The Abyss Stares Back
Chapter 1: The Abyss Stares Back
Content Warning: This novel contains explicit graphic violence, psychological horror, and themes of extreme trauma. It explores unsettling and disturbing content, including physical and psychological torture, mental instability, and gore. Reader discretion is strongly advised.
Scene 1: The Setup – A World That Crushed Him
They say a man truly dies when he loses his will to live. But Seth Kaelthorn's death began long before that.
The first thing he tasted was blood. The metallic tang coated his tongue, thick and suffocating, mixing with the filth of the slums. His body was broken, a crumpled heap in the mud, but he could still feel. That was the cruelest part—he was still alive.
The rain fell, but it did not cleanse. It only spread the filth. The stench of piss, rotting meat, and unwashed bodies mixed with the coppery scent of fresh blood.
A shadow loomed over him, a boot crashing down.
CRACK.
His ring finger bent backward, nearly torn off. Pain shot up his arm, but Seth barely reacted. He had no energy left to scream.
Above him, laughter.
"Elias Dainhart – The False Hero, The Kingdom's Butcher"
The golden-armored man sneered, his blade still wet with blood. Behind him stood noble lords, knights, and corrupt officials, all watching with amused indifference. Their fine silks and polished boots did not belong here, in the filth where Seth bled. But that was the point.
This was not punishment.
This was entertainment.
But none of them mattered.
Seth's remaining eye searched for only one thing.
His mother.
Scene 2: The Ultimate Cruelty – Breaking His Mother
Lyria Kaelthorn lay in the filth, her frail body already half-dead.
Her jaw was broken, hanging loosely.
One of her eyes was gone.
Her left arm was severed at the shoulder, a pool of blood forming beneath her.
Yet, she was still alive.
She was still breathing.
Elias sighed.
"You're stubborn, old woman."
He grabbed her by the hair, lifting her like a broken doll.
Her body sagged, but she still turned toward Seth.
Even now, she tried to smile at him.
A mother's last kindness.
Seth's fingernails dug into his palms.
Elias watched her closely.
Then he grinned.
"She still has strength? Let's take that away."
The sword came down.
It ripped through muscle.
It tore through tendons.
It split bone.
Lyria jerked violently.
Her arm hit the ground with a wet slap.
For the first time—she screamed.
And Seth started laughing.
It wasn't his choice.
It came from deep inside.
A sound he didn't recognize.
A high-pitched giggle, a breathless chuckle.
The nobles paused.
Elias raised an eyebrow.
"What's so funny?"
Seth didn't know.
The laughter wasn't his.
It was inside him.
Growing. Feeding.
His mother's severed fingers twitched in the mud.
The voices started whispering.
"Eat. Eat. Eat. Eat."
Scene 3: The Final Humiliation – Consuming His Mother
Elias picked up the severed limb.
"You look hungry, boy."
A knight grabbed Seth's face, prying his mouth open.
The limp fingers were shoved inside.
The blood was still warm.
Seth twitched.
He tried to pull away—but he was too weak.
Elias forced the severed hand deeper.
"Chew."
Seth choked.
His teeth pressed against soft, bloody flesh.
The taste of iron, of fat, of raw muscle.
He tried to vomit—but his stomach had nothing left to throw up.
The whispers grew louder.
"Chew. Chew. Chew."
A boot slammed into his gut.
The nobles howled with laughter.
Seth swallowed.
The whispers turned into screams.
His mother's voice.
"Seth. Why?"
His vision blurred.
The world turned black.
Scene 4: Awakening the Inner Beast – Birth of the "Dread Beast of Fear"
SYSTEM ERROR
⚠ ENTITY CANNOT BE DELETED
⚠ UNSTABLE SOUL DETECTED – INTERVENTION REQUIRED
The world shattered.
Seth was no longer in the slums.
He was inside himself.
The air was thick, suffocating.
Something stood before him.
A reflection.
No. Not a reflection.
It was him.
But not him.
"Vorrath – The Dread Beast"
The figure wore his face.
But its eyes were hollow pits of darkness.
Its mouth was too wide, stretching unnaturally.
Its teeth were jagged, sharp, animalistic.
Blood dripped from its lips, from its fingers, from its entire being.
It smiled.
And it spoke.
"Why did you let her die?"
Seth twitched.
The thing tilted its head.
"Why did you eat her?"
Seth's breathing hitched.
"Why did you enjoy it?"
Seth froze.
The thing grinned wider.
"You liked it, didn't you?"
Seth's stomach twisted.
His fingers dug into his skull.
"Shut up."
The thing laughed.
"You want more."
Seth shook his head violently.
"Shut up."
The whispers grew into a storm.
"More. More. MORE. MORE. MORE."
The thing stepped closer.
Its grin split its face open.
"Let me take over."
Seth gasped.
His mind was drowning.
The hunger was consuming him.
His fingers twitched.
His lips curled.
And he spoke.
"If this world wishes to turn me into a beast… then let me be its nightmare."
SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT:
⚠ UNKNOWN ENTITY HAS MERGED WITH HOST
⚠ NEW TITLE UNLOCKED – DREAD BEAST OF FEAR
End of Chapter 1
📜 Author's Note: This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and settings are purely imaginary. This novel contains dark themes meant to enhance the story and character development. Reader discretion is advised.