Kaito's heart pounded in his chest as he struggled to his feet, his breath ragged from the combat.
The shadow had retreated into the dark corners of the wasteland, its presence still lingering over him like a heavy fog.
Kaito's grip tightened on his sword. He had faced it, defeated it—for the time being—but the weight of the trial still pressed down on him, smothering beneath its incessant pressure.
The earth under him fissured once more, and Kaito braced himself for the next thing. He had to stay on his guard at all times. Here. In the Abyss.
"Is that it?" he shouted, his voice little more than a snarl. "Is this all the Abyss has to offer?
His voice was met with silence. The oppressive silence hung, the only sound the echo of his own breath. And then, a voice—soft, familiar—whispered out of the blackness of the Abyss.
Kaito…
