Far beyond the Forest of Blackreach—
beyond Norn City, beyond the borders marked on any Association map—
the world reacted.
Seismic sensors across three regions screamed at once.
Fault lines that had slept for centuries ruptured without warning. Mountains groaned as if waking from a nightmare. Rivers surged out of their banks, shorelines pulling back for a heartbeat before crashing forward again.
A 10.1 magnitude earthquake tore through the earth like a wound.
Cities swayed.
Skyscrapers screamed under strain.
In Norn, windows shattered simultaneously, alarms howling as power grids faltered. Civilians dropped to their knees in panic, clutching walls, streets splitting beneath their feet.
And then—
Aftershocks.
One after another.
Not natural.
Not random.
Those who could sense it—Association elites, inner world users, ancient beings hidden in human skins—felt something worse than destruction.
They felt pressure.
Two realities had overlapped.
Two domains had collided.
ELSEWHERE — UNKNOWN LOCATION
A circular chamber carved from obsidian hummed softly with restrained energy. The walls were etched with sigils that drank light, glowing faintly as distant shockwaves rippled through reality.
Five figures sat around a suspended projection of the forest.
No—
what remained of it.
The image stuttered as abyssal residue interfered with the feed. Craters kilometers wide. Melted mountains. Reality still bleeding black at the edges.
One figure leaned back, fingers steepled.
"So," he said calmly. "That's the Abyssal."
Another figure—thin, wrapped in layered robes—spoke next. "Correction. That's a partial manifestation."
A low chuckle echoed.
"If that was partial," a third voice muttered, "then full manifestation would rewrite continents."
The figure at the head of the table finally spoke.
His voice was steady—but tight.
"Confirm casualties."
"Velgrid survived," someone replied. "Barely. Dragon-class entities don't fold easily."
"And the human?"
Silence.
Then—
"…He walked away."
The room went still.
A woman with silver markings along her neck exhaled sharply. "An unclassifiable inner world user capable of forcing a dragon's domain to retreat… that's not a variable. That's a calamity."
The leader nodded slowly.
"Begin Phase Blackwatch," he said. "No engagement. No provocation. Observe only."
"And if he manifests again?"
The leader's eyes hardened.
"Then we pray he chooses where."
BACK IN THE FOREST
The land was quiet now.
Too quiet.
The scars left behind glowed faintly—residual Abyssal essence clinging to reality like oil on water. Trees that survived leaned unnaturally, shadows refusing to align properly beneath them.
Velgrid lay coiled atop the broken edge of his mountain, breathing slow and deep. The volcano behind him had sealed itself, molten veins cooling into obsidian.
Drax stood at the forest's heart.
His Abyssal World had withdrawn—but not fully.
The red moon lingered faintly in the sky, barely visible to mortal eyes.
His phone vibrated.
He glanced at it… then answered.
"Tess."
Her voice came through immediately—sharp, controlled, but threaded with disbelief.
"Drax. Are you alive?"
He blinked. "Uh… yeah?"
A pause.
"…A 10.1 magnitude earthquake just hit the Forest of Blackreach," Tess said slowly. "Aftershocks are still rolling through three surrounding regions."
Drax winced.
"Oh shit!!"
He looked around at the devastation. "…Was it that bad?"
"Yes," Tess snapped. "It was that bad."
She exhaled hard, then steadied herself.
"Manifesting your inner world into reality is already dangerous," she continued. "But when two inner worlds collide, it's different."
Drax frowned slightly, listening.
"The essence of an inner world isn't just power," Tess said. "It's law. Meaning. Identity. When two domains overlap—especially unclassifiable ranks like yours—their essence destabilizes reality itself."
She paused.
"You didn't just fight a dragon," she said quietly. "You caused a localized existential conflict."
Drax scratched the back of his neck.
"…Huh."
Tess almost laughed. Almost.
"Mission status?" she asked.
"Complete," Drax replied. "Rogue organization eliminated. Forest ruler neutralized—non-lethal."
Another pause.
"…You spared the dragon?"
"He didn't deserve death," Drax said simply.
Tess sighed. "You're impossible."
"I'll take that as approval."
"Go," she said. "Before the Association sends half the continent looking for answers."
Drax ended the call and looked up toward the mountain.
Velgrid was watching him.
Their eyes met once more—but this time, there was no hostility.
"Take care," Drax said, lifting two fingers in a casual salute.
Velgrid rumbled softly, lowering his massive head in acknowledgment.
"Do not make a habit of shaking my world, Abyss-bearer."
Drax smirked.
"No promises."
He stepped forward—and the shadows folded around him, swallowing his presence as if he had never been there at all.
The forest remained.
Broken.
Changed.
And somewhere far away, forces far older than Norn City began quietly reassessing the balance of the world.
Because now—
The Abyss had touched reality.
And it had left fingerprints.