A Whisper in the Dark
The night was unusually cold. A haunting wind slithered through the capital of Astralis, its presence unnatural, laced with an unseen malice.
The First King sat alone in the grand hall, his throne room lit only by the faint glow of torches. His mind was restless despite his pact with the Supreme Administrator. He could feel the power coursing through his veins, but with it came a strange unease.
Something was coming.
Leon's interface flashed violently.
─── [System Alert] ───
Abyssal Lords Initiating First Strike.
Unknown Anomaly Detected Near the First King.
Curse Imminent.
Leon's expression hardened. Damn it. He had expected the Abyssal Lords to retaliate, but not so soon.
Somewhere within the palace walls, a whisper echoed, barely audible but chilling to the core.
"O' king of Astralis… you have walked too far into the light. But even light casts a shadow."
The First King's eyes widened. He stood abruptly, his hand reaching for his sword.
"Who goes there?"
But the whisper was already inside him.
The room grew darker, torches flickering as shadows twisted unnaturally along the walls.
A curse was taking hold.
The Curse of Despair
The First King staggered, gripping his head as an invisible force burrowed into his soul.
Leon's interface exploded with notifications.
─── [Critical Alert] ───
The First King has been afflicted with the Abyssal Curse of Despair.
Mental corruption increasing.
Sanity at risk.
Leon's heart pounded. If this continued, the First King could succumb to madness before the real war even began.
The curse was designed to erode his will, filling his mind with doubt, regret, and endless sorrow.
"You let them die…"
A voice slithered through his consciousness.
"All your warriors. All your people. You call this victory?"
The First King clenched his jaw, his breathing ragged.
It was a lie. He knew it was a lie.
And yet…
His mind filled with images—visions of his people turning their backs on him, of his kingdom burning, of endless defeat.
Leon's Intervention
Leon didn't hesitate.
─── [Administrator Override Activated] ───
Attempting to dispel Abyssal Influence…
Failure.
Curse rooted in divine essence. Additional measures required.
Leon cursed. The Abyssal Lords weren't playing fair.
If he couldn't remove it outright… then he had to counter it directly.
He reached out through the system, his presence flooding the First King's mind.
"Listen to me." Leon's voice cut through the whispers like a blade.
"This is an illusion. A trick. The Abyss cannot harm you unless you let it."
The First King gritted his teeth, his fists clenched.
He could feel Leon's presence strengthening him, cutting through the fog in his mind.
He took a deep breath.
And with a roar, he forced the shadows back.
Abyssal Resistance
The darkness shuddered, as if in pain.
Leon's interface flashed again.
─── [Curse Suppression: 75%] ───
The whispers grew more frantic, desperate.
"No… you are ours. You cannot defy us!"
The First King's eyes burned with golden light, his divine strength flaring to life.
He swung his sword, and though it struck nothing but air, the room exploded with radiant energy.
The curse screamed as it was driven back—but not destroyed.
A final whisper remained.
"You may resist today, but despair is eternal… and we are patient."
Then, the darkness vanished.
The curse had been weakened but not broken.
The war had truly begun.
Zar'akh's Fury
Far within the Abyss, Zar'akh watched through his dark orb.
The curse had failed.
The First King had resisted.
His clawed fingers dug into the armrest of his throne, his abyssal rage barely contained.
"The Administrator… is more troublesome than I expected," he growled.
One of the Abyssal Lords, Mordrax, stepped forward. "Shall we unleash the second wave?"
Zar'akh's eyes gleamed.
"No," he murmured. "Not yet. Let him believe he has won."
His lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Because the next time we strike, we will break him completely."
The Calm Before the Storm
Back in Astralis, the First King sat upon his throne once more, his breathing still heavy.
Leon watched him closely.
He had survived. He had resisted.
But the battle had only just begun.
Leon's interface pulsed with a final warning.
─── [System Forecast] ───
Abyssal Lords plotting next move.
A greater war is inevitable.
Prepare for the next battle.
Leon exhaled.
Let them come.
Because this time, he would strike first.
The First Strike
A Kingdom on Edge
The sun rose over Astralis, but its light felt hollow. The people sensed it—the looming threat lingering in the air. The Abyss had not been defeated, merely delayed.
