The darkness of the Abyss did not frighten Han Seo Joon anymore. After surviving countless attacks and awakening powers he didn't fully understand, fear had been replaced by a burning determination. Every shadow, every claw, every whisper of death was a challenge—and he would face them all.
Beside him, Kang Seol Ah moved cautiously, her silver-white hair flickering like moonlight against the black void. Though trapped in the Abyss, she seemed calm—a contrast to the terror lurking around them. But her eyes betrayed her unease. She had trained in her sect, yes, but the Abyss was another world entirely.
"Seo Joon… are you sure this is safe?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
He glanced at her, noting the tremble in her hand as she held a shard of Abyssal crystal she had picked up. "Nothing here is safe," he admitted. "But if we stay afraid, we die. If we fight… we survive. And survive, we grow stronger."
Seol Ah studied him, her gaze piercing. "You've changed. You're… stronger than before."
Seo Joon's lips curved in a faint smile. "Stronger, yes. But not enough. Not yet. You'll see. If I can survive this… then I can protect anyone I care about."
They moved deeper into the Abyss. Strange plants with black flames for petals grew along jagged rocks. Shadows twisted around them like living chains. This was the Abyss' way of teaching: danger in every step, death at every corner.
Seo Joon extended his hand. "Focus on your energy. Feel the Abyss around you… let it flow through you, not against you."
Seol Ah hesitated, closing her eyes. Slowly, her aura began to shimmer. A faint glow radiated from her palms, cutting through the darkness.
"Good," Seo Joon murmured.
"Now, let it respond to your will. Control it, don't fight it."
A shadow beast leapt from the darkness, claws extended. Seol Ah flinched—but Seo Joon stepped forward, merging his Abyssal Ki with hers. A violet-blue pulse erupted from him, colliding with the creature. The beast screamed and dissolved.
Seol Ah's eyes widened. "I… I did it?"
Seo Joon nodded. "Partly. You started it—but we finished it together. That's how the Abyss works. It doesn't just test strength—it tests bonds. Strength grows with trust."
A Growing Bond
As they rested beside a glowing crystal lake, the tension between them eased. Seol Ah's calm demeanor softened, revealing vulnerability she rarely allowed anyone to see.
"You're… not like anyone I've ever met," she said quietly. "Even in the Frost Moon Sect, no one would take a risk like you did. You're reckless, but… brave."
Seo Joon chuckled softly, a sound almost foreign to the void around them. "I have no choice. If I want to survive… if I want to protect the people I care about… I have to be reckless sometimes."
The shadows around them seemed to recoil, as if sensing the bond forming between the two. And deep within Seo Joon, his Abyssal Heart pulsed stronger than ever.
It was beginning. His journey—his growth, his future,—had officially begun.