Kaito's body was weightless, suspended in a void where time had lost all meaning. He couldn't tell where the ground had gone, or if there even was a ground at all.
His thoughts were fragmented, scattered across the endless expanse of blackness that surrounded him.
The only thing that remained clear in his mind was Nyra's face—the image of her, as if burned into the core of his being.
But it wasn't the Nyra he had known, the sister he had protected. It was something far more terrifying. Her eyes, now void of warmth, were filled with a cold, unrelenting darkness that gnawed at his very soul.
"No," Kaito muttered, his voice trembling. "I won't let her go. I can still save her…"
But even as he said the words, he could feel the truth weighing down on him like an iron chain. The Abyss had already touched her, and once it sank its claws into something, it never let go.
The Watcher's words echoed in his mind, each syllable a crushing blow. "You are its herald. The end of all things will come through you."
The weight of those words was unbearable. How had this happened? How had Nyra fallen so far into the Abyss?
He had fought for so long to protect her, to bring her back to the light. Yet here he was, suspended in darkness, unable to reach her.
Suddenly, the void around him twisted. The shadows, once still, began to swirl, drawing closer, pulling him in.
The oppressive force of the Abyss pressed against him from all sides, suffocating him, as if it were trying to consume him whole.
Kaito closed his eyes, his breath ragged. His mind raced, trying to recall any piece of information, any shred of hope that could bring him back. He had to find a way out of this. He couldn't—no, he wouldn't—let it end like this. Not after everything they had gone through.
A light flickered in the distance, faint but undeniable. It was like a beacon, cutting through the endless darkness.
For a moment, Kaito hesitated. What if it was just another illusion of the Abyss, designed to lure him deeper into despair? But then he remembered—he remembered her.
The Nyra who had once smiled at him, the sister he had known and loved. She was still in there, buried beneath the Abyss, waiting to be freed.
Without thinking, Kaito pushed forward, propelling himself toward the light. Each movement felt like an eternity, as if the very fabric of the void was fighting against him.
The darkness wrapped around him like chains, dragging him back, but he refused to stop.
The light grew brighter with every passing moment, until it engulfed him completely. The shadows recoiled, as if the light had the power to burn them away. Kaito pushed harder, his will stronger than ever. He wouldn't stop—not until he reached her.
And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the light exploded, blinding him. He cried out, shielding his eyes as the force of the light pushed him back, sending him crashing to the ground.
For a moment, everything was still. Then the ground beneath him cracked open, and a deep, rumbling voice filled the air, vibrating through his very bones.
"You are too weak."
Kaito's heart skipped a beat. The voice—he had heard it before, hadn't he? It was the voice of the Abyss itself. The same voice that had spoken to him in his dreams, warning him of the dangers that lay ahead.
"You cannot save her. She belongs to the Abyss now."
Kaito's hands clenched into fists. The voice was right. He was weak. He had been weak. He had failed to protect Nyra when it mattered most. But that didn't mean he would give up. Not now, not ever.
He had always believed that love could conquer anything, and he wasn't about to let the Abyss be the exception.
"I won't give up on her." His voice was raw, but it was filled with an unshakable resolve. "I'll find a way to bring her back."
The shadows around him rippled, as if the Abyss itself was laughing at his defiance. But Kaito didn't care. He could feel the power of his determination rising within him, pushing back the darkness, even if just for a moment.
As the shadows swirled around him, a figure appeared from within them, stepping into the light. It was Nyra—or at least, it looked like Nyra.
She stood tall, her features twisted by the dark energy that surrounded her, her eyes glowing with an unholy light. She was no longer the sister he had known. The Abyss had taken everything from her, and now, she was its vessel.
"Kaito," Nyra's voice was soft, but it carried an edge of something far darker. "You shouldn't have come."
Kaito's heart ached at the sound of her voice, so familiar, yet so foreign. He could see the faintest flicker of recognition in her eyes, but it was buried beneath layers of darkness. She wasn't lost, not completely. He could still reach her.
"I will save you," Kaito said, his voice trembling with emotion. "I swear it. I won't leave you like this."
Nyra's lips curled into a smile—a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You can't." She raised her hand, and the shadows around her surged, forming into tendrils that lashed out at him.
Kaito barely had time to react as the tendrils struck, wrapping around his body and constricting him.
The darkness flooded his mind, filling every corner of his consciousness with torment and despair. His body screamed in protest as the Abyss's grip tightened, but he fought against it, pushing back with everything he had.
"I won't give up, Nyra." He gasped, barely able to breathe as the shadows pressed against his chest. "Please… don't let the Abyss win."
For a brief moment, Nyra's expression flickered, her eyes narrowing with something that almost resembled pain. Then, just as quickly, it was gone, replaced by a cold, unfeeling mask.
"You're too weak." She said, her voice laced with the power of the Abyss. "You'll never save me."
But even as she spoke those words, Kaito felt something stir deep inside her—a flicker of the sister he had once known. It was small, fleeting, but it was enough to ignite a spark of hope in his chest.
With a final surge of strength, Kaito broke free from the tendrils, pushing forward despite the crushing weight of the Abyss.
"I'll never stop fighting for you." He reached out toward her, his hand trembling with desperation. "I'll bring you back."
The shadows recoiled, and for a moment, the world around him seemed to hold its breath.
Nyra's figure wavered, as if caught between two worlds—the Abyss and the light. But in that moment, something shifted. Her hand reached out, just barely grazing his, before the darkness consumed her once more.
"You're too late, Kaito." Her voice was faint, a whisper carried away by the wind. "The Abyss is eternal."
Kaito's heart shattered as she disappeared into the darkness. But as her form faded, a glimmer of hope remained. The Abyss had not claimed her completely. There was still a chance.
And Kaito would fight to the very end to find it.