Chapter 54: The Abyss Unleashed

A Fractured Victory

The battlefield lay in ruin, littered with the corpses of abyssal beasts and fallen warriors. The stench of burnt flesh and sulfur choked the air. The Rift had retreated, but it had not closed. It pulsed like a gaping wound in the sky, its edges crackling with unnatural energy.

Thalos stood motionless, his sword buried in the ground. His body ached from the battle, but it was the war inside him that weighed heavier. He could still feel the Abyss lingering beneath his skin, coiling like a predator waiting for weakness.

Eryndra was at his side, watching him closely.

"You're still fighting it, aren't you?" she asked softly.

He exhaled, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter. "It's not something that can just be… shut out. It's always there. Whispering."

She placed a hand over his. "Then don't fight it alone."

The warmth of her touch was grounding. He closed his eyes, focusing on it rather than the darkness clawing at his mind.

But the moment was shattered by a voice—sharp, commanding.

"Thalos Arctur."

They turned to see a group of armored figures approaching. Their insignias bore the mark of the Eternal Dominion, the ruling force that had long sought to eradicate abyssal corruption from the world. At their center stood General Saren Valcrest, a man known for his ruthless efficiency and unwavering loyalty to the Dominion's cause.

His cold silver eyes locked onto Thalos with unreadable intensity.

"You wield abyssal power," Saren stated. It wasn't a question.

Silence fell over the field. The remaining soldiers—both allies and enemies—watched with bated breath.

Eryndra instinctively stepped in front of Thalos, her stance protective. "He saved all of you. If not for him, that Riftbeast would have—"

"That does not change what he is," Saren interrupted. "The Dominion does not tolerate abyssal influence."

Thalos finally spoke, his voice steady. "So what happens now?"

Saren's gaze was unreadable. "You come with us. Willingly, or in chains."

---

Between Chains and Freedom

Eryndra's fingers twitched toward the hilt of her blade. "You're not taking him."

Saren raised a brow. "Would you fight the Dominion for him?"

"If I have to," she said without hesitation.

Thalos placed a hand on her shoulder, his touch gentle but firm. "Eryndra, don't."

She turned to him, disbelief in her eyes. "Thalos, you can't—"

"They won't stop," he said quietly. "If we resist, they'll call us enemies of the Dominion."

"And if you go with them, they'll kill you!" she shot back.

Saren didn't deny it.

Thalos looked around. The battlefield was littered with soldiers who had fought for the same cause, but now, because of what he was, they saw him as something else. Something dangerous.

He had spent his life fighting for this world. And yet, in their eyes, he was no longer part of it.

"You saved them," Eryndra whispered. "And now they want to chain you like a criminal."

Thalos met Saren's gaze. "If I go with you, what happens?"

"You will be judged," Saren replied. "If you are too far gone, you will be executed. If there is a way to sever your connection to the Abyss… you will serve the Dominion under strict watch."

A choice between death and servitude.

Eryndra clenched her fists. "This is wrong."

Thalos exhaled. "Maybe. But it's the world we live in."

Eryndra turned to him, eyes blazing. "Then let's change it."

---

A Last Stand

Before Thalos could respond, the ground beneath them trembled.

The Rift pulsed violently, its energy flaring as if enraged by the Dominion's presence.

A deep, guttural growl echoed through the battlefield.

Then the sky split open.

A shadow erupted from the Rift, massive and unfathomable. A beast unlike any before—its form shifting between smoke and solid matter, its many eyes gleaming with something beyond hunger.

It was a true entity of the Abyss.

A Harbinger.

Saren's soldiers barely had time to react before it moved. In a single sweep, it obliterated an entire squad, their bodies disintegrating as abyssal energy consumed them.

Panic erupted.

Saren barked orders, but his forces were in disarray. The Dominion had come prepared for an execution, not a war against a being beyond mortal comprehension.

Thalos felt the pull immediately. The Harbinger's presence was suffocating, its influence like a thousand voices screaming in unison.

It recognized him.

And it wanted him.

Eryndra grabbed his wrist. "Thalos, don't listen to it!"

The Harbinger's gaze settled on him, its voice echoing through his mind.

You are one of us. Come. Embrace eternity.

His body locked up. He could feel it pulling him, calling him. It would be so easy. Just one step, and the pain would end. No more fear. No more fighting.

Just power.

Eryndra saw it happening. She saw the flicker in his eyes—the hesitation.

And she did the only thing she could.

She kissed him.

The battlefield, the screams, the Rift—it all faded. There was only her warmth, her touch. Her lips against his, grounding him in a way nothing else could.

When she pulled away, her hands cupped his face, her eyes fierce. "You are not theirs, Thalos. You never were."

He inhaled sharply. The Abyss' grip loosened. The Harbinger let out a guttural snarl, displeased.

Thalos straightened. "No," he said, voice steady. "I am not."

Then he turned to the Harbinger, golden light flaring in his eyes.

And he attacked.