> "Even gods fear their own creations."
— Fragment from The Abyssal Scriptures, unknown author
---
The war had ended.
The sky still burned.
Ash fell like snow upon the corpses of angels, and rivers of gold flowed through black soil.
For the first time in eternity, the heavens were silent.
In the center of the devastation stood Chaos, unmoving, staring into what once was the heart of creation.
He had broken the old order.
But victory tasted like iron and ash.
Behind him, the Abyssal Citadel pulsed with new life. Its towers were no longer made of bone and ruin, but of living darkness — as if the fortress itself was breathing.
Within those walls, something stirred.
They were his children.
--
🌑 The Firstborn
The first to emerge from the shadows was tall, lithe, and terrifyingly beautiful.
His hair was silver flame, his eyes pits of endless night.
He knelt before Chaos, his black armor dripping liquid starlight.
> "Father," he said, his voice echoing like a storm through an empty cathedral. "You called us from the void."
Chaos regarded him.
> "Name yourself."
> "I am Azrath, the Blade of Night."
> "Your purpose?"
> "To destroy all who resist your rule."
Chaos smiled faintly. "Then rise, my wrath incarnate."
Azrath stood, and the shadows bowed with him.
---
🕯️ The Others
They came, one after another, from the depths of the citadel.
Each more alien than the last.
Nyxira, born of Chaos's left eye — a being of whispers and mirrors. Her body shimmered like glass reflecting stars.
Morvan, the forger — his body made of molten iron and divine fragments. He carried the hammer that had shattered Seraphiel's shield.
Ethea, the quiet one — veiled in light, her hands dripping with radiant blood. No one knew if she was angel or demon.
They knelt as one.
> "We are your Children, Father. The Children of the Abyss."
Chaos looked down at them — his creations, his reflections, his sins.
> "The gods built their world on obedience," he said. "I build mine on will. Each of you will rule a realm of your own — the Abyss shall have seven thrones."
The air trembled as his words became law.
Reality shifted.
The Abyss expanded, creating new dominions:
The Realm of Flame, where Morvan's hammer struck endless sparks.
The Mirror Domain, where Nyxira whispered to lost souls.
The Shadow Warscape, where Azrath trained armies of black fire.
The new world was born.
But it was already imperfect.
---
⚡ The First Fracture
Azrath's voice broke the silence.
> "Father... if all have free will, what stops one of us from defying you?"
Chaos's crimson eyes narrowed.
> "Do you wish to test it?"
Azrath did not flinch.
> "You said this empire was not built on fear. So tell me, Father — are we free, or are we prisoners of your will?"
The citadel darkened.
The air froze.
In the distance, thunder rolled, and shadows twisted like serpents around the throne.
Chaos descended from his seat and stopped before Azrath.
The world held its breath.
> "Freedom," Chaos said softly, "is the right to choose destruction."
He raised his hand — and pressed his palm against Azrath's chest.
A black flame erupted, spreading through Azrath's body. He fell to one knee, screaming as the mark of Chaos burned onto his heart.
> "Now," Chaos whispered, "you are free to betray me — and I am free to destroy you."
The mark faded. Azrath bowed, trembling, his voice breaking.
> "I understand... Father."
Chaos turned away, staring into the void beyond his fortress.
> "Good," he said. "Because one day, you will."
---
🌘 End Scene
As the Citadel's lights dimmed, Nyxira approached the throne, her reflection flickering like broken glass.
> "You should not have marked him," she whispered.
"He will hate you."
Chaos's gaze remained fixed on the dead horizon.
> "Let him."
He closed his eyes, and for a fleeting moment, he almost looked human.
> "Hatred is the truest form of love in the Abyss."
---
End of Chapter 7
> Next: Chapter 8 — "The Whispering Mirror"