Darkness breathed quietly within the Abyss.
It was not the violent chaos that most imagined. It was deeper than that, vast and patient, like an endless ocean waiting beneath the surface of the world.
At the center of this endless darkness stood a throne carved from jagged obsidian. Shadows coiled around it like loyal serpents, shifting and whispering with ancient power.
Kaizen sat upon that throne.
His eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, reflecting the endless void stretching beyond his domain. The Abyss obeyed him now. The monsters that lurked within its depths trembled beneath his will.
Yet even surrounded by such power…
He felt nothing.
No triumph.
No joy.
Only silence.
For years, he had accepted that silence as part of his existence. Power required distance. Attachment only created weakness.
He had learned that lesson long ago.
Hana and Riku had taught him that lesson.
A faint memory flickered through his mind, soft laughter beneath sunlight, warm hands reaching for his, eyes filled with kindness.
Kaizen closed his eyes.
The memory faded quickly.
Memories were dangerous things.
Suddenly, the silence of the Abyss shifted.
Kaizen's eyes opened again.
He felt it instantly.
A pulse.
Weak… but unmistakable.
Abyssal energy.
But not like the others.
Not like the monsters.
This energy trembled. It struggled. It resisted the darkness surrounding it.
Kaizen slowly stood.
The shadows around the throne stirred in response.
"Nyxara," he said quietly.
A ripple formed within the darkness.
From that ripple emerged a tall figure cloaked in flowing black robes. Her presence carried the calm elegance of someone who had long ago embraced the Abyss.
Nyxara bowed her head.
"You called, my lord."
Kaizen's glowing gaze remained fixed on the distant darkness beyond the throne chamber.
"There is something within the Abyss."
Nyxara's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Something?"
Kaizen nodded once.
"Yes."
The energy pulsed again.
Stronger this time.
Like a fragile heartbeat.
Nyxara felt it too.
Her expression changed instantly.
"…I see."
Kaizen turned slightly toward her.
"You know what it is."
For a moment, Nyxara hesitated.
Then she spoke quietly.
"My daughter."
The shadows of the Abyss seemed to grow heavier.
Kaizen said nothing.
Nyxara continued.
"She should not have been born here."
Her voice carried no pride.
Only quiet sorrow.
"The Abyss does not allow life to grow peacefully."
Kaizen began walking through the vast chamber, the shadows parting before him.
"And yet she lives."
Nyxara followed.
"Yes."
They moved through the deep corridors of the Abyss fortress until the faint pulse of energy grew stronger.
With every step, the darkness around them reacted strangely, twisting, shifting, almost restless.
Then they reached a narrow chamber hidden within the depths of the Abyss.
And inside it…
A girl knelt on the cold stone floor.
She was clutching her chest tightly, her body trembling.
Dark veins spread across her skin like cracks in glass.
Shadows flickered violently around her.
She was fighting something.
Fighting it with everything she had.
Kaizen watched silently.
The girl looked no older than seventeen. Long silver hair fell around her shoulders, partially hiding her face.
But the moment she lifted her head,
Kaizen froze.
Her eyes were filled with pain.
Not anger.
Not hatred.
Pain.
"Mother…" she whispered weakly.
Nyxara stepped forward immediately.
"Zephyra."
The girl tried to stand but collapsed again as the dark veins spread further along her arm.
Kaizen could feel the Abyss reacting violently to her presence.
The energy inside her was unstable.
It surged like a storm trapped within fragile walls.
Zephyra gasped as another wave of pain struck her.
Shadows erupted from her body, slamming against the chamber walls before dissolving again.
Kaizen stepped forward.
Nyxara looked at him cautiously.
"My lord.."
He ignored her.
Kaizen crouched in front of the girl.
For a moment, Zephyra didn't notice him. Her eyes were shut tightly as she struggled to breathe.
"Make it stop…" she whispered.
The words were barely audible.
Kaizen studied the dark veins spreading from her chest.
The Abyss had marked her.
But something was wrong.
The energy inside her was not purely Abyssal.
It was resisting.
Fighting itself.
Kaizen placed a hand gently over the center of her chest.
Nyxara stiffened.
The shadows immediately reacted.
But Kaizen's power silenced them.
The darkness calmed instantly.
Zephyra's breathing slowed.
Her trembling stopped.
For the first time since they arrived…
She opened her eyes.
And saw him.
For a moment, confusion flickered across her face.
Then fear.
