The battlefield had shifted. The abyssal creature roared, its form regenerating faster than Adexander could land a blow. Despite the combined strength of his team, the creature's power seemed inexhaustible. The air crackled with tension, but amidst the chaos, something more dangerous stirred—something Adexander knew all too well.
A figure appeared on the edge of the Rift, standing tall, unbothered by the twisting energy that surrounded them. The figure's presence cut through the storm, as if the world itself bent to his will. Adexander's eyes snapped to the silhouette, and a weight settled in his chest.
Drevan.
The moment he stepped into the fray, time seemed to slow. He moved with an eerie calm, his presence cutting through the madness like a blade through soft flesh. His expression was unreadable, cold as the void from which he had emerged. The power of the Abyssal Rift seemed to acknowledge him, quivering as though in fear.
Adexander's heart clenched.
His breath caught in his throat. His mind was swirling with fragments of memories—so many fragments. He had buried them deep, buried them under the weight of his rebirth. But now, seeing Drevan again, they came crashing back.
Drevan was no stranger. No, he was more than that. He was a shadow from Adexander's past, a childhood companion, someone he had once trusted above all others. Together, they had fought countless battles, standing side by side as brothers. They had shared blood, sweat, and ambition, their goals intertwined. At least, that's what Adexander had believed.
But betrayal had a way of leaving scars deeper than any weapon ever could.
Flashback – The Silent Betrayal
A time long before the bloodshed and the rise of the Crimson King.
Adexander stood at the edge of the war-torn battlefield, watching the destruction unfold before him. Drevan was there, beside him, his eyes locked onto the horizon. They had just won another war, but the cost had been steep.
"I wonder, Drevan," Adexander had said, his voice tired yet resolute. "How much longer will we keep doing this? How many more wars? How many more betrayals?"
Drevan had said nothing at first, his silence always so telling. Then, his voice, as cold as the steel they wielded, replied.
"Until there's nothing left."
Adexander turned to him, narrowing his gaze. "Nothing left? Or until we're the ones left standing?"
Drevan's lips curled into a grim smile, one that didn't reach his eyes. "The world isn't as simple as you think, Adexander. You'll understand that soon enough."
But the words had been a warning, a warning Adexander had failed to heed.
The scene shifted back to the present.
Adexander's pulse quickened, and his grip on the Fangblade tightened. He could feel Drevan's presence like a storm on the horizon. A storm that would tear everything apart if left unchecked.
"Drevan," Adexander's voice was low, barely a whisper, but it carried weight. "What are you doing here?"
The silence stretched between them, heavy, suffocating. Drevan's eyes locked onto him, and for a moment, the world seemed to stop.
"I've come for what's mine," Drevan said, his voice like ice. There was no warmth in it, no affection. Just pure, unyielding certainty. "I've waited too long."
Adexander's breath caught. "What's yours? You betrayed me, Drevan. You betrayed us. After everything we fought for… you cast it all aside for your own ambition."
A flicker of something—pain? regret?—crossed Drevan's face, but it vanished so quickly that Adexander wasn't sure if he had imagined it.
"The world doesn't care about us, Adexander. It never did. The Abyssal Crown is the only thing that matters now. Power... is all that remains in the end."
Adexander took a step forward, the ground beneath him cracking under the weight of his resolve. "No. You're wrong. Power isn't everything. You should've known that."
Drevan's lips twitched into a humorless smile. "You still believe in that? After everything? After how easily they all turned on you?"
Adexander's heart stilled at the mention of betrayal—the one thing that had crushed him in his past life. The moment when he had trusted the wrong people, only for them to betray him in the most vicious way imaginable. His rise, his fall, it had all been intertwined with that betrayal.
But Drevan had been different. He had been more than a friend. He had been a brother.
And now?
Now, he was an enemy.
Drevan took a step forward, his eyes never leaving Adexander's. "You were always too idealistic. I tried to show you the truth, but you didn't listen. Now, you'll see for yourself."
The ground beneath them trembled once more, and the Abyssal Rift howled.
Adexander's voice was low, but it carried the weight of the Crimson King's fury. "I've seen enough, Drevan. If you're here to stop me, then come. But know this—I'll never allow you to betray me again."
Drevan's smile was cold, and he raised his hand.
"I'm not here to stop you, Adexander. I'm here to finish what I started."