Abyss Stares Back

Liam stood in the alley, his breaths thick, wounds afire, but mind cutting sharper than previously. His body still hummed with power—biodestructive and feral—but the elation of triumph lasted only moments.

For something else had come out of the shadows.

The beings who appeared at the entrance of the alley were not Hunters. Not human.

They observed. Learned. Decided.

And then, specters, they vanished.

"Liam," Noctis said, his voice lower than before. "That wasn't an accident. They were ambushing you."

Liam's fists curled, his shadows writhing in fury. He wanted to attack them, to make them pay, but even his own instincts cautioned him to wait. Not yet.

The battle had drained him, and his wounds ran deep. He was powerful—more powerful than ever—but even power had its limits.

For now, he had to keep moving.

Before the Hunters had re-grouped. Before the armies of the unknown had returned.

Before the nightmare was really underway.

---

---

Liam slapped his injured shoulder and pushed on, moving through side streets with cat-like stealth. The city wasn't yet fully awake, but its streets were nearly deserted this time of day.

The Hunters had underestimated him tonight, but they wouldn't next time.

They would be back. More prepared. Large.

"You have time to heal," Noctis panted. "Time to get ready for what's coming next."

Liam did not dispute this. He already knew.

He walked into a ruined section of the city—an abandoned factory complex where few ventured. There, amidst the ruins of forgotten industry, Liam had found a temporary sanctuary.

Somewhere to rest. Somewhere to reflect.

But as soon as he entered, he knew—he was not alone.

---

Liam's shadows sprang to life in an instant, encasing his arms as he readied himself to attack. His instincts yelled, his body already in motion—

And then he saw her.

A girl, slouching against one of the ancient steel pillars.

She was young, perhaps a year or two older than him, in black combat armor. But most striking about her were her golden eyes—cold, calculating, full of something he couldn't quite recognize.

"Not bad," she said, folding her arms. "Mostn't even realize I'm there until it's too late."

Liam didn't back down. "Who the bloody hell are you?"

The girl grinned. "You can call me Riven."

Noctis seethed in the recesses of his mind. "Liam, be cautious. That name. that name is recognized by the Hunters."

Liam's eyes turned frosty. "You're one of them?"

Riven cocked an eyebrow. "Do I resemble a Hunter?"

She was right. There was something else within her—something that refused the strict discipline of the Hunters he had previously known.

"So what do you want?" Liam cut in curtly.

Riven stepped away from the beam, moving closer. "To the point. I disapprove." She stood some feet back from him, appraising him. "I witnessed your fight. You're strong, but you have no conception of what really is occurring, do you?"

Liam clenched his jaw. "Explain."

Riven's gold eyes sparkled. "The Hunters aren't your biggest issue. They never were your enemy, really."

---

Liam wasn't moving, but in his head, his thoughts were in a wreck.

"What do you mean?"

Riven took breaths, watching the fragile light that seeped through the shattered ceiling. "The Hunters believe they hold the upper hand. That they're the ones to maintain the balance between light and dark."

She looked back at Liam, her smile thinning.

"But there's something worse than them. Something they can't control."

Liam's hands quivered at his sides. "The creatures in the alley."

Riven nodded. "Yeah. Those weren't Hunters. And believe me—you don't want to be on their list."

Liam's gut clenched. He'd sensed it—the difference in their presence, the heft of something so much greater than ordinary danger.

"So what are they?" he prodded.

Riven's hesitation was brief. Then her voice fell lower.

"They're referred to as the Abyss Order."

Noctis' response was instinctual.

"Liam—RUN."

Liam went icy with terror. Noctis had never spoken to him like that before.

"Why?" Liam bellowed. "What in the name of the devil are they?"

Riven gazed at him with a hard face. "They're the ones who built the first Shadowborn."

Liam's mind cleared.

Built?

Noctis' tone snapped. "They are not friends. They are not foes. They are something between. They are looking for. something greater."

Liam balled his fists tightly in his grasp. "And why do they need me, anyway?"

Riven's lips grew into a stubborn line. "That was what I was attempting to foretell."

She inched toward him, again.

"You're developing too fast. You're crossing boundaries which weren't ever meant to be crossed." Her eyes leaped to his. "And they've seen it."

Her statements weighted him with a cold pall.

He'd been running so long from the Hunters, believing they were the greatest threat.

But now something much, much older was on his back.

And that.

That was bad.

---

---

A tension exploded into the air.

Liam and Riven both spun back toward the door, just in time to witness a tear in reality itself.

A black void opened, dark tendrils oozing out like ink in water.

Liam recoiled, shadows bursting around him. "What the—"

Noctis' whisper was a hiss. "They're already here."

From the rift, a being emerged.

Not a Hunter.

Not even human.

It stood tall, unreally so, its body shifting from substance to smoke, its face obscured behind a chilling, featureless mask.

A voice—not voiced, but felt—hummed in the air.

"Liam Vaelthorne."

Liam's heart racing. It recognized his name.

Riven cursed, her hand flying to the dagger at her hip. "Shit, we have to go. Now."

But Liam did not stir.

The figure lifted a hand—long, clawed fingers tracing strange symbols in the air.

And the world tilted.

The shadows surrounding Liam—his shadows—began to slide away from him, drawn to the figure as if gravity had reversed.

Pain slammed through his chest.

His eyes dimmed, his body faltering.

The figure spoke again, its voice a whisper in the empty space.

"Come with us. Learn the truth."

Liam's knees were about to give out. They were stealing his strength.

He struggled to push back, to fight—

Couldn't.

The figure's presence was crushing, smothering him in an endless abyss.

Riven clamped his arm. "No heroics. MOVE!"

A burst of strength, she pulled him back—just as the room was hit by another explosion.

The rift grew larger, the air twisting agonizedly.

Liam kept his feet before Riven yanked him toward the door.

"We need to vanish," she hissed. "Now."

Liam's breathing was jerky, his mind reeling.

But glancing back—

The figure observed.

It didn't move to pursue them.

And that was worse.

Because that meant this was only the start.

And Liam had just been branded.