Chapter 6: The Forgotten Depths

The descent into the Black Hollow was steep and treacherous.

Kael’s boots crunched against ancient stone steps, half-swallowed by moss and time. Behind him, Lyra lit the way with a faint orb of light, its glow flickering with each breath of the underground wind.

“This place was sealed after the First Mage War,” she said quietly. “A burial ground for weapons too dangerous to remain in the world.”

“Exactly where I want to be,” Kael replied, eyes scanning the walls, noting runes etched into obsidian. His HUD translated fragments—warnings, curses, desperate pleas for containment. All long ignored.

The deeper they went, the louder the hum of arcane energy became—less a sound and more a feeling that clawed at the spine.

After an hour of descent, they reached a massive chamber. At its center stood a twisted, broken structure—a throne made of crystal, bone, and scorched iron. The air around it pulsed like a heartbeat.

Kael stepped forward, drawn to it instinctively.

Lyra grabbed his arm. “Wait. That’s a Soulforge. The ancients used it to bind magic to flesh and machine. Most who touch it go mad… or worse.”

Kael’s gaze was unflinching. “I’ve already crossed the line. Might as well see how deep it goes.”

He placed his hand on the throne.

A blinding surge. A scream without sound.

Kael was no longer in the chamber. He stood in a void of swirling memories—not his, but someone else’s. Images flickered:

• A Rider in silver armor… betrayed by allies.

• A mage queen burning her own city.

• Beasts summoned from the abyss, turning on their masters.

And then… a voice. Ancient. Terrible.

“You are not the first to seek the abyss. But you may be the first to command it.”

Kael’s voice echoed back. “I don’t seek it. I am it.”

“Then take your place. Wield what was left behind.”

The vision ended.

Kael staggered back, gasping.

But something had changed.

His armor shifted, more organic now—smooth black surfaces laced with crimson veins. A second core had awakened in his chest, burning with chaotic energy. Glyphs crawled across his armor like living scars.

Lyra’s eyes widened. “You… fused with the Soulforge.”

Kael’s voice was deeper, calmer. “It accepted me.”

He stepped to the center of the chamber. “This place is mine now.”

With a motion of his hand, tendrils of shadow slithered from the ground, responding to his will. Walls reformed. Lights sparked. The forgotten forge reignited.

A base was forming.

A sanctuary for the future Abyss Order.

Lyra stepped beside him, wary but intrigued. “So what now?”

Kael looked up at the dark ceiling, as if seeing through the earth itself.

“Now?” he said. “We start recruiting. There are others—outcasts, betrayers, weapons cast aside by both sides.”

He clenched his fist, energy crackling around him.

“I will give them purpose.”