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Kael's body plunged into the endless darkness, the sensation of falling stretching far beyond what should have been possible. His mind barely clung to consciousness, the echoes of betrayal still fresh in his memory. The last thing he had seen before plummeting into the abyss was his brother's smirk—an expression carved into his very soul with searing hatred.
The abyss did not welcome him gently. The air itself felt thick, pressing against him like a living entity, sapping the warmth from his body. His limbs flailed, but there was nothing to grasp, only the weightless sensation of sinking deeper and deeper into the unknown void.
Then, suddenly—impact.
A jolt of agony shot through him as he hit something unseen, like striking solid ground despite the endless darkness around him. The pain was real. Tangible. A harsh reminder that he was still alive.
"Where… am I?" Kael groaned, struggling to push himself up, his palms scraping against a rough, cold surface.
A whisper, barely audible, brushed against his ears.
"Welcome to Oblivion."
A shiver ran down Kael's spine. The voice was neither male nor female, neither close nor far. It was everywhere and nowhere, wrapping around him like the abyss itself had spoken. He clenched his fists. He would not show fear. He had already lost everything—what more could he possibly be afraid of?
A sudden flare of light burst before his eyes, blinding in the endless dark. A screen materialized before him, floating ominously.
---
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE.] [OBLIVION SYSTEM ACTIVATED.] [YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN.]
---
Kael's breath hitched. He had heard of stories where fallen warriors were granted power beyond mortal limits, where forsaken souls were given a second chance. Was this his salvation? Or was it merely another cruel twist of fate?
The screen flickered, revealing a set of new messages.
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[OBLIVION SYSTEM SYNCHRONIZATION IN PROGRESS…] [ERROR: HOST BODY TOO FRAGILE. IMMEDIATE ADAPTATION REQUIRED.] [RECONSTRUCTING PHYSICAL FORM…]
---
Before Kael could react, his entire body ignited with an unbearable heat. He collapsed onto the cold ground, gritting his teeth as his muscles twisted and bones cracked. It was as if he was being reforged, reshaped from the inside out. His screams echoed into the abyss, but no one was there to hear him.
Seconds stretched into eternity. Then, silence.
Kael gasped, his body trembling. The pain had subsided, leaving behind something foreign—power. His fingers curled, and he could feel the raw strength coursing through his veins, a hunger clawing at the edges of his consciousness. The system had changed him.
A new message appeared before him.
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[RECONSTRUCTION COMPLETE.] [OBLIVION INHERITANCE UNLOCKED.] [WELCOME TO THE ABYSS, KAEL DRAVEN.]
---
Kael slowly pushed himself to his feet. His body no longer ached. Instead, it felt... different. Stronger. He flexed his fingers, watching as shadows coiled around his hand like living tendrils, responding to his very will. A smirk touched his lips.
"So, this is my new reality…?" he muttered, gazing into the darkness.
A deep, guttural growl echoed from the abyss beyond. He was not alone.
The real test was about to begin.
---
New Section: The Watchers in the Dark
As Kael's eyes adjusted to the darkness, faint glows flickered in the distance, resembling ghostly blue embers suspended in the void. He tensed, instincts warning him that those were not mere lights.
He took cautious steps forward, his boots scraping against the coarse surface beneath him. The ground was neither stone nor metal, but something unsettling—something that felt alive. He clenched his fists as he approached the floating orbs of light.
Then, they blinked.
Eyes. Dozens—no, hundreds—of them, staring at him from the abyss, watching, unblinking.
Kael's breath quickened. The air turned heavy, thick with an unseen pressure. The entities moved in the shadows, their forms indistinct but their presence suffocating.
Then, a voice, deeper than the chasms of the abyss itself, resonated through the void.
"A new pawn enters the game."
A figure emerged from the darkness, towering and draped in a swirling mass of shadow. Its form was ever-shifting, never quite solid, yet undeniably humanoid. The entity's eyes gleamed with an intelligence far beyond mortal comprehension.
Kael did not back down. If this was his test, he would face it head-on.
"Who are you?" he demanded, his voice steady despite the dread clawing at his gut.
The shadow-being chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down Kael's spine.
"Names are meaningless in Oblivion, but you may call me Erebus."
The abyss trembled at the name.
Kael tightened his grip. He did not know what this Erebus was, but if he was to survive, he needed to learn—and fast.
The game had begun.
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