Chapter 4: Abyssbound

Kael stepped forward. The doorway loomed ahead, a monolith of dark stone pulsing with an eerie blue glow. It was unlike anything he had seen in the wasteland—structured, deliberate, as if waiting for him.

The entity's voice rumbled once more.

"Beyond this threshold lies the path to true power. But be warned, Abyssforged…"

Kael narrowed his eyes. "There's always a price, isn't there?"

The silence that followed was answer enough.

With a breath, he pressed his palm against the cold surface. The stone trembled, then shattered into shifting mist.

The world beyond was different.

A towering chasm stretched into infinity, massive chains hanging from unseen heights. Floating platforms of blackened stone hovered in the abyss, each inscribed with unfamiliar symbols that pulsed with shifting energy.

At the very center, a lone figure stood.

Kael halted. His instincts screamed at him. This wasn't another mindless beast or wraith. This was something… deliberate.

Then, it spoke.

"You finally arrived."

The voice was human, yet layered with something deeper. The figure stepped forward—tall, draped in abyssal black, its face hidden beneath a hood.

Kael tensed. "Who are you?"

The stranger's head tilted slightly. "A question I should be asking you."

Something about the way he said it unsettled Kael. But he kept his stance firm. "You already know who I am."

A chuckle. "Do I?"

Then, without warning, the stranger moved.

Kael barely had time to react before the air cracked. A blade of pure abyssal energy materialized in the stranger's hand, slashing toward him with deadly precision.

Kael leapt back, shadows coiling around his arms as he summoned his own defense. The impact sent a shockwave through the platform, cracks splintering beneath their feet.

The stranger didn't stop. He was fast—too fast. Every strike came with a calculated intensity, pushing Kael back. But Kael wasn't the same as before. He had fought wraiths. He had faced a guardian. He had embraced the abyss.

And he wasn't about to lose now.

He twisted, allowing the abyssal force within him to guide his movements. The shadows around his arms hardened, forming clawed gauntlets. He caught the next strike, twisting the energy aside before retaliating with a counterattack of his own.

Their battle became a dance of shadows. Each move sent ripples through the abyss, the very air bending to their clash.

Then, in a flash, Kael saw an opening.

He struck.

His clawed hand pierced through the stranger's cloak—only to find nothing beneath it.

The figure dispersed into mist.

Kael's breath hitched. A whisper brushed against his ear.

"You fight well. But you are still incomplete."

Before he could react, pain exploded in his side.

The real attack had landed.

Kael staggered, abyssal energy crackling through his veins. He had been too slow.

The stranger reappeared a few steps away, watching him with something akin to amusement. "You are strong. But strength alone will not carry you to the depths."

Kael gritted his teeth. "Then what will?"

The stranger raised a hand. The chasm around them trembled, the abyss itself shifting.

"Understanding."

The platform beneath Kael's feet crumbled.

He fell.