Night fell over the sanctum, but no one slept.
The breach had shaken them all. Not just because the abyss had broken through—but because it had sent a message. A Harbinger was no scout. It was a declaration.
Kael stood atop the sanctum's eastern tower, eyes locked on the stars. Or what remained of them. A thin layer of darkness crept along the horizon—like oil staining the edge of the sky. The abyss was watching.
He tightened his grip on the stone ledge. "They know who I am now. And they're coming."
Behind him, Elena's soft footsteps broke the silence. "You're brooding again."
He managed a faint smile. "I'm strategizing."
She joined him at the ledge. "You saw what we're up against. A single Harbinger nearly overwhelmed us. What happens when more come?"
"That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out." Kael's voice turned colder. "We can't keep defending. We need to understand the abyss. Its structure. Its hierarchy. And most of all—its weaknesses."
Elena crossed her arms. "How do we learn that? You want to ask it politely?"
"No," he said, gaze still fixed outward. "I want to capture one."
Her eyes widened. "That's suicide."
"Not if we're smart."
---
The next morning, Kael called a meeting in the sanctum's war chamber—a circular room with walls carved in ancient runes. A glowing map of the known continent hovered in the center, surrounded by glyphs tracking abyssal breaches.
Kael stood before it, pointing to a growing cluster in the northeast.
"They're spreading through the old ruins of Azkar. That region's rich in ley-lines—they're feeding on the magic there. But we may have a chance to intercept a lesser creature. Something powerful enough to be useful, but not uncontrollable."
Greg frowned. "You want to bait it?"
Kael nodded. "We'll set a trap. Use a focused surge of energy from the sanctum symbols. It'll act like a flare. Draw one out. Then we contain it."
Seraphina, her arms folded, studied him carefully. "And what then? If you do manage to trap one, how do you intend to 'learn' from it?"
Kael hesitated. "I've been seeing things. When I use the hourglass symbol... sometimes it shows me more than just the moment. It shows me inside. Inside creatures. Moments. Thoughts."
Seraphina's eyes narrowed. "Precognitive resonance... dangerous and rare. But if you're already exhibiting signs... it might be the key."
Elena looked at Kael. "Then I'm coming with you."
He nodded. "We all go. Greg, you and Seraphina protect the sanctum. Elena and I will head to Azkar and trigger the beacon. If it works, we'll need backup ready to close the trap behind us."
Greg grunted. "You're insane. But I like it."
---
Two nights later, the ruins of Azkar rose like jagged bones from the earth.
Kael and Elena moved quietly through shattered halls, the air thick with arcane residue. Kael reached a broken archway where a ley-line pulsed beneath the stone.
"Here." He set the amplifier, a construct of the sanctum's symbols and crystal runes. "Once activated, we have maybe ten minutes before something shows up."
"Perfect," Elena said dryly. "Just enough time to start regretting it."
Kael smirked, then activated the beacon.
The crystal hummed.
The ruins shook.
Within minutes, the sky darkened unnaturally. Kael and Elena drew weapons, standing back-to-back.
The air grew heavy.
And then—out of the black—it emerged.
Not as large as the Harbinger. Sleeker. Faster. A Lurker-class Abyssbeast. Four legs. Obsidian bone. A maw that split open sideways to reveal rows of teeth like glass daggers.
Kael's eyes glowed faintly gold.
He activated the hourglass symbol, and time slowed just enough for him to see the creature's motions before they happened. It leaped. Elena spun beneath it, slashing its legs. Kael dove low and stabbed upward into the underbelly.
The beast screeched.
"Now!" Kael shouted.
He slammed his palm onto the amplifier. A burst of sanctum energy erupted, forming a glowing cage of runes around the creature. It shrieked, lashing at the magical bars—but it couldn't pass.
They had it.
Kael stepped forward, sweat dripping from his brow. "Now let's see what secrets you're hiding."
He activated the hourglass again, but this time he focused inward—into the beast. What he saw wasn't just instinct. It was structure. Chains of command. Entities in the abyss that looked... human.
And one—taller than the rest—watching him back through the vision.
Kael gasped, stumbling away.
"What did you see?" Elena asked, steadying him.
"They're organized," he said. "More than we thought. There's a mind behind them. A general. And he saw me."
Elena's voice was barely a whisper. "Then the real war's about to begin."
Kael looked back at the thrashing beast, glowing behind the cage of runes.
"No," he said quietly. "It already has."