The moment Kael's shadowy double faded into the void, the battlefield fell into absolute silence. The swirling abyssal energy that had once surged around him now receded, as if the Abyss itself had recognized his dominance.
Lyra stepped forward cautiously, her grip still tight on her blade. "Kael…" she whispered, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. "Is it over?"
Kael exhaled, feeling the power inside him settle not wild, not uncontrollable, but his. He turned to her, his gaze steady. "No."
The rift was still there. And from within its depths, something shifted.
Then, the voice spoke again, resonating through the darkness like a forgotten echo.
"You have proven your will. The Abyss no longer resists you."
A presence loomed beyond the veil, far greater than the entities Kael had faced before. It wasn't a singular being—it was the Abyss itself, watching, waiting.
Kael straightened. "Then what happens now?"
The darkness pulsed, slow and rhythmic, like the heartbeat of something immortal.
"Now, you choose. Will you wield the Abyss as a god would, bending reality to your desire? Or will you walk the path of mortality, ever struggling against forces greater than yourself?"
Lyra's breath hitched. "Kael… what are they saying?"
He didn't answer. His mind was racing.
This was more than just power. This was dominion. If he accepted, he would no longer be just a man with power he would become the Abyss incarnate, a being who could unmake worlds, rewrite fate itself.
But what would he lose?
Kael closed his eyes. He had fought for control, not for destruction. He had embraced the Abyss to survive, not to become its puppet.
When he opened his eyes, his decision was made.
"I don't need to be a god," he said, his voice unwavering. "I just need to be strong enough to protect what matters."
A pause. Then—laughter.
Not cruel. Not mocking. But acknowledging.
The Abyss trembled, and suddenly, the oppressive weight in the air lifted.
"Then take what is yours, Kael."
A surge of pure power rushed into him—not invasive, not overwhelming, but his to command. For the first time, the Abyss did not try to consume him.
It bowed to him.
The rift sealed itself, the tendrils of darkness retreating, and Kael felt something shift in his soul. The Abyss had tested him. And now, it recognized him as its master.
Lyra exhaled, watching him with awe. "You… did it."
Kael looked at his hands, feeling the immense power humming beneath his skin. Then he turned to her, a smirk forming.
"We did."
And as the last remnants of the abyssal storm faded, Kael knew—this was only the beginning.