CHAPTER 21: Abyssus Noctis

Malrik and Adelle were squaring off when a thunderous crack split the air as something collided with the ground at terrifying speed, the impact sendin a shockwave rippling outward. The ground shook, fracturing underneath the force as jagged veins of destruction spread Dust and debris exploded into the sky momentarily blinding everyone from the scene.

As the dust subsided, a shape rose.

First came the tendrils—dark red, pulsing like veins … Think of thick, slimy vines but instead of green, they’re a deep, unsettling red colour. And you can see them throb, it’s really gross and unnatural.

…Creeping outward from the center of impact, slithering over the cracks like hungry roots searching for sustenance. They crawled, snaking their way across the ground twitching erratically, as though sensing the world for the first time. Then the silhouette emerged.

It was Jace.

He stood in the destruction, shoulders heaving and his breath uneven. His arms hung loosely at his sides, fingers twitching as if disconnected from his own mind. His entire body pulsed with something unnatural, as though his blood was no longer content staying beneath his skin. Thin red streaks ran along his face, his veins glowing like molten lava beneath the earth. His eyes once a cool brown were now a raw, seething red, void of recognition.

Blood dripped from Jace’s fingertipa, not from wounds but from the very essence of his being, pooling in slow, deliberate movements defying gravity itself.

Across from him, Malrik remained unfazed. He tilted his head, observing Jace with something between amusement and curiosity. Jace’s tongue flicked out briefly, tasting the air, but there was no recognition in his gaze.

Malrik smirked. “And who might you…”

Before Malrik could finish his words, the ground detonated as Jace lunged forward, his blood latching onto the ground and slingshotting him like a bullet.

Malrik sighed. “Not much of a talker, I see.”

With a casual flick of his wrist, the air compressed and then exploded outward.

BOOM!

A concussive blast formed, striking Jace, stopping him mid-air. the force slammed him backward sending him crashing through a ruined wall as stone crumbled.

Before the dust settled, Jace was already moving again. His blood lashed out, grabbing onto debris, twisting and whipping him through the air like a phantom unchained from gravity.

Malrik barely had time to pivot before Jace was on him again—this time, faster.

Jace’s arm shot forward and a spear of blood hardened mid-swing aiming for Malrik’s heart. At the last second, his body flickered, shifting into a state of intangible mist. The blood spear passed through him like smoke.

Then Malrik reformed—right behind Jace. He smiled clenching his fist and without warning threw a devastating punch connecting with Jace’s ribs.

The impact sent a tremor through the battlefield, the force so immense that Adelle, standing at a distance felt it through her bones. Jace was launched into the air but before he could even hit the ground his own blood caught him, pulling him mid-flight, twisting him around like a puppet on invisible strings. He rebounded, his blood snapping back like elastic, dragging him back toward Malrik at unnatural speeds.

Faster. Faster.

Malrik prepared for another strike, but Jace was already in his face.

His movements were erratic and unpredictable, but this time, it wasn’t an attack. His blood coiled upward, wrapping around Malrik’s arm, his legs and torso. Jace yanked on him.

The ground shattered as Malrik was pulled forward against his will, his own weight working against him. The blood tendrils tightened, locking around his limbs like living chains.

For the first time, Malrik’s smirk faded.

Jace’s eyes burned red, his voice barely human.

“I’m not done yet.”

A low, guttural hum rumbled from Malrik’s chest.

His expression turned from curiosity to irritation.

“Cute trick,” he muttered. “ I can see you’re stronger than the other children. But let’s see how powerful you really are.”

Malrik broke free from the blood tangling him, his form shifting to stay upright. Then he rised both hands interlockings his fingers forming a precise triangular shape.

The air warped, darkening as a black sphere formed, tiny at first, then expanding outward into a swirling vortex of gravitational force at the center of his hands.

Malrik’s voice dropped to a whisper. But the words carried weight beyond sound.

“Enter the void… Abyssus Noctis!”

Immediately the black sphere expanded violently.

"JACE! LOOK OUT!" Michael’s voice rang from the battlefield, but it was too late.

Jace was pulled into the void and everything got dissolved into an endless expanse of darkness, punctuated by flickering colours —strange purples, greens, and pinks that pulsed like dying.

He felt himself pulled deeper, his body weightless yet heavy at the same time. It was like being suspended in an ocean with no surface—only cold, oppressive emptiness stretching infinitely in every direction.

Malrik’s voice echoed through the void. “Welcome to my dom…”

Jace’s blood reacted violently, pulsing, twisting and lashing as if it was trying to fight the abyss itself. He clenched his fists, his breath coming in short, shallow gasps. It was hard to focus.

Flashes of his memory kept replaying on his mind, taking him through the ordeal. He saw himself leaving his friends being pulled by something, then one moment later he was fighting someone.

Malrik materialized in front of him. “Interesting.”

His body felt like it was being unraveled, every fiber of his being losing shape inside the void’s suffocating grasp. His blood was turning against him, struggling to stay in his veins. The throbbing in his arms intensified, veins pulsing in rapid, uneven patterns.

“Take control,” Malrik said.

Jace heard the voice as an echo but could not make out where it was coming from. “Let me out!”

“Then take control.”

“I-I-I don’t know how!”

Malrik exhaled, his expression shifting into something unreadable. “Listen Carefully.”

Malrik circled him, his movements slow and deliberate. “Your blood… your power. It is not separate from you. It is you. Stop fighting it and take control.”

Jace’s breathing steadied.

“Feel the abyss,” Malrik instructed. “Don’t reject it. But don’t let it control you. Feel the pressure it creates. Push and pull…push and pull. Find the balance. Take control.”

Jace’s blood stopped fighting. He felt his blood returning not as something wild and uncontrollable but as a part of him. He took a slow deep breath. The suffocating pull of the abyss was still there—but it no longer crushed him. His body adapted.

And for the first time, he looked up—directly at Malrik.

Malrik hovered above him, studying him with cold fascination. There are a few, emphasis on few people that are able to withstand the intense pressure of his domain.

Jace stood, his shoulders pulled back and straight. He looked around. The abyss was no longer just darkness, it was alive. He could feel it circling around him, pressing against his skin. The same pressure he had feeling since the glow in the sky.

Malrik landed, stepping forward. With each step, the void beneath him pulsed—vibrant hues of purple and pink and green spreading beneath his feet, as though the abyss itself recognized his presence.

A smirk pulled at his lips.

“Now this…” Malrik murmured, eyes gleaming.

“this is unexpected.”