The silence of the morning was broken by a strange sound—neither wind nor whisper, but something far more ancient. Kairo stood atop the jagged cliffs of Aelthar Ridge, his eyes locked on the runes now etched into his arm—glowing faintly like a dying star. The Pale Sigil had appeared last night in a burst of dreamfire, and with it, a voice: "You have been marked. The Abyss remembers."
Below the cliff, the land was scarred by war. Villages left to rot, forests consumed by ash, and rivers that ran with dust instead of water. The world was dying slowly, but something had begun to stir—something older than the Abyss itself.
Kairo clutched the sigil. It pulsed in response, a living rune that fed on memory and fear. He knew this wasn't a blessing. It was a warning.
"Your bond has deepened," said Yurei, emerging from behind him. The pale-cloaked guardian of the Fold watched him with her usual unreadable gaze. "The Pale Sigil does not appear by chance. Someone—something—wants to awaken you further."
"I didn't ask for this," Kairo muttered, his voice low. "I didn't ask to be part of any ancient prophecy."
"No chosen one ever does," Yurei replied. "But the mark is on you now. The Abyss has started remembering its King."
Before Kairo could respond, the air shifted. A ripple tore through the sky like a scar forming across the heavens. The Foldgate above them shimmered violently—unstable, trembling.
"They found us," Yurei said.
Without another word, the sky tore open. A creature descended, wreathed in blue fire and bone-black wings—a Reaver of the Old World. Its mouth moved without sound, speaking in forgotten tongues as it hovered, its many eyes focused only on Kairo.
But this time, Kairo didn't run.
He stepped forward, feeling the Pale Sigil burn on his skin. The language of the Reaver began to make sense—fractured syllables weaving into meaning. The creature wasn't here to kill him.
It was here to kneel.
Yurei's eyes widened. "Impossible…"
The Reaver lowered itself until its wings folded like veils around its body. "You are remembered, Abyss King. We kneel as bound. Speak the Sigil, and we shall obey."
Kairo felt a storm rise in his chest. The Abyss within him stirred, drawn to the creature's presence. He wanted to scream, to deny it all—but part of him whispered acceptance.
He didn't speak. He didn't have to.
The Sigil lit up, burning white for a moment—then blue.
The Reaver vanished into mist, as though dismissed by unseen command.
Yurei took a step back. "You didn't say anything."
"I didn't need to," Kairo whispered.
Something had shifted. Power he never wanted now bent to his will. The Abyss wasn't asking for permission. It was taking him back.
And Kairo? He didn't know if he had the strength to resist.
But it was already too late.