Title: Beneath the Black Ocean
The sky above the Valcrion Depths was pitch black. No stars. No moon. Just an endless sea of shadows swirling above a colossal, sunken crater that bled darkness like ink. This was not a realm meant for mortals—or even gods.
Kael and Azrion stood at the edge of the abyss. The map hovered before them, its red light dimming.
Azrion:
"The first seal lies beneath us… but something guards it. Something ancient."
Kael felt it even before they descended—a chilling pressure, as if the world itself was watching him.
As they dived into the abyss, the water wasn't water—it was thick, like oil, and alive. Whispering. Feeding on thoughts.
Kael (thinking):
"Why do I feel… afraid? Like something's pulling my memories apart…"
Suddenly, the darkness twisted, forming haunting visions—his mother dying, his father drunk and silent, the beatings, the humiliation.
Kael screamed, clutching his head as he sank deeper.
Then—eyes opened. Massive. Glowing with sorrow and rage.
The Leviacrypt emerged. A creature so vast, its tail wrapped the ocean floor. Bone armor lined its back, and its maw was an abyss within an abyss.
Azrion (shocked):
"That thing's feeding on your trauma, Kael. If you lose yourself… you die."
The battle began.
Kael dodged a tentacle the size of a mountain, only for another to strike him mid-air, sending him crashing into the seabed. Bones cracked. Blood spilled into the black water.
The creature roared—and the sound was memory itself. Kael saw himself as a child, crying alone, trying to grow strong… but always failing.
Kael (barely whispering):
"I… I can't… Azrion… help me."
But Azrion didn't answer. This was Kael's test.
Then, something snapped.
Kael saw not just his pain—but his resilience. He'd been alone, broken, hated—but he never gave up.
Kael (screaming):
"I'm still standing!! I never stopped!!"
A new power exploded from him—his mark pulsed, and demonic black fire surged through the water, slicing through the Leviacrypt's tentacles.
Kael rocketed forward and, with one final punch, pierced the Leviacrypt's core.
A sonic blast shattered the ocean. The first seal cracked, and Kael floated in silence… breathing heavily, eyes glowing like Azrion's.
Azrion (softly):
"You're starting to understand… what it means to be chosen."