[At the Main Academy Headquarters]
Zack arrived at the massive entrance of the headquarters. The guards immediately checked his Awakener ID. After verification, he was granted clearance and issued a vehicle for movement inside the abyss zone.
He drove off alone, heading deep into the Abyss.
---
[5 Days Later]
It had been five days since Zack entered.
"Still no sign of the King of the Abyss... Not even a hint of his altar."
He thought to himself while driving through the twisted, dark forest.
"In these five days, I've fought over a hundred monsters… I've reached Level 5. My skill Poison Bite is now at 100%. And still… nothing. No leads, no signs."
Frustrated and focused, Zack kept moving — until something suddenly leaped in front of his vehicle.
A shadow.
A monster.
Startled, Zack slammed the brakes and immediately pulled out his pistol —
BANG! BANG!
He fired twice, but both bullets missed completely — not because of bad aim, but because the creature moved too fast.
"What the hell? It's that fast?!"
Before he could react further, the monster spoke.
"Stop."
Zack froze.
"Did… did that monster just talk?"
The creature stepped forward calmly.
"I'm not here to fight, human."
Still unsure, Zack slowly stepped out of the vehicle, ready for combat at any moment. His fingers were tensed, ready to draw again.
The creature raised both clawed hands in a gesture of peace.
"The King is waiting for you. Follow me."
Zack narrowed his eyes.
"The… King?"
"Don't ask questions. Just follow."
Reluctantly, and with extreme caution, Zack followed the mysterious monster through the Abyss — eyes scanning every shadow, every rustle. If anything happened, he was ready to strike.
Eventually, the creature led him to what appeared to be an underground entrance, hidden beneath a ridge.
"This is where I leave you. Go on alone. You'll find the King beyond this point."
The monster disappeared into the darkness, leaving Zack staring into the dim, echoing tunnel.
---
[Deep Underground]
Zack stepped forward. The tunnel opened up into a massive hall-like chamber lit with dim blue energy pulses along the walls.
"What… is this place?" he whispered.
Suddenly —
He felt it.
A crushing, overwhelming aura filled the chamber — a force so powerful it slammed him to the ground, face-first. Blood trickled from his nose as his vision blurred.
"What is this pressure…?!"
He lost consciousness.
---
[Moments Later]
Zack's eyes opened slowly.
He gasped, sitting up.
"What… what happened? Where am I?"
A calm, deep voice echoed in the air.
"Do not be afraid. You are safe now."
Zack turned his head — and saw him.
A humanoid creature, massive and regal, sitting on a throne carved from abyssal stone. His eyes glowed with eerie intelligence. His form was monstrous, yet strangely human. Dark armor clung to his body like living shadow.
The being looked directly at him.
"Zack… I am the King of the Abyss."
"I am Kalthok… the Destroyer."
Zack stood frozen.
His body wasn't moving — not out of weakness, but out of pure instinct.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
The being sitting before him radiated an aura so powerful, so dangerous, that Zack's mind screamed at him to run. Yet, his legs wouldn't move.
He was afraid.
The creature stared down at him from the throne, calm and composed — like a storm that had learned patience.
"So... you're the King of the Abyss," Zack said, steadying his breath. "And your name is... Kalthok?"
The creature's voice was deep, like it echoed from the core of the abyss itself.
"That is what they call me."
Zack nodded slowly.
"Fine. I'm here now. So tell me — why did you bring me back to the past?"
Kalthok chuckled.
"You think I brought you back to the past? No, Zack. You died. You were killed... by Albus. Your soul should have perished."
Zack's eyes narrowed.
"Then how...?"
"Your soul didn't move on. It wandered — lost in the Abyss. And I… I found it. I sent it back into your past self. I gave you another chance. A rebirth."
Zack clenched his fists.
"Why? Why me?"
Kalthok's eyes glowed slightly.
"Why do you think, Zack?"
"Because..." Zack hesitated. "Because you found my soul… didn't you ?"
Kalthok laughed again — this time deeper, with a hint of nostalgia.
"Let me tell you a story."
---
Kalthok leaned forward. His tone grew darker.
"Humans… even now, have explored barely 20% of the Abyss. In the future — the world you came from — they only reached 50% after centuries. Why? Because the deeper you go, the stronger the monsters become. The Abyss doesn't welcome the weak."
"But long ago… before the meteor struck Earth, before the Abyss tore through dimensions — your world was already broken. Humanity had destroyed itself. War. Greed. Bloodshed. That was the true nature of man."
"And I was there. I was one of them. I was human."
Zack's eyes widened.
"You were… human?"
"Yes." Kalthok nodded slowly.
"I was a soldier on a battlefield. I took a bullet to the chest. I thought I died. But when I opened my eyes again... I was here. In the Abyss."
"At first, I only wanted to survive. I fought monsters, day after day, year after year. My body stopped aging. For 200 years, I battled endlessly. Until no monster could stand against me. Eventually… they stopped fighting. They began to kneel. And they called me their King."
Zack whispered, "But that wasn't the end."
"No." Kalthok's gaze turned distant.
"Then came The Originals. The prime monsters — a thousand times stronger than the rest. There were seven of them. Each one a nightmare. Each one a god in its own right. They challenged me… and I defeated them all. One by one."
"Even they bowed."
"But no matter how powerful I became, no matter how many knelt before me…"
His voice grew softer, almost… human.
"I only wanted one thing: to go home."
"To see my wife… to hold my child… just once more."
"But there was no way back."
---
Zack stood silent, overwhelmed.
The King of the Abyss — once human. Once a father. Once like him.
And now… something else entirely.
To be continue...