Abaddon

Chapter 10 : A Warning

The darkness swallowed me whole.

One moment I was in the tent, watching over Elise. The next, I was standing in a place I could not begin to understand. My body felt light, as though the ground beneath me wasn’t real, yet I stood firmly on it. My eyes darted around, struggling to take it all in.

It was a vast domain, a space that seemed endless, yet enclosed. The sky above was decorated with what looked like stars, but they were too close, too sharp, almost like eyes staring back at me. The air here carried both serenity and dread, a perfect balance between the divine and the infernal.

At the center of it all stood a throne.

It was tall, carved from what looked like black casted iron, heavy and cold. Its arms and backrest glimmered faintly, studded with stones I had never seen before—stones that pulsed with faint light, colors shifting every second as though alive.

My chest tightened.

“Where am I?” I muttered under my breath, my voice sounding strange in the vast silence.

Then it came.

A voice.

It boomed through the domain, echoing as though it came from every corner and nowhere at once. It was deep, strange, carrying tones that chilled my bones yet wrapped around me with something almost familiar.

“Oh, oh how I rejoice. Oh, how I rejoice to have you in my presence once more.”

I froze.

“The man whom an Archdemon took pity on. The man I myself deemed worthy of a better life. The man who will save his world.”

Each word pressed against me. Heavy like a weight.

“Oh, how I rejoice to have such a destiny in my domain.”

As the voice finished, the throne before me shifted. Darkness poured over it like a living shadow, consuming its iron frame until it was nothing more than a silhouette. Then, from the shadow, a figure emerged.

A man.

He sat upon the throne as though it had been made for him alone. His skin was pale, almost ghostly, his body tall yet slender. His eyes… hollow. Stars swirled inside them, infinite and terrifying. His left arm rested lazily on the armrest, his right hand cradled his head, tilting it as if in amusement.

On his lips, a smile.

It was strange, almost sadistic.

And yet… despite the unease he stirred within me, there was no denying it. He was beautiful.

“Who are you?” The words slipped from my mouth before I even thought them through. My voice sounded weak against his presence.

He didn’t answer. He only stared at me, his smile never faltering. His gaze didn’t waver. It was as though he was studying me, reading everything about me without effort.

“Why am I here?” I asked again, louder this time. My fists clenched, though my body still trembled.

Again, silence. He only nodded once, slowly, then shifted his position. He sat upright now, no longer resting so lazily.

And finally, he spoke.

“Oh, oh Archie, of the house of Valion.”

I stiffened.

“Hated by his own, yet now burdened with preventing his own from ending the world. Half-kin of Uriel, and half-kin of I. Now given a destiny he knows nothing of.”

His voice was calm, but every word fell heavy, like chains locking around me.

I didn’t understand what he meant. Half-kin? Prevent the end of the world? My mind raced, trying to grasp his words. But still, I listened. What else could I do? His presence was overwhelming, demanding obedience without force.

“I summoned you here to tell you of this destiny.”

He stopped. His eyes lingered on me, waiting. Almost like he wanted me to ask.

My throat was dry. Still, I forced the words out. “What destiny?”

That smile of his grew wider. His voice, soft yet commanding, answered me.

“Let me show you.”

He flicked his wrist.

In an instant, the domain around us collapsed into shards of darkness, and I was pulled into a new space.

My eyes widened.

The streets beneath my feet were familiar. Cobblestone roads, dark and cold, lined with white paint. Walls rose around the city, engraved with glowing runes. It was a place I thought I would never see again.

Luminara.

But not the Luminara I knew.

This one was silent. Deserted.

The bustling markets I once saw filled with merchants and children’s laughter were now empty. The air reeked of rust and decay, thick with the stench of blood and metal.

And then I saw it.

Me.

My body froze as I my gaze fell on myself.

I stood atop a mountain of corpses. Knights of Luminara. Their armor shattered, their lifeless bodies stacked upon each other like broken dolls. My other self stood drenched in their blood, eyes lifeless, face cold and merciless.

In my hand, I held something. A weapon, though I couldn’t see it clearly. But the way I gripped it, so tightly, so desperately, sent a chill down my spine.

My breath caught in my throat. My knees felt weak.

“What is this?” I whispered, horror in my voice.

The man answered without hesitation.

“Your destiny.”

I stumbled back, my body shaking, my eyes wide. “What in hell’s name do you mean?”

He paused for a moment before speaking.

“This is your future and destiny—seven months from now.” His voice rang steady, unshaken.

“You know of the Leviathan. You know why one has returned. A war is coming. One that will set you against the knights of Luminara. You will have no choice but to fight—and win—for the sake of those you love. And so this scene will come to pass.”

With a flick of his wrist, the vision shattered. We were back in his domain, the throne of iron looming over me. He leaned back into his chair, reclaiming his first pose, calm and composed, as though nothing had shifted.

I collapsed to my knees. Somehow, I believed him. The weight of his words crushed me. That vision—it wasn’t just illusion. It was truth. I was going to become that monster.

“Listen, oh Archie,” the man said again.

I lifted my head, heart hammering.

“You must protect Uriel. Stand with her in the coming battle. Without you, she will die. Time is short. I will return you with a portion of my power. Use it to prevail.”

My eyes widened, but before I could respond, he moved his hand. Darkness swallowed me whole once more.

When my eyes fluttered open, I was back in the tent—next to Elise. For a moment I wondered if it had all been a dream.

“I will keep Elise safe for you,” the voice whispered.

I turned, horror freezing my veins. Elise’s pod was being swallowed by darkness.

At that moment, I confirmed.It wasn’t a dream. Everything I saw was real.