Chapter 2 – Awakening in the Abyss

Few days before.....

The darkness of the cell stretched endlessly, swallowing Raizen's breath as he sat motionless against the damp, cold stone floor. The agony of betrayal clung to his soul like an iron shackle, but even that pain paled in comparison to the cold realization—the world had already discarded him.

His body was broken, his mind exhausted, yet something stirred within him. It was neither hatred nor vengeance, but something far deeper. A whisper, a call from the depths of existence itself.

But before that, before this endless abyss, there had been a time when the world still made sense…

The House of Valor

The House of Valor had once stood as a pillar of strength among noble families. It was not only a lineage of warriors but one that carried the blood of something far more ancient.

Raizen's father, Lord Kael Valor, was a man of unyielding discipline, a warrior who had fought countless battles for the empire. His mother, Lady Seraphina, possessed wisdom beyond measure, guiding the family with an unshakable will. Together, they had forged an unbreakable household… or so Raizen had believed.

He could still recall the grand halls of his home, the towering banners, the smell of steel and parchment that defined his upbringing. His father had trained him since childhood, ensuring his blade never wavered, that his will remained unbroken.

"Strength is not given, Raizen. It is taken. If you do not carve your own path, the world will carve one for you."

His mother's lessons were softer, yet no less important.

"A sharp mind is a weapon deadlier than any sword. Know your enemies before they know you, and you will never fall."

He had believed in those words, held onto them like sacred scripture. But when the time came, when betrayal sank its teeth into his family, strength and wisdom had not been enough.

The Imperial Court, a den of vipers, had turned against them. Framed for treason, the House of Valor was torn apart in a single night. His father had fought until his last breath, protecting his people, his name—his honor. His mother had perished in the flames of their ancestral home, her body never recovered.

And Raizen… Raizen had been captured.

Dragged through the streets in chains, beaten, mocked, and humiliated before the same people who once praised his name.

"This is the fate of traitors!" they had cried.

"The House of Valor is no more!"

Lies.

But lies, when spoken by the powerful, became truth.

And truth, when buried deep enough, became legend.

Now, in this forsaken abyss, he was nothing but a forgotten whisper.

Raizen's fingers twitched.

The darkness in his cell was absolute, yet something within it… moved.

A sensation crawled over his skin, an invisible force watching him.

He inhaled sharply, pain stabbing through his ribs, but he refused to bow.

"What is this place?"

He had assumed it was a prison, a forgotten hole where the empire discarded the unwanted. But the longer he remained, the more he realized—this was something else entirely.

The walls shifted when he wasn't looking, the air felt alive, and the silence was never truly silent.

And then…

A voice.

Faint at first, like a whisper carried by the wind.

"You… are not meant to die here."

Raizen's eyes snapped open.

"Who's there?" he demanded, his voice hoarse from lack of use.

No answer.

Only the sensation of something ancient stirring.

The chains around his wrists began to burn, but not from pain—from something else.

And then it came.

A flood of memories that were not his own.

Visions of endless wars, of gods falling, of a throne carved from the bones of kings.

A power that had been sealed away, hidden deep within the world's fabric.

And in the center of it all…

A name.

"Devourer."

Raizen gasped, his body arching as an invisible force flooded through his veins. His heart pounded like a war drum, his very soul screaming in recognition.

This was not an ordinary prison.

This was a place where something had been waiting for him.

And now, that something had awakened.

A laugh, deep and resonant, echoed in the abyss.

"You finally hear me, child of ruin."

Raizen clenched his fists.

This was not the end.

This was only the beginning.

And when he emerged from this darkness…

The world would kneel.

To be continued.....