The First King stood upon the balcony of his citadel, his gaze sweeping over the vast lands before him. Though he had resisted the curse, its lingering presence gnawed at the edges of his soul. The whispers had faded, but they were not gone.
Leon's interface pulsed again.
─── [Administrator Update] ───
Abyssal Lords are reorganizing.
An unknown entity is approaching the borders of Astralis.
Immediate action required.
Leon narrowed his eyes. They weren't waiting for long.
If he wanted to keep the First King from being overwhelmed, he had to act before the next attack began.
The Unknown Threat
The royal guards at the city gates watched as a lone figure approached from the misty horizon.
Clad in a tattered cloak, the figure moved slowly, yet with purpose. Every step seemed unnatural, as if the very air around them distorted in response.
The guards felt a sudden chill, their instincts screaming danger.
"Halt!" one of them called out, raising his spear. "State your identity!"
The figure stopped.
Then, with an eerie slowness, it lifted its head.
Beneath the hood, there was no face—only darkness.
And from that darkness, a voice echoed.
"The Abyss has sent me."
Before the guards could react, the figure vanished.
A moment later, the air rippled, and an invisible force crushed the guards where they stood.
The city gates exploded, their ruins flung into the streets.
The war had begun.
Leon's Intervention
The explosion sent a shockwave through Astralis, rattling the throne room.
Leon's interface blared with alarms.
─── [Emergency Protocol Engaged] ───
Enemy identified: Abyssal Specter, Level ???
Threat Level: Catastrophic.
Leon acted instantly, tapping into the Administrator's Authority.
[System Command: Reinforce First King's Defenses]
A surge of golden energy flooded through the city as barriers of light rose around the palace. But outside the barriers, chaos erupted.
The Abyssal Specter moved like a shadow, weaving through the streets, leaving nothing but decay and ruin in its wake.
The royal army rushed to engage, but their weapons passed through the creature as if it weren't even there.
Leon gritted his teeth. Physical attacks were useless.
The First King, sensing the devastation, materialized in a flash of divine light at the front lines. His golden sword burned with celestial fire as he faced the specter.
"Show yourself, coward!" he roared.
The shadow flickered. Then, it solidified, revealing its full form.
It was tall, thin, and wreathed in black flames, its face still obscured by the abyssal void.
And then it spoke again.
"You defied the Abyss once," it hissed. "There will be no second time."
The Battle Begins
The Abyssal Specter lunged, moving faster than the eye could follow.
The First King barely managed to parry, his divine sword clashing against the formless entity. Sparks of gold and black energy erupted as the two forces collided.
Leon analyzed the specter's patterns, searching for a weakness.
─── [Combat Analysis Running…] ───
Abyssal Specter: Shadow Entity. Weak to Divine Constructs.
Can only be damaged by pure celestial energy.
Leon's mind raced. He had one option.
He accessed his Administrator Authority, tapping into the system's core functions.
[System Modification: Grant Divine Reinforcement to All Allied Soldiers]
A pulse of golden light surged through the battlefield. The royal soldiers, previously powerless, felt their weapons hum with newfound strength.
The First King's sword ignited, the celestial flames now burning hotter than ever before.
And this time, when he swung his blade, the Abyssal Specter screamed.
A Turning Tide
The battle raged across Astralis.
The First King fought relentlessly, each strike burning away more of the abyssal corruption.
The specter howled, its formless body unraveling.
But even as it began to fade, it whispered one final warning.
"You… are not ready for what comes next."
Then, with a final, soul-piercing shriek, the Abyssal Specter shattered into oblivion.
The battlefield fell silent.
Aftermath
The First King stood amidst the ruins, his chest rising and falling.
Leon's interface confirmed the battle's result.
─── [System Update] ───
Abyssal Specter Eliminated.
First Defensive Victory Achieved.
The Abyss Will Retaliate.
Leon's relief was short-lived.
The Abyssal Specter had been a scout. A warning.
The real war… had yet to begin.
And in the darkness of the Abyss, Zar'akh watched with amusement.
He whispered to himself, his voice dripping with malice.
"Let the first strike be yours, Administrator. But the last… will be ours."