Falling.

  It felt endless. The Abyss stretched infinitely below him, swallowing all traces of light, sound, and reason. Ryojin had stopped struggling-the void would not let him go. The whispers were gone now, repced by an unnatural stillness.

  Then, the descent stopped

  He nded, but not on solid ground. Instead, it was something shifting, something alive.

  The darkness trembled beneath him.

  The colossal violet eyes opened once more, illuminating the abyss with an eerie glow. The Abyssal Dragon was before him, its form barely distinguishable from the void itself. Its body was titanic, shifting between scales and shadows, its wings stretching across eternity.

  "You are still bound by the mortal's hesitation, the dragon's voice rumbled. And yet, you hear the whispers, feel the hunger. The Abyss does not reject you."

  Ryojin rose to his feet, his katana still strapped to his back. His instincts screamed that this being was beyond anything he had ever faced.

  "And what do you want from me?" he asked, voice steady.

  The dragon grinned, baring fangs that glowed like dying stars.

  "Want? No... I offer."

  The void around them pulsed.

  "You were cast away by the gods, discarded like broken steel. But the Abyss does not discard."

  The pressure around Ryojin intensified, crushing, suffocating. His legs nearly buckled, but he refused to kneel.

  "I offer you power beyond gods, beyond fate itself. Accept the Abyss, and you shall become something greater than mortal, greater than divine. You shall become a force."

  A deep hunger stirred within him. Not for food, not for revenge-but for understanding.

  "What's the cost?"

  The dragon's grin widened.

  "You will never be the same again."

  Ryojin hesitated for a moment before nodding in approval.

  The Abyss twisted around him. Something unseen wrapped around his arms, his legs, his heart. His body was dissolving into the void, becoming one with it.

  Pain.

  His veins burned as abyssal energy surged through him, rewriting him at a level beyond flesh and blood.

  His vision darkened.

  His soul fractured.

  And then-

  Silence.

  When Ryojin opened his eyes, the void had changed.

  He was no longer falling. No longer lost.

  He stood at the center of it, and it bowed to him.

  The whispers no longer tormented him. They waited.

  The chains that had once bound him were gone, repced by bck runes that pulsed along his arms and chest, glowing with abyssal power. His katana, once an ordinary bde, now pulsed with the same energy.

  He looked at his hands. They had a bck-purplish aura around them.

  The dragon was watching, satisfied.

  "Now, Ryojin Kurohane... it rumbled. Let the gods see what they have created."

  The void cracked.

  Reality trembled.

  And with a single step, Ryojin left the Abyss.

  AUTHOR'S NOTE:

  Hello readers!

  I wanted to take a moment to let you all know that the story you're currently reading is actually part of a rger, interconnected narrative that spans multiple novels. Specifically, it's linked to my other novel, "Crucible of Shadows" which is currently being published on Royal roads.

  If you're interested in exploring the entire story, you have two options:

  1. Start with "Ryojin Kurohane: The Abyssal Monarch" and then proceed to "Crucible of Shadows". This path is ideal for fans of fast-paced action and intense plot twists.

  2. Begin with "Crucible of Shadows" which offers a more slow-burning narrative with a focus on storytelling and world-building. From there, you can transition to "Ryojin Kurohane: The Abyssal Monarch" for a more action-packed experience.

  Either way, I hope you enjoy the journey!

  Here is the link for Crucible of Shadows

  https:///fiction/111171/crucible-of-shadows