Kairos staggered through the ruins of an ancient temple, his body barely holding together. He had fled the battlefield, but he hadn't escaped defeat. His master, the Lightning Warborn, was dead. His enemies had grown stronger.
And now, he was alone.
A sharp pain shot through his chest, forcing him to lean against a cracked pillar. Blood dripped from his lips, his wounds refusing to heal as quickly as they once did. His power was fading.
Yet, he refused to fall here.
Not like this.
Not before he got revenge.
A low, distorted voice echoed in the darkened ruins. "You are dying, Kairos."
His head snapped up. From the shadows, a figure emerged, cloaked in absolute darkness. Its form shimmered, like a mirage, its presence suffocating.
Kairos' breath hitched. He knew who stood before him.
"The Abyssal Monarch…" he whispered.
The being stepped closer, its unseen eyes boring into him. "You sought power, yet you were defeated."
Kairos gritted his teeth. "I wasn't ready. Next time—"
"There will be no next time."
Before Kairos could react, the Monarch's hand shot forward, gripping his throat. An overwhelming coldness seeped into his body, his muscles locking in place.
His vision blurred. His heartbeat slowed.
"No—! I can still fight! I—"
A sharp snap echoed through the temple.
Kairos' body went limp.
The Monarch slowly released him, letting him crumple to the ground, his golden eyes lifeless.
The once-proud warrior, the betrayer of Celestial Tempest, was dead.
But the darkness wasn't finished.
---
As Kairos' corpse lay still, the shadows around him pulsed, creeping over his body like tendrils. The air grew thick, an unnatural energy crackling through the temple.
And then—
A deep, guttural whisper filled the air.
The Abyssal Monarch knelt, placing a hand over Kairos' lifeless chest. The very fabric of reality trembled as an ancient seal shattered, unleashing something that had been buried for centuries.
The ground rumbled. The sky outside darkened.
From the abyss, something answered the call.
A presence, far more terrifying than the Lightning Warborn, began to rise.
A new calamity had awakened.
And the world would never be the same again.
---
The Headmaster of the Academy senses the shift in the world and whispers in horror—
"The true nightmare… has begun."