Fractured Names

Liam froze.

The abyss had spoken his name.

Not Liam Cross. Not Unawakened. Not the identity assigned by the world he once knew.

Liam Sovereign.

The name rippled through the void, heavier than sound, sinking into his bones, threading into his thoughts, a forceful truth that refused to be denied, a burning sensation prickling his veins, his vision blurring with fleeting images—faces of Mara, Varik, Elise, twisting into something alien. The weight of it pressed into his mind, digging beneath the layers of his consciousness, searching—confirming—something he hadn't even begun to understand, a cold dread coiling in his gut, his breath catching, his hands trembling, his knuckles whitening as he clenched his fists.

The shadows merged around him, their forms blurring into the mist, the ground trembling faintly, the air crackling with static, a faint hum rising, syncing with his pulse, the sound echoing in his ears. He staggered, his balance unsteady, the sensation of something unseen pressing against him, his pulse slamming against his ribs, cold sweat slicking his skin, the frost on his torn vest glistening in the dark, the cold biting deeper into his joints.

[System Warning: Cognitive Disruption Detected]

[Sync Threshold at 29%]

[Processing Anomaly…]

A sharp buzz surged through his skull, a cold shiver running down his spine, the system stalling, struggling, static crawling at the edges of his vision, a faint ache settling in his chest.

The abyss stirred, vast, shifting like a vast presence moving just beneath the surface of reality, warping the space between them, the mist thickening, the darkness deepening, the air heavy with the weight of the unseen, the silence broken only by the faint drip of water from an unseen source, the sound reverberating faintly. The entity remained still, its void-face unblinking, watching, waiting, its presence a weight on his soul, its silence screaming accusation, the ground pulsating faintly beneath him.

Liam swallowed hard, forcing his voice through the tightness in his throat, his breath ragged, his ribs throbbing with every inhale, a wince crossing his face, his muscles protesting with the effort. "You're mistaken," he growled, his voice low, a spark of defiance flaring despite the ache in his limbs, his eyes narrowing, his resolve hardening.

The abyss laughed.

Not a sound. Not an echo. But a distortion in the air itself, the mist trembling, the darkness curling inward, pressing closer, the cold biting deeper into his skin, raising goosebumps along his arms, the ground trembling beneath him, the air warping with the strain, a pulse rippling through the chamber, the hum intensifying.

"Are we?"

The question slammed into him, a force rather than a query, an expectation that demanded an answer, sinking into his mind, a burning sensation spreading through his chest, his vision blurring with memories not his own—reflections that twisted into alien shapes. Liam clenched his jaw, his body aching, his ribs burning, his muscles screaming with exhaustion, his hands shaking, his legs wobbling under the strain. But he didn't lower his stance, his breath uneven, the cold seeping into his bones.

"Yeah," he muttered, rolling his shoulders, a dark chuckle breaking through, the exhaustion fueling his defiance. "You are."

The void pulsed, the hum syncing with his heartbeat, a pulse inside him, the air crackling with unseen energy, the ground trembling faintly, the mist coiling tighter, the shadows merging closer, their forms blurring into the dark, the air thickening with the weight of the unseen.

Then, the entity moved.

The mist thickened, then wavered, the air warping around it, a faint hum rising, syncing with his pulse, the ground trembling as the entity shifted—one moment still, the next *impossibly close*—a shift that didn't follow space or logic, its presence looming over him, the weight of the abyss pressing against his skull, a cold shiver running down his spine, his breath catching, his hands instinctively reaching for Shadowfang.

But the blade's hum faltered, a flicker of discord cutting through its resonance, the energy dulled as if something was siphoning its power, the hilt warm against his palm, the vibration stuttering. For the first time, Liam felt the blade's limitation, a surge of frustration flaring in his chest, his knuckles whitening as he gripped it tighter, his breath hitching. A weapon was only as strong as the battlefield allowed it to be, and here, Shadowfang was faltering. He shoved the frustration aside, his gaze darting around, searching for an opening—a shift in the mist, a change in the entity's stance, anything to adapt.

The whispers surged, layers of voices overlapping, not one, not many, but fragments—shattered echoes of something once whole, something that had known him before he had even known himself, the sound slithering into his ears, a presence sinking deep, threading through his consciousness like an invasive force, a burning sensation prickling his thoughts, his vision blurring with the strain.

Liam gritted his teeth, his stance bracing against the pull of the abyss, his muscles straining, his ribs protesting, a gasp escaping his lips, his hands shaking as he adjusted his grip on the faltering blade. **[Warning: System Overload Imminent]** **[Sync 30% Achieved – Processing New Parameters]** A cold shiver ran through his spine, a sharp buzz grounding him, his vision clearing slightly, something inside him shifting, a faint ache lingering in his chest, his stats stabilizing at 30%.

The void whispered again, softer this time, its tone a distorted echo, the words sinking into his mind, a truth he couldn't shake. "You have forgotten."

Liam's pulse pounded, his heart thudding, his breath uneven, the cold biting deeper into his skin, the frost on his vest spreading, the air heavy with the weight of the unseen. The mist coiled tighter, the darkness deepened, the shadows merging closer, their forms blurring into the void, the ground trembling beneath him, the air crackling with static, the hum lingering in the air, a pulse pulling him deeper into the unknown.

The abyss waited—as if daring him to remember, its presence a weight on his soul, the entity's void-face unblinking, the ground trembling one last time, the silence broken only by the faint drip of water, the air warping with the strain, the void opening its eyes, and Liam saw himself—a reflection in the abyss, distorted, a truth he couldn't unsee, a pulse lingering in the air, tying him to the hum of the void.