The explosion swallowed the top of the mountain in a devastating blaze, capable of consuming everything in its path. However, before the energy could obliterate him, the shadows crawling down the slope rose in desperation, as if they possessed their own instinct. They ran through the air and enveloped Ereon in a dense, pulsating sphere, a black cocoon that absorbed the impact.
The cosmic wave hit the dark barrier, and the crash echoed like thunder inside an infinite cave. The sphere trembled, cracks of light exploding across its surface, but it held. The shadows twisted, sacrificing themselves to contain the fury of the Brahmastra, until, in one last effort, they launched Ereon downward, away from the epicenter of destruction.
His body plummeted like a fallen star, until it was deposited heavily at the foot of the mountain. The impact made the ground shake, and the darkness surrounding him dispersed into mist, leaving him exposed. Ereon gasped, his chest rising and falling with effort, eyes still clouded from the trance. The overload was corroding his strength
— muscles tense, breath halting, mind oscillating between lucidity and collapse.
Finally, unable to sustain his own weight, he collapsed to the side, the shadows retreating silently, as if awaiting his recovery. The valley sank once more into tension, the heavy silence hanging in the air.
Telvaris and Brianna ran down the slope, reaching Ereon and carefully carrying him to the cabin. Once he was placed on an improvised bed, Brianna looked at Karna with a serious expression.
"You could have killed him," she said, her voice heavy with reproach.
Karna shrugged, keeping his calm demeanor.
"We needed to know the extent of his power. There was no room to hold back."
Kael confirmed, observing Ereon carefully.
"That's right. He was exposed to the Abyss long enough for it to be dangerous. But with that, we can discard the idea that he was devoured. We all know that just as someone can devour the remains of gods and obtain part of their memory, they could do the same with him."
Telvaris interrupted, his voice grave:
"So we can discard that he was devoured in there. Only two options remain: either it's coexistence, or he devoured a god of the level of the 24. If it's the latter, fine. But if it's coexistence… it would be a ticking time bomb. We'll leave that concern for later."
While the discussion unfolded, Brianna treated Ereon's wounds, her voice low and focused.
"Could enter his subconscious… would be the fastest way," she said carefully, "but this mark on your hand transmits a strange energy."
As soon as Ereon was placed on the improvised bed, Kael took a few steps back, breathing deeply, still absorbing the tension of the fight.
"I'll climb the mountain," he said calmly, firmly, "to see if we haven't alerted any external forces."
Brianna frowned, the worry evident in her eyes. Telvaris just nodded, expression serious, while Karna shrugged, maintaining his usual composure.
"If you think it's necessary," Karna said, no further comments.
Kael nodded, feeling the terrain beneath his feet, and began to move away, each step measured, alert to any sign of danger.
The wind cut across the slope, cold and harsh, sending a shiver through Kael that wasn't just from the altitude. His steps were careful, each stone seeming to test his balance, but caution did not lessen his determination. He needed to climb, needed to observe, even knowing that something deeper was happening with Ereon.
Meanwhile, in the Abyss, Ereon remained immersed in living darkness, where each fragment of memory appeared like lightning, briefly illuminating recollections of a past he barely understood. Sounds and whispers mixed, fragments of voices and sensations coming from all directions, echoes of what he had lived and what he still did not understand.
A familiar sensation made Ereon pause for a moment. A chill that was not only physical ran down his spine. He murmured to himself, his voice hoarse and confused:
"So… this is the Abyss."
Whispers began to stand out among the chaotic voices: fragments of childhood, echoes of the orphanage, remnants of the Golden Breath, all mixed with the time he spent trapped in the Abyss. Each word seemed to touch his mind directly, but no explanation came along. Only sensations and unanswered questions.
Outside, Kael climbed the mountain. Each step was calculated, his feet feeling the slightest vibrations of rock and soil. His eyes did not see, but his seismic vision transformed the environment into a map of waves and movements. The wind carried odors, pressure changes, subtle sounds — and through all this, Kael detected any presence around him.
Something changed. He felt a different weight, a vibration that did not match the pattern of the mountain or the wind. A presence approached, firm and silent, pulsating in the environment like a shadow he could not see, but felt clearly.
Kael stopped, motionless, absorbing every detail: the air seemed to condense, the stones vibrated imperceptibly, and every movement of the ground told him he was not alone. Even before he could react, the presence manifested in the form of a voice, clear and firm, piercing Kael's perception:
"You truly fulfilled your part, child of Gaia."
Kael remained still on the slope, his senses extended like threads traversing every vibration of the mountain. The wind cut his skin, but he barely noticed, focused on the presence he felt ahead. The stones creaked under the cold, and the air seemed denser, heavier, as if carrying invisible secrets.
