The Abyss. The name itself was enough to strike fear into the hearts of even the most hardened warriors. It was a bottomless chasm that bordered the Kingdom of Veridia, a place of darkness and despair, where the unwanted and the condemned were cast to their doom. Legends whispered of monstrous creatures lurking in the depths, of ancient evils that had been sealed away for centuries. But the most terrifying aspect of the Abyss was its utter isolation. Once you were thrown into its depths, there was no escape.
Riven felt the wind whipping through his hair as the guards dragged him towards the edge of the chasm. He could see the darkness below, a swirling vortex of shadows that seemed to swallow the light. The air grew colder, and a sense of dread washed over him.
"Please," he begged, his voice cracking with fear. "Don't do this. I'll do anything. Just let me live."
The guards remained impassive, their faces hidden behind their helmets. They were merely following orders, carrying out the will of the System. They showed no pity, no remorse.
With a final shove, they sent him tumbling into the abyss.
Riven screamed as he plummeted into the darkness, the ground rushing up to meet him. He closed his eyes, bracing for the inevitable impact. But instead of pain, he felt a strange sensation, a tingling energy that seemed to envelop him.
He opened his eyes and saw that he was no longer falling. He was floating in mid-air, surrounded by a swirling vortex of shadows. The air was thick with an oppressive energy, and he could hear whispers echoing around him, voices that seemed to come from the very depths of the Abyss.
He looked down and saw that he was standing on a small, rocky ledge, precariously perched on the edge of a seemingly bottomless drop. The Abyss stretched out before him, a vast, unexplored wilderness of darkness and danger.
"Where… where am I?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
A voice echoed in his mind, ancient and powerful. "You are in the Abyss, child. A place where the System has no power."
Riven gasped, startled by the disembodied voice. "Who… who is that?"
"I am the Guardian of the Abyss," the voice replied. "I have watched over this place for millennia, since before the System came to be."
"The System?" Riven asked, confused. "What do you mean? Isn't the System everything?"
The voice chuckled, a deep, resonant sound that seemed to shake the very foundations of the Abyss. "The System is but a tool, child. A means of control. It is not the source of all power. There are forces in this world that predate the System, forces that the System cannot comprehend."
Riven stared into the darkness, trying to make sense of the Guardian's words. He had always believed that the System was infallible, that it was the ultimate authority. But now, he was being told that there was something beyond the System, something more powerful.
"You have been cast into the Abyss because the System could not define you," the Guardian continued. "You are a Rank Zero, an anomaly. But here, in the Abyss, your lack of Rank is not a weakness. It is your strength."
"My strength?" Riven asked, incredulous. "But I have no power. I'm just a… a mistake."
"You are not a mistake, child," the Guardian said, its voice filled with a strange sense of urgency. "You are a blank slate. A vessel of limitless potential. The System may have rejected you, but the Abyss has embraced you."
The Guardian explained that the Abyss was a place of raw, untamed energy, a source of power that could be harnessed by those who were strong enough to withstand it. Because Riven was unranked, he was not bound by the System's limitations. He was free to tap into the power of the Abyss, to forge his own destiny.
"But beware, child," the Guardian warned. "The Abyss is a dangerous place. It is filled with creatures that have been twisted and corrupted by the darkness. You will face trials that will test your strength and your resolve. But if you persevere, you will emerge from the Abyss stronger than you ever imagined."
Riven listened intently, his heart filled with a mixture of fear and excitement. He had been cast into the Abyss to die, but now, he had been given a second chance. A chance to prove himself, to defy the System, to become something more than a Rank Zero.
"I… I accept," he said, his voice filled with newfound determination. "I will face the trials of the Abyss. I will become strong. And I will show the System that they were wrong about me."
The Guardian chuckled. "Very well, child. Your journey begins now. But first, you must learn to survive. The Abyss is not kind to the weak."
The Guardian then instructed Riven on how to harness the energy of the Abyss, how to defend himself against the creatures that lurked in the darkness, and how to navigate the treacherous terrain. It was a grueling and dangerous training, but Riven persevered, driven by his desire to prove himself.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Riven spent his time exploring the Abyss, battling monstrous creatures, and mastering the Guardian's teachings. He grew stronger, both physically and mentally. He learned to control the darkness within him, to channel the power of the Abyss into his own abilities.
He also discovered that he was not alone in the Abyss. There were others who had been cast aside by the System, others who had been deemed unworthy. Some were criminals, some were dissenters, and some were simply unlucky. But they all shared one thing in common: they had been rejected by the world above.
Riven formed alliances with these outcasts, learning from their experiences and sharing his own knowledge. He became a leader, a beacon of hope in the darkness. He showed them that even in the Abyss, there was still a chance for survival, a chance for redemption.
As he grew stronger, Riven began to understand the true nature of the System. It was not a benevolent force, as he had once believed. It was a tool of oppression, a means of controlling the masses. It valued order above all else, even at the expense of individual freedom.
And he knew that he could not stand idly by while the System continued to perpetuate its injustices. He had to fight back. He had to challenge the hierarchy. He had to show the world that Rank was not everything.
He had to become the Limitless Sovereign.