Kael's steps were measured, his pulse steady, but inside, his power thrummed like a storm waiting to be unleashed. Every fiber of his being told him that something was coming something monstrous.
The sky above had begun to darken, unnatural clouds twisting like hungry specters. The land itself trembled under an unseen force, the very air crackling with dark energy.
Lyra kept pace beside him, her fingers tight around her weapon. "You felt it too," she said, though it wasn't a question.
Kael nodded. "It's close."
Behind them, the golden-armored warrior Judicator Valen watched with an unreadable expression. "Then the corruption has begun its next phase." His grip tightened around his greatsword. "If you are not prepared, it will consume you before you even see its true form."
Kael turned to him. "And yet you're still testing me."
Valen's lips curled into something resembling amusement. "I had to see if you were truly ready. And now I know…" His golden eyes locked onto Kael's. "You are."
A sudden rumble shook the ground beneath them. The horizon twisted, as if the world itself was being torn apart.
Then, it appeared.
A rift unlike any before jagged, pulsing with shadows and crimson light, like a bleeding wound in the fabric of existence. From within, something moved, its presence vast and suffocating.
A low, guttural growl resonated through the air.
Lyra's breath hitched. "That… doesn't sound good."
Kael stepped forward, his eyes locked onto the rift. His newfound power pulsed within him, demanding action.
Valen raised his blade. "This is it. The entity that has been corrupting the Abyss."
Kael's hands clenched into fists. He had fought countless enemies, had survived impossible odds but this was different. This was the source of it all.
And he was ready.
The darkness within the rift swelled, a monstrous presence beginning to emerge.
Kael exhaled. "Let's finish this."