Chapter 20: THE ABYSS STIRS
A roar of shattering chains split the void.
Kaito barely had time to react before a shockwave of golden energy exploded outward, sending him flying. His body twisted through the air before he slammed against the ground, the force rattling his bones.
His past self—the sealed warrior—stood at the center of the storm, eyes glowing like twin suns. The golden light radiating from the shattered chains illuminated his face, revealing an expression that was neither hostile nor welcoming.
It was simply... inevitable.
The air itself seemed to shudder, rippling like liquid as reality twisted. The fragmented pieces of Kaito's past power—the very essence of who he once was—began to take form.
The chains that had once bound him now rose into the air, writhing and shifting like living serpents. Each one pulsed with an eerie light, a memory waiting to be reclaimed.
But Kaito couldn't move.
Something deep inside him—something primal—was fighting back.
A voice, not his own, whispered inside his mind.
"You are not yet ready."
Kaito's breath came in short gasps as he pushed himself to his knees. His past self—still wreathed in golden energy—watched him closely.