The rain fell in endless sheets over the ruins of the Abyssal Wastes. Black stone spires jutted like broken teeth from the earth, and lightning tore the sky in half. Beneath that storm stood the Citadel — an impossible fortress carved from obsidian and shadow, its gates wide open as if daring any soul to enter.
Kaien Draven stood before it, his cloak whipping in the wind, eyes glowing faintly red beneath his hood. The world around him was silent, except for the faint hum of Noxveil — his sword, the cursed blade that had devoured countless demons. It pulsed like a heartbeat in his hand, sensing the power that waited inside.
He could feel them — the Lieutenants of the Demon King. The six remnants of the ancient abyss. Each one a god of ruin in their own right. Each one waiting for him.
The rain hissed as it touched his blade. Kaien exhaled slowly, his breath misting in the cold air. "Ethan," he murmured. "Looks like the end of the road."
And then — a whisper.
Soft. Familiar. Inside his mind.
"You've said that before."
Kaien froze. His eyes widened slightly. The voice was clear, gentle — just as he remembered it.
"Ethan?"
"Still chasing ghosts, huh?"
The words echoed through the empty field. Kaien's pulse quickened. He looked around — no one. Only the Citadel looming before him like a nightmare made real.
He gritted his teeth. "No. You're not here. You're gone."
"Maybe. Or maybe you're the one who hasn't left."
Kaien clenched his fist until blood ran down his palm. "Stop."
The voice faded with the rain, leaving only silence. Kaien exhaled, forcing the tremor out of his breath, and stepped toward the gates. They opened with a groan that shook the ground, revealing a vast hall of mirrors and flames.
Inside, the walls breathed. Literally. Veins of molten crimson ran through the obsidian, pulsing like blood. Shadows slithered across the floor like serpents. And at the center, a throne made of bones awaited him — empty, yet radiating unbearable power.
Kaien took another step forward. The ground responded — twisting, changing. The hall shifted into a nightmare battlefield, fire burning from unseen sources. He knew this place. He had been here.
It was the Red Horizon. The day Ethan died.
Kaien staggered back, his breath catching. The Citadel was showing him memories — no, forcing him to relive them.
"Get out of my head!" he roared, slicing through the air. His blade cut the illusion, and reality shattered around him. The flames vanished. The hall reformed.
But he wasn't alone anymore.
A figure stood ahead, half-shrouded in mist — tall, armored, a spear glinting faintly in his hand. The silhouette was unmistakable.
"Ethan…"
The figure turned. Same face. Same steady eyes. But wrong. Too still. Too calm. His voice was low, empty.
"You left me to die, Kaien."
Kaien's throat tightened. "That's not you."
"Isn't it?" The apparition stepped closer. "You swore we'd finish it together. And when the fire came, you ran."
Kaien's grip on his sword shook. "I didn't run!"
"Then why am I buried in the ash, and you're still breathing?"
The Citadel trembled. The walls seemed to whisper in a thousand voices — Ethan's voice, twisted, repeating the same words. You ran. You ran. You ran.
Kaien roared, slashing wildly, black energy tearing through the illusion. "ENOUGH!"
The false Ethan vanished in a storm of shadows, the echo of his words fading into silence. Kaien fell to his knees, chest heaving.
For a moment, the only sound was the rain against the roof and the quiet hum of his sword. Then, from deep within the Citadel, another presence stirred — colder, heavier.
A laugh — slow, amused, and ancient.
"So, the broken slayer finally reaches my door."
Kaien rose to his feet, lifting his blade. The voice rolled across the hall like thunder. From the far shadows emerged one of the Lieutenants — Lord Varaxis, the Keeper of Sins. His body was a shifting mass of metal and smoke, with eyes like molten gold. Six wings of shadow unfurled behind him.
"You carry our master's mark," Varaxis said. "You are kin to the abyss. Yet you fight it. How foolish."
Kaien stepped forward. "Tell your master I'm coming for him next."
Varaxis smiled — a monstrous, liquid grin. "You'll die here, half-breed."
The air warped. The floor cracked open as chains of dark energy lashed toward Kaien. He moved instantly, his sword flashing black. The first chain shattered. Another wrapped around his arm, burning through armor and flesh. Kaien grimaced, pulling it taut — and then yanked Varaxis forward, dragging the demon close.
Their blades met. Sparks erupted like stars.
Varaxis struck again, each swing a storm. Kaien parried, ducked, spun — a dance of destruction that shattered the ground beneath them. Every impact sent shockwaves through the Citadel.
"You fight with rage," Varaxis sneered. "Just like the humans you failed to save."
Kaien's aura flared, his eyes blazing crimson. "No. I fight for the ones still breathing."
He moved faster. Dark fire exploded from his blade. The next strike sliced clean through Varaxis's wing. The demon screamed, stumbling back as black ichor splattered the floor.
Kaien didn't stop. He charged, stabbing through the creature's chest. Noxveil pulsed — and with a roar, consumed the demon's core.
Varaxis disintegrated into shadow and flame, his voice echoing faintly: "He waits for you, child of ruin…"
Kaien staggered, panting. The entire hall began to collapse around him — walls melting, pillars crumbling into smoke.
He turned, running through the chaos, the rain and whispers blurring together. But as he reached the exit, the voice came again — soft, calm, painfully familiar.
"Still chasing ghosts, huh?"
Kaien stopped in the doorway. His reflection in the black stone stared back — but this time, it was Ethan's face looking at him. Smiling.
"Ethan…"
The reflection spoke. "You can't save everyone, brother. But maybe you can save yourself."
Kaien reached toward the mirror. The reflection faded into ripples of light. The Citadel's ruins fell silent.
Outside, the storm had ended.
Kaien sheathed his sword, his expression unreadable. The whispers had quieted, but the ache in his chest remained — heavier than any wound.
He looked toward the horizon, where the Demon King's fortress loomed like a shadow across the mountains. Lightning flashed behind it.
Kaien whispered under his breath, voice steady but low. "I'm coming. And this time, I won't run."
The wind carried his words away — but far beyond the clouds, in the depths of the abyss, something ancient smiled.
The war for the world had only just begun.