The Abyss

The second crack in the sky did not bring thunder. It brought silence.

In the wake of the first Rift's horrors, humanity had only begun to understand the nature of their enemy—and even that understanding came in fragments. But as the second Rift tore open above the frozen Atlantic, black lightning split the clouds in veins that bled shadows. The sun dimmed, not from eclipse, but fear. From the fissure emerged a tide of forms that had no name, no shape, no logic.

Creatures slithered through the air with no mass. Some looked vaguely humanoid, others like colossal insects woven of smoke and iron. One Abyssal resembled a cathedral with wings, its eyes made of bells that never rang. Another took the form of a dying star encased in flesh. And yet—none of them made a sound. Their presence silenced birdsong, ocean roar, and even human thought. Those exposed for too long lost language itself.

"They are not of our plane," whispered Archbishop Elrian of Old Vatican, staring at a floating mass devouring the spires of Dublin. "They are absence. An invasion of non-being."

In the Geneva Archive Vault, Gaia's greatest minds gathered to study the intrusions. What they found terrified them more than the creatures.

"They're evolving," said Dr. Laena Myrr, pointing at a blurred recording. "Look at this one—its structure is mimicking the military formation of our Third Division. It's not just learning. It's adapting, mimicking strategy."

"But they have no language. No social behavior. No known hierarchy," countered Professor Haru Saito.

"Not true," interjected a new voice.

All heads turned as a man cloaked in silver and obsidian entered. Leonardo Granhart, now crowned King of the Unified European Dominion, stood tall despite the weight of rulership. Behind him, guards flanked a bound Abyssal limb encased in runes and lead. It pulsed like a heart trying to remember its beat.

"They have hierarchy," Leonardo said coldly. "And this… was the arm of a general."

Murmurs filled the hall.

"They are not random. The smaller ones swarm and scout. The larger ones command. But there is something above even them—creatures that our weapons can't touch. We've identified ranks based on the resistance they offer to Ether disruption. We call it the Abyssal Threat Index."

Dr. Myrr stepped forward. "The... Index?"

Leonardo nodded grimly.

"From Rank 12 to Rank 0. Rank 12s are feral, mindless. Rank 5s are city-killers. Rank 1s can warp space. Rank 0s…" He hesitated. "They can tear through reality itself. And there's more."

A low growl came from the bound limb. The lead casing cracked ever so slightly.

Leonardo's voice dropped. "There are two we have recorded beyond even Rank 0. Abyss Emperors."

A hush fell.

One of the generals, a seasoned man named Commander Althus, stood rigid. "Where did they appear?"

Leonardo's jaw clenched. "Once in Kyoto. Once in Cairo."

"And the damage?" asked someone in a whisper.

"There is no Kyoto," Leonardo answered. "And Cairo… is a crater."

Far across the sea, inside the deepest chasm formed by the Rift, something opened its eyes.

A being vast and unknowable stirred. It had neither name nor form in the tongues of men. Its presence made time fold in on itself. Around it, lesser Abyssals bowed—not from reverence, but from instinct. It did not command. It simply existed, and in doing so, it ruled.

Its gaze turned toward Earth.

And somewhere deep within its fractured core, it remembered a sound from a different universe.

A heartbeat.

A challenge.

Humanity.

And it smiled, not with lips, but with inevitability.

Back in Gaia's stronghold, Leonardo stood before the rising Council of Eight—soon to be known as the Octagram.

"We stand at the precipice," he said, his voice a rallying force. "The Abyss will not negotiate. It will not retreat. But we are not yet broken."

He held up a scroll—a map showing the locations of twenty-seven sealed Divine Artifacts.

"We have found weapons. Tools of the First Civilization. The same beings who once drove the Abyss away—long before our recorded history began."

"And who will wield them?" asked General Vales.

Leonardo's gaze was steel.

"Those who survive the Trial. Those who answer the Artifact's call. They will become the defenders of Earth."

"They will become the Integral Knights."