The air was thick with dust and silence, broken only by the faint clang of metal against stone.
Kairo knelt amidst the rubble, Twinblight coiled tightly in his hands. His breath came ragged, each inhale igniting a fire in his chest — the embers of a power long dormant, now stirring.
Closing his eyes, he focused inward, reaching for the dark thread woven through his veins — the Abyssal Nerve Codex, sealed within the cold iron of his weapon.
A shiver ran down his spine as shadowy tendrils of energy crawled from the sickle blades, snaking up his arms like living serpents.
"Awaken," he whispered, voice hoarse but resolute.
Images exploded behind his closed eyelids: visions of forgotten masters weaving shadows into sinew, cracking the very essence of their flesh and spirit, binding their will to the abyss.
His soul coil pulsed fiercely — a dark symphony of pain and power.
Suddenly, a sharp jolt shot through his body.
The Twinblight glowed black and crimson, the chain thrumming like a heartbeat.
Kairo gasped as his senses sharpened beyond mortal limits. He could feel the pulse of life in the rotting wood nearby, hear the faintest rustle of wind brushing fallen leaves outside the ruined shrine.
But with the awakening came agony.
The Codex demanded sacrifice — the flesh must be hardened, nerves reforged in shadow fire, and the soul tempered in abyssal cold.
Kairo gritted his teeth, summoning every shred of will.
His body convulsed, veins blackening as the dark energy burned through him like wildfire.
The first seal of the Abyssal Nerve Codex shattered.
A whisper echoed in his mind — a promise, or a warning:
"Master the abyss… or be consumed by it."
He opened his eyes, now glowing faintly with crimson light.
Kairo had taken his first step beyond death.
And the world would soon tremble.