The arena splintered beneath Kaelen's feet, each fracture glowing with a fierce crimson light. The air thickened, pressing in from all directions as if the void itself was trying to crush everything inside it.
The colossus roared—a deep, metallic bellow that rattled Kaelen's bones. Chunks of black glass fell away into the endless abyss below, vanishing without a sound. The Veilmaster's voice rang out, sharp with sudden urgency.
"This was not part of the trial…"
The cracks widened, and a force unlike anything Kaelen had felt before pulled at his body, dragging him toward the gaping rift in the arena's center. The colossus staggered but did not resist; instead, it turned its helm toward the darkness and stepped willingly into the tear.
The Abyss inside Kaelen reacted instantly—thrashing, twisting, its whispers becoming a single, frantic command: Go. Now.
A jagged piece of the floor gave way under him. Kaelen leapt, but the ground disintegrated mid-step. The pull became irresistible, yanking him down into the rupture. He felt weightless, spinning through an endless void lit only by streaks of violet fire.
Shapes moved in the dark—massive, indistinct, like ancient leviathans swimming just beyond sight. He couldn't tell if they were real or memories.
Then he saw it.
Far below, a colossal structure emerged from the shadows: a cathedral carved from pure darkness, its spires piercing into nothingness. Rivers of molten red ran along its edges, feeding into an immense, sealed gate at its heart.
The Abyss's voice was almost reverent now. The Core. The first heartbeat. The place where it all began.
Kaelen hit the ground hard—though here, the "ground" was a surface that shifted like liquid under his boots. The colossus landed nearby with a crash, already striding toward the cathedral's gate.
Behind Kaelen, the Veilmaster's voice faded in like static. "If you step through that door, Keeper… there will be no turning back."
The gate shuddered, and Kaelen felt its pull—stronger than gravity, stronger than fear. The choice wasn't really his anymore.
With a final breath, he walked toward it.
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