The morning inside the Slayer Citadel was colder than Kaien expected. The fortress felt less like a home and more like a cage—stone walls, endless corridors, and watchful eyes that never blinked. Wherever he walked, Slayers stopped to stare, their gazes sharp, whispering in low voices as though his very presence was a curse. He didn't need to hear their words clearly. The disgust in their tone was enough. Abyss-bearer. Corrupted. He'll turn.
Kaien ignored them, though the weight of their hatred pressed like a stone on his back. He hadn't asked for this power, hadn't chosen to bear it, but it marked him all the same.
By midmorning, Ren found him in the courtyard. The older Slayer looked as casual as ever, leaning on the hilt of his sheathed blade like it was a walking stick. His crimson scarf swayed in the wind, and his expression carried that same half-smirk Kaien hated.
"Rise and shine, Draven," Ren said. "The Council wants me to test your… potential. So, today's lesson will be simple." He gestured toward the yard, where a ring of Slayers had already gathered, whispering with interest. "You fight."
Kaien frowned. "Fight who?"
Ren shrugged. "Everyone."
The crowd parted as five Slayers stepped forward, weapons gleaming. Each one carried an aura of experience—veterans who had bled in countless battles. They weren't rookies. Ren wasn't testing him with equals. He was feeding him to wolves.
Kaien's jaw tightened. "This isn't training. It's an execution."
Ren's smirk widened, but his eyes hardened. "Or it's a chance to prove you're not just the Abyss wrapped in human skin. If you survive, you earn a place here. If you die, then you were never worth the trouble."
The five Slayers formed a circle around him. The whispers of the crowd rose like a tide. Kaien felt their hunger—none of them wanted him here. Some wanted to see him bleed. Some wanted him dead.
Ren's voice cut the air. "Begin."
Steel flashed. The first Slayer lunged, his spear thrusting for Kaien's chest. Kaien twisted, shadows erupting around his arm as he deflected the strike, the spear grazing his side. Another Slayer swung from behind, her twin blades slicing toward his throat. Kaien ducked low, kicking her legs out from under her, but a third's hammer came down like thunder, shaking the ground where he had just stood.
The ring closed in, every angle filled with steel and death. Kaien's instincts screamed, and the Abyss answered. Shadows coiled around his blade as he unsheathed Oblivion Fang, its dark edge humming with hunger. He slashed upward, the air itself screaming as a wave of black energy tore through the spear wielder's guard and sent him sprawling across the yard.
Gasps rippled through the crowd, but the remaining four pressed harder, their movements faster, sharper. Kaien blocked, parried, and countered, but for every strike he deflected, another slipped past. Cuts opened across his arms, his side, his legs. Blood dripped onto the stones.
The shadows whispered louder. More. Take more. Devour them.
Kaien's chest heaved. He tightened his grip on Oblivion Fang and shoved the whispers down. He couldn't lose himself here—not in front of them, not when every eye was waiting to see him fall. He moved again, his blade carving arcs of shadow through the air. He disarmed one Slayer with a brutal clash, sending her twin swords skittering. He kicked another back into the ring of onlookers. But the hammer came again, slamming into his guard, shaking his bones. He staggered, blood in his mouth.
The crowd roared. Some with cheers, most with laughter. They wanted him to break.
Ren watched silently, arms crossed, his smirk gone. His eyes were sharp, studying every movement, every flicker of shadow.
Kaien pushed forward again, but the hammer wielder met him head-on, a wall of brute strength. The blow sent him to his knees, his blade quivering. For a moment, silence fell. The Slayer raised his hammer high, ready to crush his skull.
And the Abyss surged.
Shadows exploded from Kaien's body, a violent storm that lashed across the courtyard. The ground cracked, stones tearing free as the energy howled. The hammer came down, but Kaien caught it with one hand, Abyssal tendrils wrapping around the weapon, searing the metal black. His eyes glowed violet, his voice a low growl.
"Not today."
He shoved upward, sending the hammer wielder flying back into the wall. The courtyard erupted in shouts as Kaien rose, shadows coiling like a cloak around him, his blade blazing with dark fire. The whispers in his head screamed for more, to cut them all down, to drown this place in blood.
Kaien clenched his teeth and turned the fury outward. He struck again, moving faster than the eye could follow, disarming one Slayer, then another, until the last stood alone, trembling. Kaien's blade pressed against his throat, shadows licking at the edge.
The yard fell silent. Every eye was on him. Kaien's chest rose and fell, his pulse hammering. The Abyss begged for the kill, but he forced himself still. With a sharp breath, he lowered his blade.
The last Slayer stumbled back, pale, defeated.
Ren's voice cut through the silence. "Enough."
The shadows receded reluctantly, slithering back beneath Kaien's skin, leaving him trembling, bloodied, but standing.
For a long moment, no one spoke. Then the crowd erupted—some jeering, others whispering in awe.
Ren stepped forward, his expression unreadable. He placed a hand on Kaien's shoulder, leaning close so only he could hear. "That's what I wanted to see. You're a monster, Draven. But you're our monster now."
Kaien's jaw clenched. He wanted to throw Ren's hand off, but his strength was fading. He staggered, and the shadows inside him coiled like chains.
Before Ren could say more, a deep sound split the air—a low, guttural roar that shook the walls of the Citadel. Every Slayer froze. The ground trembled. Then came another roar, closer this time, and the sky above darkened.
Kaien looked up, his heart stuttering. From the clouds, shapes emerged—vast, twisted forms with wings of bone and eyes like fire. Demons. Dozens of them, swooping toward the fortress.
The Citadel exploded into motion. Alarms blared, Slayers shouting orders as they rushed for weapons, archers taking position on the walls. Yara's voice thundered across the yard. "All divisions to the gates! Defend the Citadel!"
Ren's smirk returned, but his eyes burned with focus. He drew his blade, its edge gleaming crimson in the storm. "Looks like class isn't over yet."
Kaien tightened his grip on Oblivion Fang, shadows coiling eagerly around him. His wounds still burned, his body ached, but his blood surged hot with purpose.
The demons were coming.
The Slayer Order would see whether Kaien Draven was truly theirs—or if the Abyss inside him had already claimed him.
And for the first time, Kaien almost welcomed the storm.