In the silence of the Abyss, where every sound seemed absorbed by the void itself, something happened that shattered the laws of that world.
A familiar voice.
> "Eidan...? Is that really you?"
Eidan turned slowly.
His eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, immediately recognized that figure.
The broad shoulders, the scar on his left eyebrow, the uncertain but determined posture.
> Kael.
Not a hallucination. Not a fragment.
His cousin. Alive.
---
š§¬ Blood of the same blood
Kael Valest.
His blood cousin, son of his mother's sister.
After the war had devoured both their parentsāand Eidan's little sisterāthey had been entrusted to their only remaining relative: their grandfather, an old master swordsman who lived isolated in the mountains.
Raised in a strict dojo, they learned to fight, but not to live.
Every mistake was punished. Every weak gesture was scorned.
Their grandfather didn't tolerate failure.
And between the twoā¦
Eidan excelled.
Kael didn't.
> "You were the strong one," Kael said, with a half-smile.
"I was the dead weight."
---
š„ A fire that never goes out
Kael recounted what had happened after Eidan's disappearance.
> "When they left you for deadā¦ they left me behind. No one wanted to fight with me. No one thought I was useful."
> "And what did you do?" Eidan asked.
Kael gritted his teeth.
> "I stayed alive. One day at a time. And I kept repeating grandfather's kata... until..."
Before Eidan's eyes, Kael drew a blackened sword, wrapped in subtle runes.
He took a single step, then a precise, sharp technique, like an embodied memory.
---
āļø [System ā New Awakened Ability]
[FALLING LEAF STYLE ā Valest School]
Secret technique passed down for generations. Requires deep dedication and inner harmony. Increases precision and fluidity of movement by 35%.
---
Eidan said nothing.
But for the first time in a long time, he felt pride.
> "You have awakened grandfather's style..."
"Yes. Only that. But it's mine. Finally mine."
---
š¤ A promise between blood
The two cousins stared at each other.
The Abyss seemed more distant, less cold.
> "I will never leave you behind again," Eidan said.
> "I don't want to be protected. Just... walk beside you."
> "Then let's go back together. The Tower awaits us."
---
š [System ā Blood Bond Activated]
> EIDAN + KAEL ā Valest Bond
Bonus: Increased coordination, access to combined abilities.
Unlocked Special Technique: "Brotherly Blade" ā Unison counterattack reflecting shared trauma.
---
And as the Forgotten World slipped behind them, two warriors forged in pain marched toward the Tower.
One filled with power.
The other, with hope.
But both bore the memory of the Valest in their blood.