Chapter 2: The Feast of the Damned

Hunger.

It gnawed at his very being, an insatiable craving unlike anything he had known before. As he staggered to his feet, he realized he was not alone. Shadows with hollow eyes and twisted forms lurked, watching, waiting.

They were like him—souls cast into the abyss, stripped of their humanity, reduced to mindless husks. But he was different. He was not meant to rot here.

One of the creatures lunged at him, its gaping maw filled with jagged teeth. Instinct took over. His hands moved, not to block, but to tear. He grabbed the creature's throat, his grip tightening until he felt something crack. The monster let out a strangled shriek before dissolving into black mist—mist that flowed into him, filling the void within.

Power surged through his veins. He laughed, low and wicked.

"So, this is how it works…"

The others hesitated, sensing a predator among them. But he was done hesitating. He launched himself forward, a ravenous beast among sheep. The abyss had given him hunger. He would turn it into strength.

In the distance, a figure watched with glowing red eyes. A woman, draped in shifting shadows, her expression unreadable. Selene Nightbane. Unlike the mindless creatures, she retained her will, her own hunger as dangerous as his.

"You're not like the others," she murmured. "But neither am I."

Kael wiped blackened blood from his lips and smirked. "Then let's see who devours who first."

Suddenly, the abyss trembled, and enormous chains made of enchanted silver erupted from the void. Ancient runes glowed across their length. A monstrous three-headed beast, Cerberus of the Abyss, emerged, its mouths dripping with molten gold.

Selene smirked. "You want power? Then survive this."