Chapter 2 — The Goddess and the Abyss
The skies of the Demon Realm burned crimson that night.
Ash fell like snow. Screams echoed from broken castles, where lesser demons tore at each other for scraps of power.
In the middle of the ruins, Kael stood on a black stone platform, surrounded by shadows that obeyed his will. His voice was calm too calm.
"Rise, my shadows… the world forgot us. Let's remind it what fear means."
From the abyssal mist, forms began to take shape seven figures kneeling, each one powerful, each one broken.
The first, a horned knight with armor cracked by divine fire.
The second, a witch with a heart cursed to burn eternally.
The third, a fallen angel whose wings were black feathers dipped in blood.
Together, they became the first members of The Silent Abyss.
Far above, in the Divine Realm, a goddess watched from her crystal throne.
Her name was Elyndra, the Goddess of Twilight neither light nor darkness, but balance.
Her golden eyes shimmered as she saw Kael on her divine mirror.
"So… the prophecy was true," she whispered.
"The one who will destroy the false gods… and free the world from eternal lies."
Elyndra's heart trembled. She remembered something a faint memory of a boy in another world, staring at the night sky, whispering his dream of becoming a hidden power.
"You… you were the one I blessed by mistake."
Scene The Demon Awakens
Kael extended his hand toward a shattered demon core. The system's voice returned, whispering in his mind.
[Abyssal Upgrade Unlocked: Shadow Dominion Lv.1]
[Summon Abyssal Servant: Void Echo]
A wave of energy burst out.
Every demon nearby fell to their knees, trembling.
The air turned cold, the world turned silent only Kael's whisper echoed through the void.
"Bow before the shadow that watches from nowhere."
The corrupted demon lord, a beast of molten scales and hatred, lunged at him. Kael didn't move.
One step and the creature froze mid-air.
He raised a single finger, and black lightning consumed the monster from within.
The demons stared.
For the first time in centuries, they felt true fear.
Divine Realm
Elyndra placed a hand on her chest.
She could feel his soul the same boy she once pitied, now burning like a black star.
"Kael… what are you becoming?"
Her voice trembled not in fear, but in something else.
Curiosity.
Admiration.
Maybe even… love.
But she knew the truth:
If the gods discovered her watching him she'd be erased.
So she whispered through the void, soft enough for only him to hear:
"You are not alone in the shadows, my Demon Lord."
Kael froze for a moment, looking up at the burning sky.
That voice…
It felt familiar.
Warm.
"So even the heavens are watching…"
"Good. Let them."
He smiled, turning back to his army.
"Let the shadows rise."