The night sky over Eldoria was strangely silent.
No winds.
No stars.
Only a heavy, suffocating darkness that felt alive.
Arin stood at the highest cliff, his cape fluttering behind him like a torn banner of war. Below him, the Shadow Abyss pulsed—like a beating heart of a monster waiting to swallow the world.
Lyra stepped beside him, her voice trembling.
This is it… isn't it?
Arin didn't answer. He couldn't.
Because for the first time, even he was uncertain.
Behind them, Ethan, Mira, Kael, and Arin's father gathered—faces pale, eyes determined. They knew the truth:
Crossing into the Abyss meant one thing—
No one was guaranteed to come back.
Arin finally spoke, his voice low but steady.
The Abyss is awakening. If we don't stop it now… everything ends.
His father placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.
My son, the Abyss took your mother. It nearly took you when you were a child. But now… only you can end what it started.
Arin clenched his fists.
He still remembered that day—
The screams.
The darkness.
His mother's hand slipping away.
Lyra took his hand gently.
We'll face it together. You're not alone anymore.
For the first time in hours, Arin looked at her—really looked.
Her eyes carried warmth even in this frozen fear. And that warmth steadied him more than any power ever could.
He lifted the Blade of Eternum.
The sword glowed faintly—almost like it feared what lay ahead.
Ethan gave a shaky laugh.
Well… I guess this is where the real nightmare begins.
Kael cracked his knuckles.
Good. I was getting bored.
Mira whispered a small prayer, clutching her staff.
The ground trembled.
The Abyss roared from below—
A sound so deep and monstrous that it felt like the world itself was crying.
Arin took a step forward. Then another.
And then—He leapt.
Into the mouth of darkness.
Lyra jumped right after him, shouting his name.
The others followed without hesitation.
And as they fell, swallowed by shadows thicker than night itself—
The last sound they heard was the world above them shattering.
Because the Abyss… had awakened.
For real.
The fall felt endless.
Arin's body spun through a tunnel of swirling black mist, cold enough to burn his skin. He tried to steady himself, but the Abyss had no gravity, no direction—only chaos.
Lyra reached out, grabbing his arm.
Arin! Stay with me!
Her voice echoed strangely, as if the darkness was swallowing every sound.
Below them—or maybe above them—massive shapes moved like shadows with wings. Their red eyes blinked open, one by one, like stars of a dead sky.
Ethan shouted from somewhere in the void:
WHAT ARE THESE THINGS!?
Kael's voice growled back:
Demons of the Abyss. Don't let them touch you!
But before anyone could prepare—
A creature lunged.
Its body was twisted, skeletal, and larger than a horse. Its claws slashed toward Lyra. Arin reacted instantly.
With a flash of silver light, the Blade of Eternum cut through the creature. Instead of blood, it exploded into smoke and vanished.
More eyes opened in the darkness.
Dozens. Then hundreds.
Mira's magic flared, releasing a burst of holy light.
For a moment, they could see—
They were falling toward a massive floating island of obsidian stone. Black waterfalls spilled upward—in reverse—as if gravity was broken.
And in the center of the island… A throne.
And on that throne sat a figure.
Tall. Motionless. Eyes glowing like dying embers.
The Abyssal King.Arin's heart tightened painfully.
He's waiting for us… The fall accelerated.
The demons closed in from every direction.
Lyra tightened her grip on Arin's arm.
We fight when we land!
Arin shook his head.
No… we fight while falling!
He swung his sword upward, unleashing an arc of blinding white fire that tore through the darkness. The creatures shrieked as they burned.
Kael spun midair, punching one demon so hard it shattered into dust.
Ethan fired arrows that glowed with Mira's magic.
It was a battle fought not on land, but in freefall—
Warriors striking through the void, spinning, slashing, burning.
And then— BOOM!
They crashed onto the obsidian island.
The ground cracked beneath Arin's feet, but he stood tall.
The others landed around him, battered but alive.
The Abyssal King rose from his throne.
His voice was like grinding stone.
Welcome, Children of Light.
You have traveled far…
But this place shall become your grave.
The darkness behind him swirled like a living storm.
Arin pointed his sword at the King.
His eyes burned with determination.
Not this time. Not ever again.
The final war had begun.