The Abyss Shook.
Christian's flame burned blue-black, wild and furious, as he and Kien fought side-by-side.
Every strike of Kien's spear froze the Scorch-Eater's limbs for half-seconds—
every pulse of Christian's Void-Flame shattered that frozen mass apart.
But it wasn't enough.
The creature's Abyssal mutations healed it faster with each breath.
"We're losing!" Kien gritted out, ice and sweat clinging to her brow.
Christian shook his head.
No, he thought. Not yet. Not ever.
---
The Core Split Open.
Pain lanced through his chest—
the Void Core cracked inside him, releasing a blinding surge of spirit energy.
And memory.
For a heartbeat, Christian was not himself.
He was Vaelen Sol—
standing on the edge of the Abyss, wielding the ancient art of the Broken Flame.
A technique of pure contradiction:
flame that could burn without consuming,
light that could exist inside darkness.
"Remember."
The voice, Vaelen's voice, whispered through time.
Christian's body moved without thought.
His hands carved ancient sigils into the air, merging fire and void, life and death.
---
The Flame Awoke.
A spear of swirling Void-Ice Flame formed between his hands—
Kien's ice merging into it without resistance.
Their bond sang, painful and beautiful.
Together, they hurled the spear.
It struck the Scorch-Eater dead center—
exploding in a howling storm of frozen darkness and shattered fire.
The creature shrieked—its Abyssal core cracking.
For the first time, the predator bled.
---
And Then—The World Froze.
Out of the mist and broken sky, a figure stepped forward.
Clad in a tattered crimson cloak, his face hidden in shadow, his presence heavier than gravity itself.
Christian staggered back, heart hammering.
The figure's voice, when it spoke, was like old embers catching fire again.
"Heir of the Broken Flame," the figure said.
"Do you even know what you are?"
The Scorch-Eater fell silent, almost reverent.
The Abyss itself seemed to pause.
Christian's mouth was dry.
Kien stepped closer to him, tense.
"Who are you?" Christian forced out.
The figure only chuckled—a deep, hollow sound.
"The one who failed before you were born."
"And the one who will test if you're strong enough... to break the world free."
---
End of Chapter