A gust of freezing air surged through the chamber as the door groaned open. Shadows poured from the widening gap, writhing and twisting like living tendrils. The weight of the unseen force behind the door pressed against Kael’s mind, a suffocating presence that sent his thoughts spiraling into the abyss.

  Then, something stepped forward.

  A figure emerged from the darkness, draped in tattered robes that hung from its skeletal frame like decayed remnants of a forgotten era. Chains still clung to its wrists and ankles, their broken links dragging along the stone floor. The face beneath the hood was obscured, but a single pair of eyes gleamed—a deep, burning violet that pulsed with unnatural energy.

  Kael’s grip tightened on his pistol. His instincts screamed at him to run.

  Elysia's voice was barely a whisper. "This… is no ordinary prisoner."

  The entity tilted its head slightly, its glowing eyes locking onto Kael.

  "You… are not of this world."

  The words struck him like a hammer, each syllable carrying a weight beyond comprehension. His breath hitched.

  Phantom took a cautious step back, rifle raised. "What the hell does that mean?"

  The figure ignored him. Its gaze remained fixed on Kael, its expression unreadable. Then, slowly, it lifted a hand.

  The air trembled. The chamber around them flickered, warping and shifting as if reality itself was bending under an unseen force. And then—

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  Kael was no longer in the chamber.

  The world around him twisted, reshaping into a battlefield of stone and fire. Towers crumbled as monstrous, formless entities clawed their way through the ruins. Figures in armor wielding weapons of glowing energy clashed against the horrors, their desperate battle carving deep scars into the land itself.

  A lone figure stood at the center of the chaos. The same prisoner.

  But here, they were not a prisoner.

  They were a ruler. A warrior. A god of destruction.

  Then, Kael saw it—the abyss, the black lake from before. It pulsed, growing larger, consuming everything in its path. The warrior fought to contain it, forging chains of pure energy, binding the darkness in a final, desperate act.

  The vision shattered.

  Kael staggered, gasping for breath as he fell to his knees. The chamber returned, the others staring at him in alarm. Phantom reached for him, but Kael raised a shaking hand. "I’m fine."

  The prisoner lowered its arm.

  "I was the last to stand against the abyss."

  Kael swallowed hard. "And now you’re free."

  The being did not move. "The abyss has waited. It will rise again."

  Aldric tightened his grip on his weapon. "Then we should stop it."

  A low chuckle rumbled from the prisoner’s chest. "Fools. You are already too late."

  The chamber quaked. From the distant tunnel they had come from, a sound rose—a deep, guttural groan, like a leviathan awakening from the depths.

  The abyss was stirring.

  Elysia turned sharply. "We have to go."

  But Kael didn’t move. His mind raced. The prisoner was powerful—powerful enough to seal the abyss before. But could they trust it?

  "You fought against the abyss once," Kael said carefully. "Will you fight it again?"

  The being remained silent for a long moment. Then, the chains at its wrists clinked as it lifted its arms, flexing fingers that had long been bound.

  "I will fight."

  The ground split apart. Black tendrils seeped through the cracks, reaching for them. The abyss was coming.

  Kael clenched his jaw. "Then let’s move."

  They ran. And behind them, the prisoner strode forward—toward the rising darkness.