Chapter 15: The Wraith’s Arrival

Kael stood in the abyss, the fading remnants of his last battle still swirling around him. His hands remained clenched at his sides, the memory of his own power fresh in his mind.

He had killed before.

But this—this was different.

The way the abyss responded to him, how the shadows obeyed his will without hesitation—it wasn't normal.

He hadn't just fought those assassins.

He had erased them.

A quiet hum vibrated through the air, almost like a pulse from the throne itself. It resonated deep in his bones, an unspoken truth pressing against his mind.

He wasn't meant to be here.

And yet, the abyss had claimed him anyway.

His breath was steady, but his thoughts were anything but. There was something wrong with this power. It felt familiar in a way that made his skin crawl.

And then—

A whisper.

Not from the throne this time. Not from the abyss.

Something else.

"Do you remember me?"

Kael's head snapped up, his gaze sweeping across the darkness. The air shifted, the edges of the abyss warping as something stepped through.

A figure.

Draped in a shroud of absolute black, its presence was an extension of the abyss itself. No footsteps. No sound.

Just pure silence.

Kael's instincts screamed.

This was different from the assassins.

This was a predator.

"You don't, do you?" The voice came again, low and velvety, laced with amusement. The figure stopped just outside the reach of Kael's senses, its shape blurred, as if reality itself refused to define it.

"You've fallen so far… the mighty heir reduced to nothing more than a lost shadow."

Kael's jaw tightened. Heir?

This thing knew him.

But Kael didn't know it.

Not yet.

"Who are you?"

The figure chuckled. "Names are for the living."

And then—it moved.

No sound. No warning.

One moment it was standing still.

The next—

Kael barely had time to react before a blade of pure void was inches from his chest.

His body acted before his mind.

Shadows surged from his fingertips, slamming into the figure, forcing it back. The air shattered where it had been, the void distorting violently.

Kael exhaled. Too close.

The figure stilled. And for the first time, Kael saw something that made his breath hitch.

Eyes.

Twin slits of molten gold burned beneath the hood.

"Better than I expected."

Kael didn't respond. He was already shifting, already reaching for the abyss. The throne had given him power, and now—

He had to use it.

The figure rushed forward again, and this time Kael met it head-on.

A clash of darkness against darkness.

Kael lashed out with his abyssal tendrils, striking with precision, aiming for the core of the presence before him. But it wasn't enough.

The figure weaved through his attacks effortlessly.

It didn't fight like a human.

It fought like something else entirely.

A blur of motion—

A dagger sliced through Kael's side.

Pain ignited across his ribs, but before he could react, a second strike came—faster, sharper.

Kael barely twisted away, the edge of the blade grazing his throat.

"You're learning." The figure's voice was mocking, but there was something else underneath—curiosity.

Kael's hand shot out, and this time, the abyss answered with force.

A shockwave of darkness erupted from him, the sheer weight of it warping the space around them.

The figure was forced back, its form flickering like a dying ember.

Kael pressed his advantage.

The throne had given him power.

And he would use it.

His body moved faster than before, instinct overriding thought. He closed the gap between them, his fist already coated in abyssal energy.

A strike.

The air tore apart as his attack landed.

The figure staggered.

For the first time—Kael had landed a hit.

The golden eyes narrowed. "Interesting."

Kael didn't let up.

He pushed forward, his attacks relentless.

The abyss responded in kind, his strikes no longer just physical—they carried the weight of the void itself. Reality buckled around them as each hit connected.

And then—

A crack.

The figure took a step back. A thin line of darkness leaked from its side.

Kael froze.

It bled.

It was the first sign that this thing—whatever it was—wasn't untouchable.

But the figure only laughed.

"I see it now."

The golden eyes burned brighter, locking onto Kael with an intensity that made his chest tighten.

"You don't even realize what you are, do you?"

Kael's breath was steady, but his mind was racing.

What did it mean?

"It doesn't matter." The figure straightened. "You'll learn soon enough."

And before Kael could strike again—

It vanished.

The abyss swallowed the figure whole, as if it had never been there to begin with.

Kael stood there, breathing heavily, his fists still clenched. The only proof that the battle had happened was the pain lancing through his ribs.

He exhaled slowly, his mind still reeling.

That wasn't just an enemy.

That was a test.

Who had sent it?

And more importantly—why did it know him?

Kael turned back to the throne, his glowing silver eyes narrowing.

One thing was clear.

He needed answers.

And he would find them—no matter the cost.