Kael woke to silence.
Not the calm before something, but the hollow, suffocating silence of a place abandoned by reason.
His chest burned where the mark glowed faintly, a red pulse that seemed almost alive. His limbs felt sluggish, as if the darkness within him was testing the limits of his flesh.
A low, guttural whisper echoed in his mind.
"Move. Kill. Survive."
Kael gritted his teeth.
"I'm not your puppet," he growled.
But even as he said it, his legs moved—almost of their own volition. His hands flexed, tightening into fists that felt stronger than they should.
The creatures were coming again.
Three of them, crawling through the shadows, their red eyes glowing in the dim cavern light. Their movements were coordinated this time, faster, smarter.
Kael raised his hands instinctively. The Abyss responded. Power surged like molten fire through his veins.
[Abyssal Borrowing — Level 1 Activated]
Dark tendrils erupted from his skin, wrapping around his arms and shoulders. The air shimmered with invisible energy, and Kael felt his strength double, triple, almost unbearably so.
The first creature lunged. Kael didn't even think.
He swung his fist, and the shadow exploded under his blow. Bones cracked like dry twigs.
The second tried to flank him. The tendrils lashed out, slicing it in two before it could reach him.
The third hesitated, sensing the overwhelming force Kael now radiated.
[Synchronization increased: 12%]
Warning: Excessive Borrowing will accelerate loss of autonomy.
Kael staggered back, panting. The Abyss hummed inside him, impatient and hungry.
He clenched his fists, tasting both victory and fear.
Then he saw her.
Lira.
She stood in the shadows, spear lowered, eyes wide. Relief, fear, and something else—regret—flickered across her face.
"You—what are you doing?!" she shouted.
Kael's chest heaved. "I—don't have a choice!"
"You always have a choice!" she yelled, stepping forward. "You can't let it control you!"
The Abyss stirred. Kael felt a tug in his mind—a dark whisper threading through his thoughts.
"Ignore her. Obey. Kill."
He shook his head violently. No. Not yet.
But the third creature—smarter than the others—leapt from the shadows again. This time, Kael didn't move fast enough.
The Abyss acted.
The shadow tendrils flared of their own will, wrapping around the creature and crushing it with brutal force. Kael's body moved without his consent, his own hands committing acts he hadn't intended.
He collapsed to his knees, gasping.
Lira ran forward, gripping his shoulders. "Kael! Snap out of it!"
The Abyss hissed inside him, laughing at his struggle.
[Synchronization increased: 18%]
Warning: Host autonomy at risk.
Kael's mind screamed, clawing against the dark, but a part of him felt exhilarated. Raw power surged through every vein, filling him with an intoxicating rush.
"I…" he gasped. "I can't… control it!"
Lira's eyes hardened. "Then you're already lost."
Before he could respond, another sound echoed through the cavern—metallic clanging, sharp and deliberate. Kael looked up to see a shadowed figure moving in the distance, eyes glowing faintly blue.
Another Chosen—or worse—a hunter.
Kael clenched his fists, the Abyss coiling around him like a living thing, eager, hungry.
He was stronger than he had ever been.
But he was no longer entirely himself.
The curse had claimed its first victory.