Chapter 13 — The Elder's Legacy
The first thing I noticed was pain.
It radiated through my body like fire, every muscle screaming, every bone aching. When I opened my eyes, nothing but blackness swallowed me whole.
The only light came from the trembling beam of my flashlight, still clipped to my belt from the survival kit. I fumbled it into my hand and clicked it on.
The Abyss was endless stone and silence. Shadows draped themselves across jagged walls, and the air was so still it felt dead. My sword's weight in my other hand was the only thing that kept me grounded.
How long was I out? Hours? Days?
The Rift didn't answer. Only the echo of my boots across stone.
I walked, each step heavier than the last, until the tunnel opened into a vast cavern. That was when my breath caught.
Something waited there.
A giant.
No, not a man. Not a beast. Something between. Humanoid in shape, but towering, his skin dark and ridged like living stone, his eyes dim but burning faintly with an alien glow. Chains carved with glyphs bound his arms, pinning him to the cavern floor. Each breath he took shook the cavern with a low, rattling thunder.
He turned his head slowly, and for a heartbeat I thought fear would crush me flat. But when he spoke, his voice was not rage. It was… weary.
"You… are not one of them."
I froze, light trembling across his massive frame. "What are you?"
His lips cracked into something between a grimace and a smile. "A god once. A ruler. Betrayed by my own kind. Cast down to rot in this pit." His voice carried centuries of weight. "I have waited… for one who carries my wound. Betrayal."
The words cut me deeper than any blade. My squad's faces flashed before my eyes—Mara's flames sputtering, Kira's tails vanishing into the dirt. Tyler's smirk as he cut them down.
"You were betrayed," I whispered.
His chest rose and fell like mountains shifting. "Yes. And so I choose you."
He raised a chained hand, each movement straining the glyphs until they hissed with alien light. A spark of energy floated between his fingers—an orb, black as the Abyss yet pulsing with life.
"This is my Essence. It holds what remains of me. Power that must be passed on, or I will never die, never rest. Take it, boy. Become more than they fear you to be."
I hesitated, sword trembling in my grip. "Why me?"
His dim eyes sharpened. "Because you were cast aside. Because you were left to die. And because I see in you the same fire they tried to bury in me."
The orb drifted closer, heat prickling my skin. I reached out before I could stop myself.
The moment it touched my chest, agony tore through me. I screamed, collapsing to my knees as fire and lightning ripped through my veins. My blood felt like molten metal, my skin tearing only to knit itself back together again.
The System's voice rang in my ears:
[System Notification]
Essence of the Elder God Beast absorbed.
New Trait Unlocked: Bloodline Regeneration.
Trait Effect (Stage 1):
– Minor wounds heal instantly.
– Fatal injuries recover unless head is destroyed.
– Energy cost scales with severity of damage.
Warning: User body requires adaptation. Growth potential locked until further stages.
I gasped for breath, clutching my chest. Cuts along my arms sealed before my eyes. Bruises melted away. The pain dulled into nothing, leaving me… whole.
Regeneration. A power that made me unkillable—unless they took my head.
The Elder's laugh was low, hollow. "Yes… you will do."
I looked up at him, sweat dripping from my face. "What happens now?"
His gaze dimmed further. "Now, you take my weapon. My arm, my claw, my wrath. A piece of my soul, bound to yours."
The ground shook as a fragment of his chest tore free—black stone, molten veins running through it. It drifted toward me, reshaping midair into a sleek shard. When it touched my hand, it pulsed like a heartbeat.
The System chimed again:
[System Notification]
Soul-Bound Weapon Acquired: Eclipse Armament.
Current Forms Available:
– Battle Axe
– Katana
– Spear
– Twin Daggers
– Hammer
Weapon Growth: Evolves alongside user's Essence and DNA.
Bound Status: Cannot be stolen. Cannot be broken.
Summon/Recall: Weapon resides within soul, can be summoned at will.
The shard dissolved into light, sinking into my skin. My hand tingled, and when I clenched my fist, the black Katana form snapped into existence—sleek, curved, its edge humming faintly. I dismissed it with a thought, and it vanished back into my soul.
A weapon that would grow with me. A weapon no one could ever take.
The Elder slumped back, his chest rising slower now. "I… entrust to you my vengeance. My authority. Climb, boy. Climb and make them kneel. Show them what betrayal breeds."
His eyes dimmed completely. The cavern fell silent but for my ragged breathing.
I stood there for a long time, flashlight beam trembling across the stone. My body felt lighter, stronger, alive in a way it had never been before.
I looked at my hands—one clutching the fading glow of the flashlight, the other flexing as the weapon stirred inside my soul.
"Tyler," I whispered. My voice didn't tremble this time. It burned. "I'll make you choke on their names."
And in the dark of the Abyss, something inside me finally awakened.