The Rift’s Secret

The moment Lucian and Ash stepped through the ancient archway, the world shifted.

The ruins, the Forsaken, the distant echoes of battle—all of it vanished.

Darkness swallowed them whole.

For a fleeting moment, Lucian felt weightless, as if he had been pulled into a vast, endless void. Cold air coiled around his skin, and the sensation of falling rushed through his veins.

Then—light.

A sudden, violent pull yanked them forward, and the next thing he knew, they were somewhere else entirely.

Inside the Rift

Lucian's boots hit solid ground.

He stumbled, adjusting his grip on Selene, who was still unconscious in his arms.

Ash landed beside him, steady on their feet. They exhaled sharply, scanning their new surroundings.

It was unlike anything Lucian had ever seen.

The Rift was no ordinary realm—it was a fractured dimension, suspended between reality and oblivion.

The ground beneath them was a swirling mass of shifting colors, shifting between deep violet and unnatural blues, pulsing with unseen energy. Massive floating shards of stone and crystal hovered in the sky, defying gravity. Rivers of golden light flowed like liquid stars, twisting in ways that made his mind ache.

And in the distance—a single towering structure stood at the center of it all.

A black spire.

Lucian's breath hitched. He could feel the Abyss's pull stronger than ever.

Whatever that place was—it was alive.

And it was calling to him.

Selene's Awakening

A weak breath stirred in Lucian's arms.

Selene's eyelashes fluttered open, her golden eyes dazed and unfocused.

"Lucian…" Her voice was barely a whisper.

He knelt quickly, lowering her to the strange, shifting ground. "I'm here. Just hold on."

Her hand trembled as she touched her forehead. "Everything feels…wrong."

Lucian bit his lip. "You burned yourself out back there."

She gave a weak, wry smile. "That bad, huh?"

His chest tightened. He hated seeing her like this—so fragile, so exhausted. She had always been a force of nature, untamed, unstoppable.

Now? She looked like she could barely hold herself together.

Ash knelt beside them, pressing their fingers against Selene's wrist. A deep frown crossed their face. "She's weak, but stable. But we can't stay here long." They gestured toward the distant spire. "That's where we need to go."

Lucian nodded grimly. "And that's where the Abyss is waiting."

The Rift's True Guardian

The moment Lucian said the words—the air shifted.

A low hum filled the atmosphere, vibrating in his bones.

Ash tensed. "Something's coming."

Lucian's grip tightened on his sword. "What now?"

Then, from the golden rivers of light, something rose.

A figure.

Not a Forsaken.

Not a monster.

A man.

Tall, elegant, and clad in armor woven from the very essence of the Rift itself. His form shimmered, almost translucent, yet impossibly solid. His eyes—piercing silver—bore into Lucian's soul.

Lucian froze.

Something about this man felt… familiar.

Selene, still weak, gasped softly. "That can't be…"

The figure smiled.

"Hello, Lucian," the man said, his voice smooth like velvet. "I've been waiting for you."

Lucian's blood ran cold.

He knew that voice.

He knew that face.

It was impossible.

Because the man standing before him was someone who had been dead for centuries.

The first Vessel of the Abyss.

A Forbidden Truth

Ash took an instinctive step back, their body rigid. "That's not possible. The first Vessel died long ago."

The man chuckled, stepping forward. "Did I?" His gaze flickered toward Lucian, unreadable. "Or have you only been told half the story?"

Lucian's breath was shallow.

This wasn't just some spirit or illusion.

This was real.

The first Vessel—the one who was supposed to have perished in the Abyss's grasp—was alive.

Or rather, he had become something else entirely.

Selene struggled to sit up, her golden eyes locked onto the figure. "Who… what are you?"

The man smiled. "I am what you will become, Lucian. The inevitable conclusion of your fate."

Lucian's grip on his sword tightened. "I don't believe in fate."

The man tilted his head. "You will."

Then, with a wave of his hand, the Rift itself responded.

The floating stones trembled. The rivers of golden light shifted, swirling into something dark and endless.

And behind him—a door began to form.

An entrance into the very heart of the Abyss.

The final trial.

Ash swore under their breath. "Lucian, we can't trust anything he says. He's tied to the Abyss."

Lucian barely heard them.

His mind was spinning.

He had fought so hard to resist the Abyss's pull.

He had spent every moment fighting against what it wanted him to become.

And now, standing before him, was proof that he might not have a choice.

That no matter how hard he fought…

He might still lose himself in the end.

The Impossible Choice

The man took another step forward, his silver eyes glowing faintly.

"I know what you're thinking, Lucian. That this is a trick, that I'm just another piece of the Abyss's game."

His lips curled into a smirk.

"But here's the truth you've been running from."

He gestured toward the swirling door behind him—the entrance into the final depths of the Abyss.

"You must embrace the Abyss to defeat it."

Lucian's heart pounded.

"What?"

The man's smirk remained. "You heard me. You cannot destroy the Abyss without becoming one with it first."

Ash hissed. "Lies."

But Selene's gaze remained locked onto the man, a deep uncertainty flickering in her golden eyes.

Lucian felt trapped between two forces.

If what this man said was true… then everything he had been fighting for was a lie.

He had spent his life resisting the Abyss.

But now, he was being told the only way to win was to give in.

A terrible silence filled the Rift.

Then—

Lucian took a step forward.

Ash's eyes widened. "Lucian, don't."

Selene reached for him weakly. "Lucian…"

Lucian stopped in front of the man, staring deep into his silver eyes.

"Prove it," Lucian said, voice dangerously quiet. "Prove that embracing the Abyss is the only way."

The man's smirk grew.

"Very well."

The Rift shuddered.

And in the next instant—Lucian's entire world turned to darkness.