The Call of the Abyss

A cold silence stretched between them.

The Abyssal Wraith loomed at the far end of the ruins, its formless body twisting like smoke, yet its jagged limbs remained eerily solid. It didn't lunge. It didn't attack.

**It was watching.**

Kael could feel something pulsing in the air—an invisible pull, a connection he didn't understand. The shadows around his fingertips swirled, responding to an unseen force, mirroring the dark mist that oozed from the Wraith's form.

Saren shifted beside him. He could hear her breathing—measured, controlled—but he knew her well enough to sense the tension in her body.

"…Kael," she said cautiously. "Why isn't it attacking?"

He didn't answer. He wasn't sure he had one.

The Wraith took a slow step forward, its ember-like eyes locked onto Kael. It was as if it was waiting for something.

And then—

A **whisper.**

Not in the air. Not from the Wraith.

**Inside his head.**

*You hear it now, don't you?*

Kael's blood ran cold. The voice was deep, layered, like a chorus of shadows speaking in unison. It wasn't the same as the Abyss Walker's voice—but it carried the same weight.

*You are one of us.*

Kael clenched his jaw. His pulse pounded in his ears.

Saren must have noticed something was wrong because she moved closer. "Kael?"

*You stand between worlds,* the voice continued. *A child of light… but no longer untouched by the dark.*

Kael's fingers twitched. The mist around his hands thickened, swirling in sync with the Wraith's own shadowy form.

And that's when it hit him.

The Wraith wasn't attacking him… **because it recognized him.**

Or rather—**it recognized what he was becoming.**

Kael's breath came faster. He could feel it—the Abyss tugging at him, urging him to step forward, to **embrace** it.

But he wouldn't.

He **couldn't.**

Gritting his teeth, he took a firm step back. "Stay out of my head."

The voice laughed—dark and amused.

*You cannot silence the Abyss.*

Kael squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment. **Focus.** He couldn't let this consume him. Not here. Not now.

Saren was still watching him. "Kael, what's happening?"

He forced himself to meet her gaze. "We need to move. Now."

Saren didn't hesitate. "Agreed."

But the moment she stepped forward—**the Wraith moved.**

Its form **shifted, twisted**—and then it lunged.

Saren reacted instantly, her blade flashing in the dim light. She slashed across its form, and for a second, the Wraith's mist-like body **parted**—only to reform an instant later.

It let out an **inhuman screech.**

Kael didn't think. He moved on instinct.

His hands lifted—and the darkness around his fingertips **surged.**

A pulse of shadow shot forward, colliding with the Wraith mid-lunge. It reeled back, its form **shuddering** from the impact.

Kael stared at his own hands. He had **felt** it. The pull. The **power.**

The Wraith hissed, shifting its form. This time, it didn't attack. Instead, it sank into the ruins' darkness, retreating into the shadows—watching.

Waiting.

Kael's heart pounded.

Saren turned to him, eyes sharp. "What was that?"

Kael exhaled. He felt… drained. Like something had been pulled out of him along with that attack.

"…I don't know," he admitted.

Saren studied him for a long moment. Then, she nodded. "We'll figure it out later. Right now, we need to get out of here before that thing changes its mind."

Kael didn't argue.

They turned and ran—moving swiftly through the ruined sanctuary, weaving between fallen pillars and crumbling archways. The shadows **watched** them, lingering at the edges of the ruins, whispering their presence in the air.

But they didn't stop them.

Not yet.

And as they disappeared into the distance—**the Wraith remained behind, waiting.**

Because it knew.

Kael **would return.**

**The Abyss always called back its own.**

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