"I must say I'm surprised," Kael began, voice firm but tinged with caution, "since the Alpha Supervisor spoke…, but in a more usual way. Is this the effect of lost memory, or your intervention in the Abyss?"
The shadow remained still, pulsing slightly in space, and answered in a calm, almost didactic tone:
"Well, he stayed in the Abyss for a long time, not counting the shock of what happened before entering. I preferred to let him synchronize before releasing the memories of what occurred."
Kael frowned, absorbing each word, the wind carrying his thoughts like leaves. "So, when he wakes, we'll know whether to fear or not. I think the others would be more at ease if I told them about you… and that you mean him no harm."
The presence seemed to draw closer, without really moving, a sensation of weight adjusting to the terrain, as if studying Kael.
"It's better that the girl who devoured Brigid tells them. She has already finished analyzing the mark. And besides, what I came to tell you is that you'll have only three years."
Kael felt the air tighten around him, as if each word of the shadow added weight to the space.
"Do you think we can bring down an empire in three years?" he asked, voice firm but filled with disbelief. "You forget we still lack sufficient strength. It will take at least a year to topple one of the kings, and you are saying that in three years we must eliminate the three kings, all the nobles, and even kill a god whose power extent we do not know?"
The shadow remained silent for a moment, as if absorbing the gravity of the situation.
"It is not about whether you can or not. It's about what you must do. Just as you, Kael, are hidden by the pact with Gaia, with Ereon it will be the same. The more he uses shadow powers, the memories and teachings he obtained during his time in the Abyss will return. With that, he will grow stronger — but the gods will be aware of my return."
Kael breathed deeply, feeling the terrain and the vibrations around him as silent allies.
"So we can only hide him from the gods for three years… anything else?"
The shadow seemed to expand slightly, filling the space with a feeling of profound weight and respect. "It was fun talking to you during this time, but unfortunately, this will be our last meeting. And remember… it's not only gods who reside in the Abyss. Just as the ancient gods returned, your enemies will too. So don't just look up — pay attention to your surroundings."
Kael remained still for a few moments, absorbing each word, feeling the presence slowly disappear, leaving only the cold of the mountain and the echo of the wind as company.
Meanwhile, in the cabin, Ereon lay down, the whispers and fragments of memory growing in intensity. The darkness thickened, and the shadows began to envelop the space, slowly swallowing the light, plunging the environment into heavy silence, ready to reveal the next fragment of his past.
The voices collided in his mind, fragmented memories shattering like glass. The orphanage. The Abyss. The Golden Breath. All at once. Ereon gritted his teeth, and the world responded.
Shadows flowed across the walls, engulfing the cabin in darkness. The air grew heavy, the wood creaking as if about to split, and a raw energy spread, suffocating, alive. With each heartbeat, the darkness pulsed as if the Abyss itself breathed through him.
Then, his body gave in. The weight of memories and power knocked him to the ground, leaving only dense silence behind.
But he did not stay down for long. With firm steps, Ereon rose, walking through the darkness he himself had created. The shadows retreated as if obeying his presence.
When he opened the cabin door, he found the three already prepared to face him. Telvaris had molded the surrounding iron into a scythe with a gleaming blade, held firmly. Brianna's hands burned with flames, the heat distorting the air around her fingers. Karna, motionless, already had the arrow pointed straight at Ereon's chest, without hesitation.
The darkness escaping from Ereon's body spread like an invisible wave, pressing the space and distorting the air. The ground creaked beneath his feet, and the sensation was that something larger than himself walked alongside, as if the shadows observed through his eyes. It was at this moment that the three felt the weight of that presence, the latent threat testing their strength.
Telvaris felt his scythe vibrate in his hands, as if the metal tried to escape; Brianna, even with flames alight, noticed the fire flicker, as if the shadows wanted to consume it; and Karna, although keeping the arrow steady, had to tighten the bow with more force to contain the pressure weighing on his fingers.
Yet, he did not stop. He looked at them with the same cold clarity now filling his eyes and declared, voice filled with unwavering certainty:
"I will destroy the Tupania Empire."
The silence weighed for a moment, dense, as if the world awaited the inevitable conclusion. Then, his voice cut the air like a blade:
"And after that… I will kill Phoebrus with my own hands."
The weight of that promise made the cabin tremble more than the shadows themselves. None of the three lowered their guard, but none dared to attack.
At the top of the mountain, Kael, blind to the light but not to the world, lifted his face to the wind, as if he had been waiting for that moment. A slight smile cut across his serene expression, and his voice traveled through the night's silence:
"Finally… we begin."