The wraiths were gone. The whispers had faded. But their words still echoed in my mind.
"Your throne is abandoned." "You must choose."
I tightened my grip on the abyssal sword. Reclaim my throne? What throne? What kingdom? I didn't remember any of that.
But one thing was clear—someone wanted me to stay ignorant.
I exhaled slowly, scanning the land before me. The Abyssal Rift stretched endlessly, a wasteland of shattered ruins and twisted spires. A battlefield of forgotten souls.
And now, I was part of it.
[SYSTEM UPDATE] [New Quest: Find the Abyss Gate] [The way forward lies beyond the Rift. Seek the gate, or be lost forever.]
A gate. A way out.
I had no idea where to start, but standing here wouldn't get me anywhere. I moved forward.
---
The air grew colder as I walked, my boots crunching against fragments of bones and shattered weapons. Time felt strange here—like it stretched and twisted, bending reality itself.
Then—footsteps.
I stopped.
The sound came from behind me. Slow. Deliberate. Heavy.
I turned.
And there it was.
A figure stood in the distance, shrouded in the same abyssal mist as the wraiths. But this one was different. Taller. Stronger. Dangerous.
The mist around it shifted, revealing armor blackened by time, jagged and broken. A tattered cloak swayed behind it, as if caught in a wind that didn't exist. And its face—
Empty.
A hollow void stared back at me. A knight without a soul.
[SYSTEM ALERT] [New Entity Detected: Abyss Knight] [Threat Level: ???]
My pulse quickened. The system couldn't even define its strength?
The knight moved.
Not walking—rushing. One second, it was standing still. The next—it was inches from me.
I barely raised my sword in time. CLANG!
The force of the impact sent shockwaves through my arms. It was fast. Inhumanly fast.
I staggered back. The knight didn't hesitate. It swung again.
I ducked—just barely. The air split where its sword passed, a black afterimage lingering in its wake. Too fast. Too strong.
[WARNING: Critical Danger Detected]
Yeah, no kidding.
I had no time to think. Instinct took over. I twisted my blade, parrying the next attack and countering with a slash of my own.
The knight vanished.
Behind me.
I spun around just as its blade came down—too late.
A shockwave blasted through my body. Pain. Deep, searing pain.
My vision blurred. My body wasn't moving fast enough.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Damage Threshold Exceeded] [Initiating Emergency Protocols…]
Then—something changed.
A pulse of energy surged through me. The same heat from before. The same awakening.
[SYSTEM OVERRIDE: Partial Awakening Unlocked] [Title: The Forgotten King (Sealed) – Partial Release]
The knight stopped.
For the first time, it hesitated.
I exhaled. The pain was gone. My vision sharpened. The weight of the sword in my hand felt lighter.
A memory flickered—not mine, but familiar.
A battlefield. A kingdom in flames. A voice calling my name.
No. Not my name.
"My king."
My heartbeat slowed. The world felt clearer. Calmer.
And when the Abyss Knight charged again… I didn't dodge.
I countered.
My sword met its blade—except this time, I didn't break. The force of the impact cracked the ground beneath us. Abyssal energy pulsed through my veins.
For the first time, the knight staggered.
I didn't waste the opportunity. I shifted my stance, channeling the strange power awakening inside me.
The Forgotten King.
My blade ignited with abyssal fire. I swung.
The knight's body cracked. Fractured like broken glass. It tried to step back—too late.
BOOM.
A final explosion of abyssal energy tore through the battlefield. The knight shattered, its form dissolving into the void.
I stood there, gripping my sword, my breath heavy.
[SYSTEM UPDATE] [Enemy Defeated: Abyss Knight] [Strength +3] [New Ability Acquired: Abyssal Will]
I exhaled. My hands trembled. That power…
The system wasn't just helping me.
It was unlocking me.
The whispers had said I was a king. But if that was true…
What kind of king had I been?
I looked up. In the far distance, past the ruined spires and bones, something shimmered. A massive, glowing gate.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Abyss Gate Located]
The way forward.
I sheathed my sword. My path was clear now.
But as I took my first step—
Something laughed.
Not a whisper. Not a wraith.
A voice.
Deep. Mocking. Powerful.
And very, very amused.
[SYSTEM WARNING] [Unknown Presence Detected]
I stopped. The laughter grew louder.
And then the sky cracked.
[Chapter 3 end]
Hay you, yeah yeah you don't forget about the quest {reclaim your king throne}