"You… you're…"
Kaizen said nothing.
Her eyes searched his face carefully.
"…Kaizen."
He blinked slightly.
"You know who I am."
Zephyra nodded weakly.
"Everyone does."
Her voice trembled.
"They say you're the ruler of the Abyss."
Kaizen removed his hand slowly.
The dark veins retreated slightly, though they did not disappear completely.
Zephyra looked down at her arm.
"They're spreading again," she said quietly.
Nyxara stepped closer.
"It's the curse."
Kaizen stood.
"This is not a curse."
Both of them looked at him.
Zephyra frowned slightly.
"…Then what is it?"
Kaizen's gaze remained calm.
"The Abyss recognizes you."
Zephyra shook her head weakly.
"It doesn't feel like recognition."
Another wave of pain struck her suddenly.
She fell forward, gasping.
The dark veins flared violently again.
Shadows burst outward like shattered glass.
Kaizen caught her before she hit the ground.
For a moment, everything froze.
Her body was light.
Fragile.
And warm.
A strange sensation stirred in his chest.
He pushed it aside immediately.
Zephyra clutched his sleeve weakly.
"Am I… becoming a monster?"
The question was filled with quiet fear.
Kaizen stared down at her.
And suddenly,
Another face appeared in his mind.
A girl standing beneath cherry blossoms.
Soft laughter.
Gentle eyes.
Hana.
The memory hit him like a blade.
Kaizen's expression hardened instantly.
He looked away.
"No."
Zephyra blinked.
"…No?"
Kaizen carefully helped her sit against the wall.
"Monsters do not fear becoming monsters."
Her eyes widened slightly.
Silence filled the chamber.
After a moment, she spoke again.
"…Then what will happen to me?"
Kaizen did not answer immediately.
Because the truth was uncertain.
The Abyss was not devouring her.
It was reacting to her.
That meant only one thing.
She was not meant to be destroyed by it.
She was meant to wield it.
But Kaizen could see the danger clearly.
If she lost control…
The Abyss itself might consume her.
Or worse.
She might become something even more dangerous.
Nyxara watched him carefully.
"My lord," she said quietly.
"Can you help her?"
Kaizen's eyes shifted slightly.
Help.
That word had once meant something to him.
Once.
Before everything had been taken away.
Zephyra lowered her head.
"You don't have to," she said softly.
"I know I'm… not supposed to exist here."
Kaizen looked at her again.
The pain in her voice was quiet.
But unmistakable.
And once again,
Hana's memory flickered through his mind.
The same gentle strength.
The same quiet sadness.
Kaizen turned away.
His voice became colder.
"Do not get close to me."
Zephyra looked up, confused.
"Why?"
Kaizen's eyes darkened.
"Because people who do…"
He paused briefly.
"…tend to die."
Silence filled the chamber.
Zephyra stared at the floor.
"Oh."
For a moment, Kaizen thought that would be the end of the conversation.
But then she spoke again.
"…I'm already dying."
The words were simple.
But they carried no fear.
Only acceptance.
Kaizen felt something tighten inside his chest.
Something he had not felt in a long time.
Zephyra looked up again.
"But… even if I die…"
She gave a faint, tired smile.
"…I'd still like to live a little first."
The smile was small.
Fragile.
Yet strangely warm.
And suddenly,
Kaizen's heartbeat echoed loudly in his ears.
A heartbeat he had thought had long gone silent.
He turned away sharply.
"…Stay near me."
Zephyra blinked.
"What?"
Kaizen did not look at her.
"If you remain within my presence…"
He spoke calmly.
"…I can suppress the Abyss energy inside you."
Zephyra stared at him in surprise.
"Really?"
Kaizen nodded once.
"It will not remove the mark."
"But it will stop the pain."
Zephyra's eyes softened slightly.
"…Thank you."
Kaizen walked toward the chamber exit.
"Do not misunderstand."
His voice remained distant.
"This is only temporary."
Zephyra watched him quietly.
"Yes."
But as she slowly stood…
A small smile appeared on her face.
Because for the first time in a long time,
The pain in her chest had stopped.
And somewhere deep within the endless darkness of the Abyss…
A forgotten heart had begun to beat again.
Even if Kaizen refused to admit it.
.....
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm really itching to tell y'all something's but I won't cuz it will ruin the flow of the story, this chapter will really affect the entire novel, that's all I can say.
I really hope you guys are enjoying scar of the abyss 😅😅