When the Heavens Shattered

Darkness clung to Li Wei like a second skin. The shattered sky above pulsed with an eerie light, casting flickering shadows on the crystalline ground. His breath was shallow, his heart pounding like a war drum in his chest.

The Void Devourer loomed in the distance, an unfathomable mass of writhing shadows and hunger incarnate. It had no eyes, no face, yet Li Wei could feel its attention on him, a suffocating presence that made the air thick with dread.

He clenched his fists, feeling the weight of the pendant pressing against his chest. The voice in his mind, the one that had guided him thus far, had fallen silent. He was alone.

Or so he thought.

"Li Wei!" Yue Ling's voice was faint, as if carried by the wind from a great distance. He turned sharply, scanning the horizon. A soft, bluish glow flickered in the distance—a beacon amidst the abyss.

Without hesitation, he sprinted towards it. The Void Devourer did not move, but Li Wei felt the weight of its presence, as if it was allowing him to run, waiting patiently. It was toying with him.

The terrain shifted beneath his feet, the crystalline ground splintering, revealing a swirling abyss beneath. He leapt over a fissure, narrowly avoiding the chasm that threatened to consume him. As he neared the glow, he saw Yue Ling—her figure bathed in ethereal blue light, standing within a formation of ancient runes that pulsed with power.

"Li Wei! Stay inside the runes!" she called, her voice urgent.

He didn't need to be told twice. The moment he crossed into the rune circle, a barrier shimmered to life around them. The oppressive aura of the Void Devourer receded slightly, as though held at bay by the ancient symbols.

Yue Ling turned to him, her normally composed expression lined with worry. "You shouldn't be here alone. The Abyss is alive. It tests us."

Li Wei caught his breath, wiping sweat from his brow. "I didn't have a choice. One moment, I was falling, and then… I woke up here."

She frowned, glancing at his pendant. "That thing… It reacted when you were fighting the Void Wraith, didn't it?"

He hesitated. "Yes. It felt like… like something inside me awakened. Just for a moment."

Yue Ling's gaze darkened. "The Abyss has a way of drawing out hidden potential. But it always demands a price."

Before he could ask what she meant, the ground trembled. The Void Devourer shifted, its amorphous form stretching, its shadowy tendrils reaching toward them. The rune circle flickered, barely holding against its overwhelming presence.

"We can't stay here!" Yue Ling shouted. "The barrier won't last!"

Li Wei tightened his grip on his practice sword, feeling its weight in his hands. "Then we fight."

She shot him a look that was both impressed and exasperated. "Idiot. Do you really think a wooden sword can stop that thing?"

He grinned despite the danger. "It's gotten me this far."

Yue Ling shook her head. "We're running. Now."

With a sweep of her hand, she activated the runes, channeling their energy into the ground. A pathway of light formed beneath their feet, leading away from the Devourer. They didn't waste a second—both of them bolted, the shimmering path dissolving behind them as they ran.

The Void Devourer did not chase them, but Li Wei could feel its gaze, its hunger. It was letting them go… for now.

They ran until their lungs burned, emerging into a different part of the Abyss. Here, the air was thick with mist, and floating islands of stone hovered in the void, connected by twisting bridges of energy. The sensation of being watched did not fade.

Li Wei slowed, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. "Where… are we?"

Yue Ling scanned their surroundings. "The Trial Grounds. The Abyss has many layers, but this… this is where the real test begins."

As if on cue, a deep rumbling echoed through the mist. A massive stone gate materialized before them, ancient carvings glowing faintly along its surface. A single inscription pulsed at the center:

Only those who conquer their past may step forward.

Li Wei felt a cold weight settle in his stomach. His past? He had spent most of his life being ridiculed, struggling to prove his worth. What trial awaited him here?

Yue Ling turned to him. "Be careful. The Abyss knows our fears better than we do."

He nodded, stepping forward. As he crossed the threshold, the world around him blurred—and suddenly, he was no longer in the Abyss.

He was back in the Azure Star Sect.

The sky was clear, the sun warm against his skin. Disciples trained in the courtyard, their laughter ringing in the air. It was a memory… but something felt wrong.

A familiar voice sneered. "Still wasting your time, Wei the Weak?"

Li Wei turned sharply. He knew that voice.

Wu Jian, the sect prodigy, stood before him, arms crossed, a smirk on his face. Around him, other disciples chuckled, their gazes full of scorn.

Li Wei's hands clenched. "This isn't real."

Wu Jian's smirk widened. "Is it? You've always been a failure, Li Wei. A disappointment. You don't belong here. You don't belong anywhere."

The words cut deep, even though he knew this was an illusion. The memories of years of ridicule, of being overlooked, threatened to drown him. But then—

A flicker of blue light. The pendant against his chest pulsed.

"No." Li Wei's voice was steady. "I'm not the same person I was back then. I won't let a ghost of the past define me."

Wu Jian's expression twisted. The illusion wavered, the courtyard beginning to crumble. The false disciples dissolved into mist, their laughter turning to hollow echoes.

Then, the illusion shattered entirely.

Li Wei found himself back in the Trial Grounds, Yue Ling watching him with concern. "You passed," she said quietly.

He exhaled, his body shaking. "That… was more difficult than I expected."

She nodded. "The past always is."

The stone gate groaned open, revealing a path deeper into the Abyss. The air beyond it was thick with power, ancient and foreboding.

Li Wei stepped forward without hesitation. He had come too far to turn back now.

And whatever lay ahead, he would face it head-on.

Beyond the gate, in the unseen depths of the Abyss, something stirred. A presence, ancient and watching.

The game had begun.

And Li Wei was at the center of it.