Distorted Reality
The moment Leon's body hit the canyon floor, he realized he'd stepped into a dimension completely different from the world he knew.
"Ugh..."
His entire body ached, but stronger than the pain was an overwhelming sense of alienness. The interior of the canyon was on a completely different level than what he'd seen from the outside.
The air itself writhed as if alive. Every breath he took, it wasn't air that entered his lungs but concentrated Chaos Aether. It spread through his bloodstream, giving him the sensation of being poisoned alive.
The ground rose in grotesque formations. Some places shot up like sharp crystals, while others pulsed softly like flesh. And between them, dark red liquid flowed like veins.
"This is... the Rift Canyon..."
As Leon tried to stand, a bizarre cry echoed nearby.
"Grrr..."
He turned to see a creature that was presumably once a wolf. But it was no longer a wolf. Its entire body was covered in black crystals, and Chaos Aether blazed like flames in its eyes. And from its mouth, liquid Aether continuously drooled.
"A mutated creature..."
After the Great Collapse, creatures contaminated by Chaos Aether lost their original forms and transformed into monsters. And the Rift Canyon was the stronghold of such mutated beings.
The mutated wolf charged at Leon. Leon fumbled for his old sword, but his weak Aether couldn't provide any proper enhancement.
A Struggle for Survival
"Argh!"
The mutated creature's claws tore into Leon's shoulder. Blood flowed, but strangely, the area around the wound began to turn dark red. Chaos Aether was infiltrating his body through the wound.
'I'm going to die... I'm really going to die like this...'
But Leon didn't back down. Madness still blazed in his eyes.
"Not yet... It's not over yet!"
Leon swung his sword, but the mutated creature easily dodged it. And then it attacked again. This time, it bit into Leon's leg.
"Ughhhhh!"
Pain coursed through his entire body. But at that moment, a realization flashed through Leon's mind.
'Pain... This pain keeps me alive.'
He embraced the pain. No, he used the pain as fuel. His thirst for revenge overwhelmed the agony.
Even while bitten by the mutated creature, Leon brought his sword down. The sharp tip pierced the creature's eye.
"Grrr!"
The mutated creature shrieked and recoiled. Leon, covered in blood, staggered to his feet.
"Still... still a long way to go."
The Lure of the Abyss
Leon briefly treated his wounds and began to delve deeper into the canyon. The surrounding environment grew increasingly bizarre.
The sky was invisible. Instead, black branches extending from both walls of the canyon intertwined, forming a ceiling. Through these branches, Chaos Aether continuously rained down.
And with each drop of rain, a strange change occurred in Leon's body. The skin around his wounds turned dark red, and his veins visibly swelled. But strangely, he felt a surge of strength.
'Is this... the power of Chaos?'
As Leon walked further, he felt something calling him from deep within the canyon. It was too abstract to be a voice, yet it clearly resonated within his mind.
"Come... Leon Drac..."
Leon's footsteps halted. He had clearly heard it. Someone was calling his name.
"Your pain... your rage... I know it all..."
The voice was neither male nor female, but androgynous and enchanting. And it pierced directly into Leon's deepest hidden desires.
"Do you not desire power? Overwhelming power to make them kneel..."
Leon's eyes gleamed. "Who are you? Who's there?"
"I am... the first breaker of balance... the one who brought chaos to this world..."
The first breaker of balance. A name from legends about the entity that caused the Great Collapse. But it was believed to have vanished with the Collapse.
"I am not dead... merely... waiting here..."
The voice grew clearer. And at the same time, an intense light flashed from the deepest part of the canyon. No, it wasn't light. It was an absolute darkness that absorbed all light.
Encounter with the Essence
Leon walked towards the darkness as if hypnotized. The surrounding mutated creatures attacked him, but strangely, they recoiled when they got close to Leon. As if sensing a stronger chaotic presence within him.
"Good... you are not afraid... Most would have fled at this stage..."
More than half of Leon's skin had already turned dark red. His veins stood out like black lines, and sometimes, Chaos Aether could be seen flowing directly through them.
"It's not... painful..." Leon murmured. "Rather... it feels good..."
His mind was no longer normal. The Chaos Aether was invading his brain, changing his very thought processes. But he didn't care. Only one thing dominated his mind.
'Power... Power... Stronger power...'
Finally, Leon reached the deepest part of the canyon. There was a giant pit there, and in its center, something pulsed like a heart.
It was a complex intertwining of black crystals and red liquid. It was about the size of a human head, but the energy radiating from it was unimaginable.
"Essence..."
"Yes... This is the Essence... the pure crystallization of Chaos..."
As Leon got closer to the Essence, his body transformed even more drastically. Now even his pupils began to turn dark red.
"But there is a price... The moment you accept this, you will no longer be human..."
"I don't care," Leon said firmly. "What has being human done for me? Only made me ignored, trampled, and humiliated."
"Good... then accept it... my power..."
The Onset of Erosion
The moment Leon reached out to the Essence, his entire body twisted in intense pain. But this time, it was different. Amidst the pain, an unprecedented pleasure surged.
"Aaaaaaaaaah!"
Leon's scream echoed throughout the canyon. Black markings began to emerge all over his body. They writhed on his skin as if alive.
His veins had now turned completely black, and what flowed within them was no longer blood, but liquid Chaos Aether.
"Excellent... A perfect vessel..."
Leon's consciousness gradually blurred. But at the same time, he felt an unprecedented power filling his entire body. Unimaginable power was now flowing into his body, which once had an Aether level of 2.8.
"This... This is power..."
A mad smile appeared on Leon's lips. His eyes were now completely stained with the color of chaos.
"It begins now, Leon Drac... It's time to bring true chaos to this world..."
The entire canyon vibrated. With Leon's awakening, the dormant power of chaos began to stir.
And far away in the Realm of Light, Light von Einhart suddenly lifted his head. For the first time, a flicker of alarm appeared in his cold eyes.
"Something... has awakened."
The balance began to crumble.