Eclipse Requiem

Kael stood at the entrance of the ruined fortress, staring at the rising sun. **Its golden light bathed the broken stone and scattered remnants of abyssal energy.** But even as warmth spread across the land, an unshakable coldness lingered inside him.

The abyss had spoken to him.

And it wasn't done.

Saren stretched, rolling her shoulders. "So. Where to now?"

Kael clenched the abyssal fragment in his palm. It pulsed faintly—**not with malice, but with purpose.** He had seen glimpses of something beyond Malrik, **a deeper darkness.**

"We head west," Kael said. "To the Ruins of Veldrath."

Saren raised an eyebrow. "And that is…?"

Kael turned, his expression serious. "The last place the abyss touched before it was sealed away centuries ago."

Saren crossed her arms. "So, we're going straight toward more abyssal madness?"

Kael nodded. "If we want answers, we don't have a choice."

Saren groaned. "You just love dragging me into this nightmare, don't you?"

Kael smirked. "Wouldn't be the same without you."

Saren sighed, sheathing her sword. "Fine. But if I end up cursed, you owe me."

---

### **A Journey into the Unknown**

They traveled for days, moving through shifting landscapes. The roads were quiet—**too quiet.** Villages they passed through bore signs of unease, **hushed whispers of a growing darkness.**

Kael knew the abyss was stirring.

At night, the abyssal fragment pulsed in his hand. When he closed his eyes, he saw **visions—**of an ancient battle, of warriors fighting against a tide of shadow, and of a sealed door deep beneath the ruins of Veldrath.

It was calling him.

But why?

Saren noticed his unease. "You've been quiet," she said one evening, poking the campfire with a stick. "More than usual."

Kael hesitated before answering. "I keep seeing something… something buried beneath Veldrath."

Saren frowned. "Like what?"

Kael stared into the fire. "A door. A seal." He met her gaze. "Something is locked away there. And the abyss wants me to find it."

Saren's expression darkened. "You sure that's a good idea?"

Kael sighed. "No."

Saren groaned. "Great. Another suicide mission. Just what I wanted."

Kael smirked. "You can always turn back."

Saren scoffed. "Like hell I'm leaving you to deal with this alone."

She stood, brushing off her cloak. "Come on, then. We've got a door to open."

---

### **Arrival at the Ruins**

By the fifth day, the landscape had changed. The lush greenery of the forests gave way to **jagged black stone and dead earth.** The sky, once bright, was **tinged with an unnatural gray,** as if the land itself rejected the light.

They had reached **Veldrath.**

The ruins stretched before them—**crumbling towers, broken bridges, and massive stone carvings etched with forgotten warnings.**

Kael stepped forward, his heartbeat quickening.

The abyssal fragment in his hand **hummed.**

The seal was close.

Saren pulled out her sword. "I hate this place already."

Kael exhaled, steadying himself. "Let's move."

They stepped into the ruins—**toward the abyssal secret waiting for them beneath the earth.**

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