The rift pulsed with unnatural energy, a wound in the fabric of the world.
Auren stood before it, the weight of ages pressing on his shoulders like the crushing cold of a forgotten tomb. Around him, the Hollow Sun's loyal rallied, faces etched with hope, fear, and grim determination.
Lyra moved to his side, whispering, "The Abyss bleeds. Whatever opened that portal... it wasn't chance."
Auren's gaze hardened. No room for doubt.
Far beyond the rift, the air shimmered as more shadows poured forth—creatures twisted by malice, rage, and ancient curses.
From the black maw of the portal, shapes took form—demonic warriors bearing the scars of old wars, their armor cracked but their eyes aflame with hate.
Among them stepped forth a figure wreathed in voidfire—a dark knight, his armor fused with abyssal runes, and a jagged sword dripping shadows.
"I am Morgrath," he declared, voice like grinding stone. "Once a brother of the Hollow Sun. Now its reckoning."
Auren's jaw clenched. The past they'd fought to bury now came to stand before them, a twisted mirror.
Morgrath's laughter was cold and terrible.
"You who forgot the sins of the first war... We are the shadow that truth could not cleanse."
The battlefield became a storm.
Auren moved with the fluid grace of a seasoned warrior, his blade glowing with karmic fire as it clashed against Morgrath's darkness.
Lyra chanted ancient seals, weaving protective wards and purifying light to hold back the tide.
But it was not just a battle of steel and magic. It was a war for the soul of the world—a contest of fate written in blood and flame.
As the fight raged, more from the Abyss poured in—demon-folk, shadow beasts, corrupted spirits. The Hollow Sun fought with desperate fury, but the tide was relentless.
Suddenly, a terrible roar rent the air.
From the depths of the sky, an ancient shadow descended—a colossal dragon wreathed in black flames, its scales etched with glowing red runes.
The Dragon of the Abyss, the ancient enemy of the celestial wyrms.
It landed with the force of an earthquake, scattering warriors and shaking the earth beneath them.
Auren looked upward, his eyes blazing with resolve.
"The war has truly begun."
"When the veil is shattered, even the light must face the shadows it once cast away." — The Last Edict of the Hollow Sun