The underground sanctuary felt ancient, as if time itself had forgotten its existence. Towering stone pillars lined the massive chamber, their surfaces etched with symbols that pulsed faintly with golden-black light.
Kael could feel it. The energy. It hummed beneath his skin, whispering in a language he didn’t understand.
Soren led him deeper into the heart of the Forsaken’s domain, where a circular stone platform stood. Its surface was marked with a massive eclipse sigil, glowing faintly beneath Kael’s feet.
“Your power is unstable,” Soren said, crossing his arms. “Left unchecked, it will destroy you before the gods even get the chance.”
Kael clenched his fists. “Then teach me.”
A faint smirk played on Soren’s lips. “Good. But be warned, this won’t be easy. The power inside you is not something you can simply control. You must make it bow to you.”
Soren took a step back, motioning toward the platform. “Stand at the center.”
Kael did as he was told. The second his foot touched the center of the eclipse sigil, the markings beneath him flared to life.
And then,
Pain.
A burning force tore through Kael’s veins, like fire and ice colliding inside his body. His breath hitched, his muscles locking as the world blurred around him.
This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
The sanctuary faded.
He was falling.
The Abyss Within
When Kael opened his eyes, he was somewhere else.
A void. Endless, suffocating darkness stretched in every direction. The only thing that remained was the eclipse sigil beneath him, floating in the abyss.
Then, the whispers began.
Low, guttural voices surrounded him, merging into a single, overwhelming presence.
“You are not meant to exist.”
Kael’s heartbeat pounded against his ribs. He turned sharply, but there was nothing. No enemy. No escape.
Then, a shadow moved.
From the abyss, something began to rise.
A figure identical to Kael emerged from the darkness, but its eyes burned with pure, merciless gold. Its body pulsed with the same golden-black energy that had shattered the sky during Kael’s awakening.
And when it spoke, Kael felt it reverberate in his very bones.
“I am what you fear.”
The shadow lunged.
Kael barely had time to react before a blackened blade slashed toward him. He twisted away, but the sheer force sent him skidding backward across the sigil.
The shadow moved faster than Kael could track. Every strike was precise, every movement flawless as if it knew every weakness Kael had before he even made a move.
Kael gritted his teeth. No. This isn’t real.
“Isn’t it?” The shadow grinned, its golden eyes narrowing. “You are weak. You are Forsaken. And you will fall”
Kael roared.
Power surged through him, raw and unrefined. His fist lashed out, and the sigil beneath him cracked as a shockwave of energy erupted outward.
The shadow staggered.
For the first time, it looked at Kael with something other than amusement.
Kael exhaled. The power inside him no longer felt wild or unstable. It felt alive.
“I am not weak.” Kael’s voice was steady, unyielding.
The shadow smirked. “Then prove it.”
Darkness exploded.
The Awakening
Back in the sanctuary, Soren and the other Forsaken stood in tense silence.
Kael’s body hovered above the platform, the eclipse sigil glowing violently beneath him. The energy around him crackled, unstable, dangerous.
Then, in a single breath,
Kael’s eyes snapped open.
The sigil shattered.
A pulse of golden-black light erupted outward, shaking the entire chamber. The Forsaken shielded themselves, but Soren watched with satisfaction as Kael slowly descended, his breath heavy, his golden-black eyes now burning with newfound clarity.
Kael looked at his hands. The power no longer felt like something foreign inside him. It was his.
Soren stepped forward. “Now you’re ready.”
Kael exhaled.
This was just the beginning.