witnessed. Not a void, not an abyss, but something deeper—a realm beyond existence, where time and space did not obey our laws. It was an open wound in reality, and we glimpsed something we were never meant to see—a place without form, light, or an end."

She took a slow breath as if the memory itself unsettled her.

"And then… they came."

She paused momentarily, allowing the weight of those words to sink in.

"They weren't demons. They weren't men. They weren't even gods. They were something else entirely."

Her hands curled into fists as she continued.

Creatures that had no place in this world, beings that did not belong in any realm. They bled through the cracks in the sky, twisting and shifting as they forced themselves into being. Some were massive—shapes that defied logic, with too many limbs or perhaps none. Others were small, skittering, creeping, whispering in tongues that shattered the mind. Their forms were impossible, their presence unbearable—just the sight of them drove men to madness.

She swallowed hard before continuing.

"But that wasn't the worst of it."

She leaned forward a bit, her voice now softer, as if she were afraid to say the following words out loud.

"They didn't just invade our world. They corrupted it."

"No army needed. They took control of what was already here."

She met Edward's gaze, the seriousness in her eyes sending a chill through him.

"The beasts, the monsters that had always roamed Schachtel—creatures we had fought and hunted for centuries—bent to the will of the Abyss. Their minds were stripped away, their instincts overwhelmed by something else. They became vessels, mindless extensions of the beings that had emerged from the Abyss.

"No one was safe. No fortress was strong enough. No army was large enough."

"The Dragon Empire, at the height of its power, had faced countless wars, conquered half the continent, and fought enemies that outnumbered them ten to one. But against these things, against the horrors from the Abyss, none of that mattered. We were nothing more than prey."

She leaned back slightly, her expression unreadable.

"They didn't come to conquer, Edward. They came to consume."

Looking into the ceiling, she continued.

"You remember the previous battle with the blue forces?"

Michelle's voice was low, almost unnervingly calm, carrying a weight that made the air feel thicker and heavier than before.

"Yes," he replied, swallowing hard. His eyes fixed on Michelle, his mind racing to grasp where this was headed.

"They were once the greatest opposing force against the Dragon Empire."

Edward frowned slightly. How she spoke… it was almost like she was talking about ghosts.

"The Aurion Empire," she continued, "a nation unmatched in warfare and knowledge. Their warriors were fearsome, their mages capable of reshaping the battlefield with a single incantation. Their engineering was unparalleled; cities built towering walls and defenses years ahead. A true colossus of the East."

She paused, her gaze darkening.

"But even they… were nothing compared to the beings from The Eternal Abyss. They have Fallen."

The room felt colder. Edward didn't move—he just stared at Michelle, waiting for her to continue.

Because if one of the strongest empires in Schachtel had been helpless against the Abyss...Then what chance did anyone have?

Michelle studied Edward for a moment before speaking again.

"You do remember that Commander Richard is a 2-Star Knight, don't you?"

Edward blinked. How she said it made it sound more important than he initially thought.

"Yes," he replied slowly, unsure where she was going with this. "I heard you talking about that earlier."

Michelle nodded, twisting her hair.

"Then do you understand what that means?"

Edward hesitated. He thought he did. Richard was strong—far more potent than a normal man—but the way Michelle looked at him made it clear there was more to it than he realized.

She exhaled. "I figured as much."

Leaning forward slightly, she locked eyes with him.

"You must understand that even a 1-Star Knight or a 1st Order Mage is already beyond normal humans."

She tapped the table lightly as if trying to emphasize her words.

"Most people—even trained soldiers, skilled warriors, and seasoned veterans—will never achieve a 1-Star ranking. It demands extraordinary talent, relentless training, and, most importantly, the ability to awaken something greater within yourself."

She paused, shifting slightly in her chair.

"Reaching 2-Star? That puts you among commanders and noble champions. A single 2-star Knight can fight and defeat dozens of normal men without breaking a sweat.

3-Star Knights? Elite monsters on the battlefield. They can crush stones with bare hands, react faster than the eye can follow, and easily dodge arrows.

4-Star? Legends. The kinds of warriors whose names are sung in songs, etched in history, and feared by all. Only a handful of warriors in an entire generation will ever reach this level."

She sighed, shaking her head.

"5-Star Knights? Monsters in human form. The strongest nations would kill to have just one in their ranks. A single warrior of this level could turn the tide of war."

Her voice dropped lower.

"6-Star? They stand alone. Empires rise and fall in their wake. A single 6-Star warrior or mage could slaughter armies, tear through fortresses, and shatter mountains with a mere blade swing."

