Chapter 19: The Abyss Calls
The battlefield warped.
Kael felt the shift instantly.
The ground beneath him trembled—not from an earthquake, but from something deeper. Something pulling at the very fabric of reality.
His golden-eyed counterpart stood in the distance, his sword resting at his side, his posture relaxed.
But his eyes burned.
"You feel it now, don't you?" he murmured.
Kael didn't answer.
Because he did feel it.
A presence had awakened.
A force that should not exist.
The abyss was no longer just watching.
It was calling.
And it was waiting for his answer.
---
Kael took a slow breath, forcing his mind to stay clear.
He could not give in.
His counterpart smirked. "Still resisting? Admirable."
He raised his free hand—and reality cracked.
Kael's vision twisted.
For a moment, he was somewhere else.
A city drenched in blood.
The air filled with screams.
And above it all—
A throne of black stone.
A king sat upon it.
A king with golden eyes.
Himself.
The vision shattered.
Kael staggered, breathing hard.
His counterpart stood before him, closer than before.
"You think you have a choice?" the golden-eyed Kael whispered.
"But the truth is—"
He raised his sword—
"You were always meant to fall."
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath Kael's feet.
Dark chains erupted from the abyss itself, wrapping around him in an instant.
His body locked.
The abyss's pull grew stronger.
His other self walked forward, pressing the tip of his blade against Kael's chest.
"This is the truth," he murmured.
"You can fight it all you want. But sooner or later—"
His golden eyes glowed.
"You will kneel."
Kael's heart pounded.
The chains tightened.
The abyss whispered.
Would he break?
Or would he rise?