A Moment of Dread
The mountain air was thin, each breath sharp in Seraphina's lungs. She cradled her son close, her mind reeling from what she had just witnessed.
He had not merely defended himself.
He had commanded the Abyss.
Ravian stood motionless, his silver eyes fixed on the now-empty space where the wraiths had been. He exhaled slowly, tension visible in his stance.
"We need to move," he muttered.
Seraphina's fingers trembled against the child's blanket. "Ravian… he—he just—"
"I know." His voice was clipped. "But we don't have time to process it here."
Seraphina swallowed hard. He was right. The wraiths were gone, but the presence of the Abyss had thickened. Something else had felt the disturbance.
They had to leave. Now.
She pulled her cloak tighter around her child and nodded. "Let's go."
With silent urgency, they pressed forward, leaving behind the place where the shadows had answered.
---
The Watchers Beyond the Veil
Far from the mortal world, beyond the limits of human understanding, something shifted.
Within the Abyss, where time did not flow and reality twisted in endless loops, an entity stirred.
It had been sleeping.
Drifting.
Dreaming in the endless void.
But then—it heard the call.
A fragment of its essence had been touched by something new. Something familiar yet impossible.
"A child?"
The thought rippled through the vast emptiness.
It had been so long since anything had truly stirred in the Abyss. But now, this presence—this tiny, insignificant mortal being—had dared to reach into its domain.
The entity turned its attention outward.
Its voice slithered through the shadows, echoing in places long forgotten.
"Awaken… and watch."
The Abyss obeyed.
And for the first time in eons, it gazed upon the mortal world.
---
The Inquisition's Gambit
Malagar sat within his war tent, golden candlelight flickering against the polished metal of his armor. His fingers drummed against the wooden table before him, where a map of the region was spread out.
His forces had moved as planned, cutting off the likely escape routes. Soon, there would be nowhere left for the woman and her child to run.
And yet—something was wrong.
A cold sensation trickled down his spine.
He knew this feeling.
The presence of the Abyss.
He turned his gaze toward the entrance of the tent, where one of his knights stood waiting.
"Report."
The knight hesitated, his expression uneasy. "My lord… there was an incident. In the mountain pass."
Malagar's eyes narrowed. "Speak."
The knight swallowed. "A scouting party encountered… something. Shadows moved of their own accord. The creatures we sent ahead were destroyed—by the child."
Silence.
Malagar's fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword.
So.
The boy had awakened.
He exhaled slowly, then rose to his feet. The candlelight flickered violently as he moved.
"Ready the men," he commanded. "We ride before nightfall."
The knight bowed and hurried away.
Malagar remained still for a moment, his thoughts dark.
The Inquisition had hunted many heretics before.
But this?
This was no ordinary heresy.
This was an omen.
And if left unchecked, the world itself could fall to darkness.
He would not allow that to happen.
With a steady hand, he placed a silver pendant around his neck.
The holy runes glowed faintly.
"The child must die."
---
A Step Closer to Damnation
The sky had begun to darken by the time Seraphina and Ravian reached the edge of the cliffs.
Below them, nestled between towering rock formations, lay a hidden settlement.
Fires flickered within the deep ravines, and shadowy figures moved through the narrow pathways. Unlike the villages of men, this place did not glow with the warmth of hearth and home. It pulsed with something far older.
"The exiled ones," Ravian murmured.
Seraphina's stomach twisted.
The people below were once human. But long ago, they had been marked by the Abyss, just as her son was now.
Would they help her? Or would they see the child as something even they feared?
Ravian turned to her. "Once we go down there, there is no turning back."
Seraphina tightened her grip on her son.
"There was never any turning back."
Without another word, they descended into the darkness.
The Forsaken Sanctuary
A Descent into Shadows
Seraphina and Ravian moved carefully down the jagged path, their footsteps muffled by the thick mist that clung to the air. The hidden settlement below was unlike anything Seraphina had ever seen—a place untouched by time, swallowed by the remnants of the Abyss.
The dwellings were carved into the rock itself, their entrances marked by symbols that glowed faintly in the dark. The very air felt heavy, thick with something unseen, something ancient.
As they descended further, figures emerged from the shadows.
Their eyes gleamed like dim embers, their bodies wrapped in tattered robes that had long since lost their color. These were the Exiled Ones—those who had once been human but had been forsaken by the world.
And they were watching.
Seraphina's grip on her child tightened. He remained still, his small body nestled against her chest, but she could feel the unnatural warmth radiating from him.
Ravian stopped, his hand resting on the hilt of his dagger. He did not draw it, but the silent threat was clear.
A figure stepped forward.
Taller than the rest, draped in a robe of deep black, his face was concealed beneath a hood. But when he spoke, his voice carried an eerie calm.
"You should not have come here."
---
A Fateful Meeting
Seraphina straightened her spine, forcing the fear from her voice. "We seek sanctuary."
The hooded man tilted his head. "Sanctuary?" His gaze flickered toward the child. "Or do you bring ruin upon us?"
The murmurs among the Exiled grew louder. Their voices carried an edge of fear, of recognition.
"He carries the Abyss," one whispered.
"This power will doom us all," another muttered.
Seraphina stepped forward, her heart pounding. "Please… my son is not a monster. He did not choose this."
The hooded figure was silent for a long moment. Then, slowly, he raised a hand.
"Show me."
Seraphina hesitated, then unwrapped part of the cloth covering her son's face.
As the dim firelight touched him, his eyes opened.
And the shadows stirred.
A ripple of darkness pulsed through the air, unseen tendrils shifting at the edge of reality. The Exiled Ones gasped. Some stepped back. Others fell to their knees.
The hooded man remained still, but Seraphina could hear his breath hitch.
"This… this should not be," he murmured.
Seraphina clenched her fists. "Then help me. If you fear him, then teach me how to control it!"
The man exhaled slowly. "Control?" He looked at her, and in that moment, she could feel the weight of ages in his stare.
"You do not control the Abyss, child."
He turned toward the settlement, motioning for them to follow.
"But perhaps… you can survive it."
---
The Holy Crusade Begins
Far beyond the mountains, Malagar stood before his assembled forces.
The Inquisition's knights, clad in silver and crimson, knelt before him in silent obedience. Their armor gleamed under the moonlight, their weapons blessed with holy inscriptions meant to combat the darkness.
Malagar raised his sword.
"The corruption of the Abyss festers in the mountains." His voice rang clear, unwavering. "We will cleanse it. We will purge the heretic and the child."
The knights struck their swords against the ground in unison.
Malagar's golden eyes burned with conviction.
The hunt had begun.
---
A Choice with No Return
Seraphina sat in the dimly lit chamber, cradling her son as the hooded man spoke.
"The Abyss does not simply grant power," he explained. "It demands. It feeds. And what it takes… it never returns."
Seraphina's grip tightened. "Then tell me what I must do to protect him."
The man was silent for a long moment.
Then, slowly, he removed his hood.
His face was marked with blackened veins, his eyes holding the same eerie glow as her son's.
"You must make a choice," he said softly.
"To keep him human…" His voice grew cold. "Or let him become what he was meant to be."
Seraphina's heart pounded.
A choice.
One that could decide the fate of the world.