The Abyss breathed.
It wasn't wind—it was alive. Every flicker of movement had intention, every whisper echoed from minds long shattered. But Kael no longer flinched.
His steps were silent across the obsidian stone, eyes glowing with faint violet flame—the mark of the Shadowflame Core pulsing within him.
The Primordial Witch was gone. Faded into shadow after awakening his curse… or his gift. She left no map, no instructions—only a single word, etched into stone with blood:
> "Conquer."
And so, he walked deeper into the black.
---
He wandered through ruins older than empires. There were twisted statues, half-eaten corpses of gods, and murals of beasts that had once devoured continents. Yet none of it moved him.
Not until he reached the chamber of blades.
A circular room, wide as a throne hall. Runes circled the edges, glowing faintly with killing intent. In the center stood a woman—tall, lithe, and cloaked in shadow-black leather armor.
Two curved daggers hung from her hips.
Her skin was pale like moonlight, hair a long cascade of raven-black tied in a warrior's braid. Her eyes… violet like his own, but colder. Sharper.
> "You shouldn't be alive," she said.
Kael didn't stop walking.
> "You're not the first to say that."
The woman vanished.
In a blink, her blade was at his throat.
Kael didn't move.
> "Fast," he murmured. "But I've fought monsters that chewed through stone. You're just a woman with knives."
The dagger nicked his skin.
She frowned.
> "You don't flinch. You're either brave or broken."
> "Both," he replied.
With a step back, she sheathed the blade and narrowed her eyes.
> "I'm Selene Nightshade. Ex-assassin of the House of Whispers. Banished for killing my master before he sold me to a noble swine."
Kael tilted his head.
> "And now?"
> "Now I survive. By killing anyone who steps into my chamber."
Kael let out a small breath, flickers of black flame dancing across his fingertips.
> "Then try."
---
She moved like death.
Her blades came in a blur, twin arcs of gleaming steel aiming for his throat and heart. But Kael didn't dodge—he absorbed. The moment her dagger touched his skin, the Shadowflame flared, swallowing her mana. She recoiled, eyes wide.
> "What—?"
Kael struck.
His palm met her chest—not to kill, but to push her back. She crashed against the wall with a snarl, flipping midair and landing in a crouch.
> "What kind of magic is that?" she hissed.
> "Mine," Kael said. "And you're not ready for it."
Selene smiled. For the first time in years.
LATER
They fought for hours. Blades clashed, shadows screamed, blood splashed. But no one fell. She was fast. Deadly. But Kael—he was evolving mid-battle. Learning her patterns. Feeding on her mana. Growing.
Until finally, he caught her wrist.
Shadowflame wrapped around her arm like a serpent, biting into her core. Her blades clattered to the floor.
Kael stepped in close.
"Yield."
Selene gritted her teeth.
"Kill me."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I need someone like you."
"Silence".
"Someone like me?" she echoed, bitterly. "You don't even know me."
Kael leaned closer, his voice low and rough.
"You're a killer. Alone. Feared. And furious at a world that broke you. You and I—we're the same."
Her breath hitched.
He extended his hand.
"Join me. Not as a servant. As my shadow. My sword. My woman, if you can handle what I become."
Selene stared at him.
This wasn't seduction. It wasn't mercy. It was domination without chains. And strangely… it thrilled her.
Slowly, she reached out.
Their hands met.
The Shadowflame licked up her arm, but didn't burn. Instead, it marked her—just beneath the collarbone—a brand of ash and fire.
"What is this?" she whispered.
"A pact," Kael said.
"You're mine now. And I protect what's mine."
---
That Night....
They sat by a darkfire flame, the first heat either had felt in weeks. Selene sharpened her blades. Kael stared at the flame.
"Where do we go now?" she asked.
Kael didn't answer right away.
Then he looked up.
"We build a kingdom. But first... we bring death to those who buried me."
----