The ancient presence loomed before Xiao Ren, shifting like the abyss itself. Its voice, neither warm nor hostile, resonated through the air, carrying the weight of eternity.
"The Chosen of Nyx… awakens."
Xiao Ren's red eyes burned with quiet intensity. The weight of betrayal still lingered within him, but it was no longer chains—only fuel.
"I did not choose the abyss," he said, his voice steady. "It chose me."
The shadows trembled, as if amused. "And yet, you stand unbroken."
A pulse of power radiated from the entity, and the abyss around them began to shift. The towering monoliths surrounding him hummed with unseen energy, their cryptic runes twisting in response to his presence.
Xiao Ren felt it—a trial. A baptism.
The abyss does not grant freely. It forges.
The ground beneath him cracked open, revealing a spiraling chasm of black flames. From the depths, shadows clawed their way upward—twisted beings of darkness, their forms constantly shifting between monstrous and human. Their hollow eyes burned with abyssal hunger.
A voice whispered in his mind. Survive. Or be consumed.
The creatures lunged.
Xiao Ren's instincts took over. He sidestepped the first attack, his movements fluid, untouched by hesitation. His hands moved on their own, weaving through the onslaught, striking with precision. But these were not mere physical beings—his blows dispersed them like smoke, only for them to reform an instant later.
He exhaled, his body coiling like a blade ready to strike. This is not a battle of strength. It is a battle of will.
His red eyes darkened, power surging within him. He reached inward, toward the force that had claimed him. The abyss did not resist—it answered.
Black energy erupted from his fingertips, weaving into jagged arcs of destruction. His strikes no longer passed through the creatures—they unraveled them. Each shadow he touched dissolved, its essence drawn into him, feeding the fire burning in his veins.
The abyss was not merely a prison.
It was his to command.
The last of the creatures faded into nothingness, and silence reclaimed the void. The towering entity remained, its presence now heavier, almost approving.
"You understand now."
Xiao Ren straightened, his breath steady. He did not speak. There was nothing to say. He had been tested, and he had answered.
The monoliths pulsed, and the abyss shifted once more. Before him, a staircase of black stone rose from the depths, leading into the unknown.
"Step forward, Chosen of Nyx."
Xiao Ren did not hesitate.
And as he ascended, the abyss whispered his name.
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End of Chapter 3.