She leaned back, her gaze distant.

"And then there's 7-Star…"

A deep silence filled the room before she spoke again, her voice barely a whisper.

"If the stories are true, then a 7-Star being is no longer human. They are forces of nature. A single 7-star warrior or mage could stand against entire kingdoms alone. They don't just alter the course of a battle; they change the course of history."

She paused before finishing.

"And that is why, Edward… even reaching 1-Star is already a miracle."

Michelle's expression hardened.

"And yet… the creatures from The Eternal Abyss are born at 2-Star strength or higher."

Edward's breath caught.

"Wait… you're saying…?"

She nodded grimly.

"Even the weakest among them—the ones we refer to as Abyssal Spawn—are on par with a squad of trained 2-Star Knights."

She let that sink in before continuing.

"Their growth is unnatural. Their power is limitless. And their strongest…?"

Her fingers tightened.

"Even a 6-Star warrior barely stands a chance against an Abyssal Tyrant. What about a Monarch or a Primordial?"

A moment of silence. A flicker of unease and depression.

"There has never been a recorded fight against one. Because no one has ever survived to tell the tale."

Michelle continued swiftly.

"You need to understand something, Edward… the Abyssal beings were not even the biggest problem."

Edward frowned. "What do you mean?"

She leaned back a little, her gaze distant, as though remembering something she wished she could forget.

"The creatures from the Abyss… they were already beyond anything we had ever faced. But what made them truly unstoppable was their ability to control the beasts that already roamed our lands."

Edward felt a chill creep down his spine.

He suddenly recalled something—a memory from earlier—when searching for Michelle. As he wandered the castle halls, trying to locate the healer, he passed by a group of injured soldiers resting against a crumbling stone wall. Their armor was battered, their faces hollow, and their voices barely more than whispers.

"My village…" one of them murmured. "Gone. A single beast tore through everything… my home, my family, my neighbors… nothing was left."

"Same happened to mine," another rasped, his eyes empty. "We thought we could fight it. Sent our best hunters, the strongest men. They didn't last a minute. It wasn't even one of the Abyssal ones. Just… a normal monster. But no one—no one—could stop it."

A third soldier, older, his body covered in half-healed wounds, let out a bitter chuckle.

"You know what's worse?" he muttered. "Those monsters used to be rare. Dangerous, yes, but at least we knew where they lurked. Now? They're everywhere."

"Why?" someone whispered.

The old soldier swallowed hard.

"Because the Abyss is controlling them now."

Edward continued to walk, their words resting heavily in his chest. He hadn't grasped it back then. But now…

"They were already powerful," Michelle continued. "Wendigos, Basilisks, Wyverns, Titans—creatures that took entire battalions to bring down. Beasts that had ruled the untamed lands of Schachtel for centuries."

She clenched her fists.

"And the Abyssal forces turned them into slaves."

Edward swallowed hard. The soldiers' words from earlier now made perfect sense.

"Just the beast-controlling entities alone were enough to conquer kingdoms," Michelle said. "With a single thought, they could bend monstrous creatures to their will, turning them against the people who had spent generations keeping them at bay."

Her voice dropped lower, colder.

"The Abyss didn't need to send an army. They corrupted what was already here. And once those creatures fell under their control, the rest of the world followed."

Edward could feel his heartbeat in his ears. The Abyssal Beasts were terrifying. But the ones who controlled them?

They were the true nightmare.

Michelle exhaled as if deciding she had shared enough for now. But before ending the conversation, she studied Edward closely, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"There's one more thing," she said, her voice quieter now. More serious.

Edward stiffened. "What is it?"

She hesitated for just a moment before asking,

"Have you ever… spawned The Runes?"

Edward blinked.

"The what?"

Michelle didn't answer immediately. Instead, she leaned in slightly, her gaze searching his face as if trying to read something deeper within him.

"Think carefully," she said. "Have you ever felt something unusual within yourself? A presence—something that wasn't quite magic, wasn't quite strength, but something… more?"

Edward's mind raced. The word "Runes" meant nothing to him. He couldn't recall anything about them. Yet, somewhere in the depths of his thoughts, buried beneath the fog of his lost memories—something stirred.

A flicker. A pulse. Something ancient.

A dull, glowing pattern flashed in his mind—just for an instant. He gasped, his body tensing involuntarily.

Michelle noticed. Her eyes widened ever so slightly before she whispered,

"…I see."