Godslayer's Legacy: THE PATH TO SUPREMACY

The Abyss stretched endlessly before Rui—an expanse of jagged rock, gaping chasms, and veins of molten mana glowing faintly beneath fractured stone. The air felt thick, heavy, charged with an unnatural energy that clung to his skin like oil. Each breath carried a metallic tang, sharp and biting against his lungs.

He took a step forward, his black cloak rippling slightly in the biting wind. His silver eyes, glowing faintly in the dim light, scanned the horizon. The runes etched into his irises shimmered as they processed the threads of mana spiraling chaotically around him. Nothing followed the natural order here. The laws of the world above seemed twisted, broken.

The faint hum of the anchored airship behind him grew quieter with every step he took forward, until it was swallowed entirely by the eerie silence of the Abyss.

Rui raised a hand, threads of mana coiling faintly around his fingertips as he tested the air. The threads vibrated erratically, barely responding to his intent. They felt… wild. Untamed. Like trying to grasp a storm with bare hands.

"This place isn't alive, but it isn't dead either," Rui thought, his brows furrowing slightly. "It's... waiting."

The plateau Rui stood on sloped downward, leading into a winding path framed by sharp spires of obsidian stone. Some formations jutted into the sky like skeletal remains, while others leaned precariously over yawning chasms that seemed to have no end.

His footsteps were near silent, but the faint crunch of gravel under his boots echoed far too loudly in the oppressive stillness.

Ahead, faint wisps of blue light drifted across the ground—mana residue, free-floating energy particles given fleeting form. Rui stepped carefully, his movements measured. His instincts screamed at him, a primal warning echoing in the back of his mind.

Something was wrong here.

A sharp wind howled through a crevice to his left, carrying with it faint whispers. Rui paused, his glowing eyes narrowing as he turned his head slightly.

Whispers. Faint, unintelligible. But they carried intent. Malice.

He clenched his fist, steadying his breathing.

"Focus. One step at a time."

Rui moved deeper into the expanse, the slope gradually giving way to uneven terrain scattered with jagged boulders and fissures. The faint glow of molten mana veins beneath the ground cast shifting shadows on the stone walls.

He knelt briefly, pressing his gloved hand against the stone floor. The texture was rough, brittle, but there was something beneath it—a faint vibration. Almost like... breathing.

"It's moving. Slowly, but it's alive—this place is alive."

Suddenly, a distant sound reverberated across the Abyss. A deep, guttural groan, like the earth itself crying out in pain. Rui froze, his silver eyes snapping upward as the sound faded into silence.

For a moment, the Abyss felt still again. But Rui could feel it—a tension building beneath the surface. Like a bowstring being pulled taut.

"I need to keep moving."

He rose to his feet and pressed forward, his gaze locked on the horizon where the faint glow of fissures painted an alien skyline against the eternal darkness above.

After hours of walking, Rui found himself standing on the edge of a massive chasm. It stretched so far downward that the faint glow of molten mana barely reached the bottom.

The wind howled softly, carrying with it the faint scent of ozone and ash.

Rui's reflection stared back at him from a nearby slab of obsidian—a distorted, faintly glowing silhouette etched into glassy black stone. His silver hair flowed gently in the wind, and his silver eyes glowed like twin lanterns in the darkness.

For a brief moment, he could see the faint outline of the runes etched into his irises shimmering in the reflection—intricate, ancient patterns carrying power and intent.

"These eyes… they were never mine to begin with, were they?"

He thought back to his awakening. To the searing light, the runes carving themselves into his vision, the sudden clarity—the overwhelming understanding of mana threads flowing around him.

"What am I supposed to see here? What am I supposed to do here?"

The reflection flickered, distorted slightly as the wind shifted. Rui turned his gaze back to the chasm, his hands clenching into fists.

"Focus. Don't let the Abyss get inside your head."

Rui took one step closer to the chasm, peering into the swirling darkness below. His silver eyes flickered as he activated his mana sight, threads of glowing blue and white unfurling across his vision.

Something shifted below.

It wasn't a sound—it was a feeling. A subtle tremor in the threads of mana. A pulse, deep and resonant.

Rui's breath caught in his throat as his glowing eyes locked onto something moving far below the surface. A faint ripple—a shape, almost indistinguishable against the chaos.

It was vast. Monolithic. And it was… watching him.

A chill ran down Rui's spine as he took a careful step back from the edge.

"No. Not yet. I can't face this yet."

The wind roared suddenly, whipping around him with violent intensity. Rui raised an arm to shield his face as debris scattered across the ground. The faint glow of mana veins flickered, as though the Abyss itself was reacting to him.

And then… silence.

The wind stopped. The trembling ceased. The Abyss fell still again.

But the feeling remained—a weight pressing against Rui's chest. A presence lingering just beyond the edge of perception.

"It knows I'm here."

Rui turned away from the chasm, his steps steady but urgent as he continued along the marked path. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to remain cautious, to watch every shadow, to listen to every vibration in the air.

Hours bled into one another as Rui walked, his mind sharp, his senses extended outward. The faint hum of the Mana Wells embedded into his spine resonated softly, grounding him amidst the overwhelming chaos.

Eventually, he reached a small outcropping of stone sheltered by jagged cliffs. Rui lowered himself onto a flat rock, exhaling slowly as he let his muscles relax.

He reached into his pack, retrieving a small crystalline ration—a high-density mana supplement infused with nutrients. It glowed faintly as he crushed it between his teeth, the mana spreading warmly through his body.

The Abyss was quiet again. Too quiet.

Rui's silver eyes glimmered faintly in the darkness as he stared out into the expanse stretching endlessly before him.

"One step at a time."

The path ahead was long, filled with untold horrors and secrets buried in shadow. But Rui was ready—ready to walk, ready to endure, ready to confront whatever lay hidden in the heart of the Abyss.

Somewhere far below, something ancient stirred again. But this time, Rui didn't flinch.

He stood, adjusted his cloak, and walked into the waiting darkness.