Night became day as blinding light poured from the rift overhead. Villagers shouted or stood frozen in awe. The tear yawned wider, and through it something enormous emerged.
Liam thought a second moon was falling—until he saw a colossal eye glowing eerie violet, attached to a sinuous body. A serpentine creature slid through the crack amid dark mist. It had black scales, tattered wings, and many smaller eyes along its length. At its head glared the giant eye, surveying the world below.
With a thunderous boom, the sky's rift spat the creature out, then sealed shut. The monster plummeted, striking the fields near the old monument with tremendous force. The ground heaved; Liam was thrown off his feet. Then silence, broken only by ringing ears and distant cries.
Dazed, Liam stood. Dust and smoke choked the air. The meeting hall was partly collapsed, villagers stumbling about. "Ma! Da!" Liam shouted, spotting his mother by the ruins with baby Kara in her arms. Before he could reach her, the air itself rippled.
Reality warped—trees bent at wrong angles, the village wavered as if reflected in water. Liam heard strange whispers in his mind that were not his own. He squeezed his eyes shut, and the moment passed, leaving him shaken. Through the haze, he saw his father and a group of men approaching a smoking crater where the creature had fallen. Afraid but curious, Liam crept forward, trailing behind at a distance.
At the crater's edge, the ground was torn and scorched. The ancient stone pillar lay toppled and cracked. In the center of the impact site lay the creature, its long body coiled and wounded. One wing was crumpled, scales shattered from the fall. The giant eye flickered weakly with violet light. The beast was alive, but barely.
Harin nocked a flaming arrow. Other villagers formed a hesitant circle, weapons ready. Liam's father kept a protective arm in front of Liam.
The creature emitted a low moan that resonated inside Liam's chest—sorrowful and deep. Tears pricked his eyes without him knowing why. Some men groaned, clutching their heads as the sound reverberated through their minds.
Suddenly, the creature's numerous eyes all opened and fixed on Liam. He froze, heart pounding. The great eye glowed brighter, energy gathering as if to do something.
Harin panicked. He let his arrow fly with a shout. "No!" Liam's father yelled, but too late. The flaming arrow struck the creature's central eye. The beast reared back with a silent cry that Liam felt inside. A beam of blinding light shot upward from the wounded eye, then faded to sparks as the monster collapsed.
Seeing its chance, the group advanced. But Liam broke free of his father's arm and rushed toward the fallen creature. Its body was dissolving into streams of black and silver mist. He heard his father shout after him, but Liam's focus was locked on the fading monster.
Up close, Liam felt no fear—only pity. He reached out and pressed a trembling hand to the creature's scaled face, which was now softening into mist. The giant eye opened one last time. Liam's breath caught; he sensed a gentle presence, like a final goodbye echoing in his mind.
Then the creature dissolved completely. The mist swirled and surged toward Liam. It engulfed him, cool energy pouring into his chest. Liam gasped as visions flooded him: an endless starry void and a burning eye in the abyss. A name seared itself into his mind—Eye of the Abyss—before the images vanished.
When Liam came back to himself, he was on his knees in the dirt. The mist was gone. The only remnants of the beast were cracks in the earth and a quiet hum fading in his ears. He felt strange—alert yet exhausted. The world around him seemed sharper; he could hear distant sobs and crackling fires as if right beside him.
His father's arms enveloped him, pulling him close. "Liam, are you alright?" his father's voice quavered with desperate concern. Liam leaned into the embrace, nodding shakily. He glanced up to reassure his father and noticed a faint purple light reflected in the man's eyes. Only when Liam touched his own face did he realize the glow came from him—his eyes now bore an otherworldly violet ring.
"I think so," Liam answered softly. He was scraped and bruised but intact. Yet he felt the weight of something new inside, like an ember glowing in his chest.
All around, villagers stared at Liam with fear and wonder. The sky above was whole again, stars twinkling overhead. Tharn's Hollow was forever changed.
Relief and sorrow mingled in every heart; the danger had passed, but nothing would ever be the same. In one night, Liam had lost his childhood peace and gained an unimaginable power.
As dawn's first light crept in, Liam pressed his face to his father's shoulder, tears coming at last—for fear, for loss, and the unknown now inside him. His father held him tight, whispering it would be alright, even as his own tears fell.
Thus ended the day the sky cracked. Liam's simple life was over, and a new journey—lit by the Eye of the Abyss—had begun.