crown of shadow

Chapter 6: Chapter 5 – Into the Abyss



Velucia Academy – Mission Assignment Hall

The large hall buzzed with the hum of magic and anticipation. Students from every rank sat or stood around waiting for the next phase of their training. Instructors walked between tables, offering advice, handing out mission scrolls, or simply observing.

Kaen leaned against the stone wall, arms crossed, observing the room. Zian stood beside him, her golden eyes scanning the students as they chatted nervously.

> "You seem calm," she said after a moment.

> "I'm always calm," Kaen replied flatly.

Zian glanced at him. There was something about him, something she couldn't place, that made her both curious and wary.

Before she could press further, a voice echoed across the room.

> "Class A1, attention!"

The head instructor, Daemon Kray, stood at the front, holding a large crystal scroll.

> "This mission will mark the beginning of your real training. No longer will you be facing mere simulations."

The students stiffened, their nerves now palpable.

> "You will each be assigned a gate—real gates. Not controlled by the Academy."

The air in the room thickened. Even Zian's expression turned serious.

> "Gates have a life of their own," Kray continued. "You will face beasts, corruption, and mana storms. It is your job to contain them, or better yet—seal them."

Kaen felt his lips twitch into a smile, but his expression remained neutral. Zian, however, looked intrigued.

> "We will assign pairs," Kray continued. "You will venture into your assigned gate with your partner, face the creatures within, and return with proof that the gate is contained. Or you will not return."

The words hung heavy in the air, as students exchanged uneasy glances.

> "The ranking system will apply," Kray said. "S-Rank will be given more dangerous gates, but the point system is suspended for the duration of this mission. Your survival is what matters."

He raised his hand and a glowing scroll unfurled, revealing their assignments.

> "Kaen, Zian," Kray called. "You two are paired. Gate: Eclipse Abyss. Go now."

A shockwave of surprise rippled through the room.

> "The Eclipse Abyss?" someone whispered. "That gate hasn't been opened in over a year!"

> "Isn't it dangerous?" another student murmured.

Kaen and Zian exchanged a glance, then without a word, they both walked toward the exit. Their feet barely made a sound on the polished floor.

---

The Eclipse Abyss – A Forgotten Gate

The Eclipse Abyss was one of the oldest gates in existence. No one knew when it had first appeared, but the legends said it was a rift between the worlds—the space between light and shadow. Monsters that came from it were unlike any others—beasts that thrived in both the light and the dark.

The portal stood before them, swirling with a black void at its core, surrounded by flickering strands of crimson energy. It was a massive, jagged tear in the world itself, and it pulsed like a heartbeat.

Zian stood at the threshold, hand resting lightly on her spear.

> "This feels different," she murmured. "It's… more than just a gate."

Kaen's eyes narrowed, scanning the portal. Something stirred within him—a familiar feeling. Darkness.

> "It's not a gate," Kaen said quietly. "It's a wound in the fabric of this world. A scar."

He stepped forward, his presence oddly soothing in contrast to the swirling chaos around them.

> "Let's go," he said, already walking into the gate.

Zian followed without hesitation.

---

Inside the Eclipse Abyss

The moment they crossed the threshold, the air changed. It was cold—unnaturally so. The swirling darkness closed in around them, casting their surroundings into shadow. Only faint red light cut through the suffocating gloom, illuminating twisted shapes that hung in the air like specters.

> "Kaen," Zian whispered, gripping her spear tightly. "What are we looking for?"

Kaen raised a hand, his fingers curling as if in response to an invisible force. His eyes flared crimson, the faint glow in them matching the eerie light that bathed the landscape.

> "We're looking for the source of this distortion. We need to close it, before it spreads."

From the distance, a low growl echoed through the dark expanse.

> "And that's our first problem," Kaen muttered.

Suddenly, from the shadows, a massive beast lunged toward them—a creature half-man, half-beast, with eyes glowing red and claws dripping with dark mana.

It was a Corrupted Warden—a beast born of the Abyss, a guardian of the gate itself.

Zian didn't wait for it to approach. With a fluid motion, she drew her spear and hurled it forward, aiming for the creature's heart.

But it was too fast.

With a flash of speed, the Warden dodged and retaliated, swiping at her with claws that crackled with dark energy.

Zian barely dodged, but the strike was close enough to tear her sleeve.

> "I'm getting tired of this," Kaen said, his voice cold as ice.

He stepped forward, raising a hand. Shadows coiled around his fingers, spreading like living ink. With a snap of his wrist, the shadows surged forward, enveloping the Warden in a pulsating mass of black void.

> "You're not the first thing I've killed from the Abyss," Kaen muttered. "And you won't be the last."

With a sharp command, the darkness crushed the beast, its body convulsing in the shadows until it disintegrated into nothingness.

Zian stared, wide-eyed.

> "That was…" she whispered. "Incredible."

Kaen looked at her with an unreadable expression.

> "That's what happens when you understand what you're facing."

The dark tendrils of shadow receded, leaving the air heavy with a sense of finality.

Kaen turned to the portal, his gaze lingering on it as if it were a living thing.

> "Now… we seal this."

With a deep breath, Kaen stepped forward again, his hand extended toward the rift.

From his palm, a wave of pure void radiated out, distorting the space around them. The gate began to tremble as Kaen's darkness wrapped around it, pulling the fabric of the Abyss tighter, forcing it closed.

The air hummed with power. Zian could feel the world around them react to Kaen's presence—pulling, shuddering, but ultimately obeying.

---

Closing the Gate

With one final surge, the gate snapped shut, collapsing into a flat, lifeless expanse.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Zian turned to Kaen, eyes wide in disbelief.

> "You did it… you closed the gate… just like that."

Kaen nodded, his expression unchanged. "Sometimes, the answer is simpler than people think."

> "And what happens now?" Zian asked.

Kaen glanced around at the now-quiet, empty space.

> "We leave. We don't need to see the aftermath. The point is that it's done."

---

Back at Velucia Academy – The Return

They returned to the Academy an hour later. Their mission had been completed successfully. But for Kaen and Zian, the real test had just begun.

Inside the command hall, Kray stood waiting.

> "Good work," he said, his voice low. "You passed, but this was only a small gate. The real tests begin now."

Kaen stood silently. Zian nodded, her expression distant as her mind replayed the events.


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