RISE OF THE HOLY DEMONIC GOD
Chapter 116: The Abyss Engraved — Birth of the Veil of Shadows

In the white void, the three spirits stood silently.

Time passed, yet Rey's presence didn't return.

Then it happened.

Without warning, his soul sea trembled.

A shard—no, a sliver of something unnatural—materialised deep within Rey's soul. It pulsed, absorbing energy that should never exist in this place. Abyssal energy.

Aiden's expression twisted into disbelief.

Victor's calm shattered into a sharp edge of suspicion.

Only Veylen watched, silent, his cold gaze lingering on the twisting shard, but giving nothing away.

"That… that's Abyssal flow. Impossible." Aiden's voice cracked.

Even Victor's tone sharpened. "He's not supposed to survive that."

The shard fractured without warning. Jagged splinters spun around Rey's soul like orbiting blades. Then... the impossible.

The fragments rewrote themselves into symbols. Ancient. Forbidden. Runic language—so high-grade that none of them could decipher it.

Each rune pulsed, draining some unseen force.

Victor stepped forward instinctively, his aura flaring. "What the hell is being carved into his soul?"

Aiden couldn't answer. He just shook his head.

Even Veylen's gaze lingered, watching the runes crawl and spread over Rey's soul like living ink. If he knew the answer, he said nothing.

They waited. Powerless.

Then, hours later, the Abyss gate—the one Rey had vanished through—opened by itself.

A burst of blinding white light ruptured the void.

Something was thrown out.

Aiden and Victor were ready with their weapons instantly. Zero's eyes narrowed, already calculating angles for a fatal strike. But Veylen was calm?

But the figure that lay crumpled in the white void was no enemy.

It was Rey.

"Rey! HEY!! Rey, open your damn eyes!" Aiden rushed forward, gripping Rey's shoulders, shaking him.

Rey's half-open eyes twitched, unfocused, like he couldn't even recognise the voices calling him.

His consciousness faded.

His body sagged.

He fell into sleep.

Not rest.

Not peace.

Collapse.

Aiden stood up slowly. His hands trembled, but his voice remained calm.

"Something happened inside that Abyss. Something worse than we can understand. That wasn't sleep... that was surrender."

Victor's crimson eyes gleamed unnaturally. "He's tainted."

Aiden hesitated, then admitted it softly. "Abyssal... energy."

Silence.

Then Veylen's voice cut through the stillness, cold and definitive. "If it intended to kill him, he'd be dead already by now."

Aiden glared. "And that's supposed to comfort us?!"

Veylen didn't respond. His gaze lingered on the unconscious Rey. Then he turned away.

They understood.

He knew something.

And he wasn't telling them.

All they could do now was wait for Rey to wake up.

—Ten hours later—

In the physical world, Jasmine pressed her palm gently against Rey's forehead.

Nothing. No fever. No visible injury. His breathing was steady but shallow.

"He's just exhausted..." she whispered, half-convinced.

She smiled faintly, brushing his messy hair back. "Probably skipped too many study sessions back then and now passed out."

She left quietly, not knowing her son wasn't simply asleep.

He was trapped in memories.

Rey floated somewhere between nightmare and oblivion.

He remembered nothing.

Not himself.

Not his name.

Not his spirits.

Only the endless darkness of the Abyss gnawed at the corners of his broken mind. His thoughts felt like shattered glass—memories too sharp to hold, yet too precious to abandon.

Deep inside his soul, the runes embedded in him flickered.

A pulse.

A light.

The darkness was illuminated, piece by piece, as the runes forced his memories to reassemble—like a puzzle completed by someone else.

Birth... family... friends... battles...

But one part of his memory remained locked behind a towering seal.

No matter how much the runes glowed, that fragment refused to return.

Not yet.

When Rey finally awoke, sunlight struck his face like an unfamiliar sensation.

It burned.

He winced, his entire body weak.

"...Mom... Emmy... are you here...?"

His voice cracked.

He tried to stand—but his legs, foreign to him now, buckled immediately.

He fell.

Caught himself on the bed frame, breathing heavily.

'Why... why can't I move properly...? What happened to me...?'

Even the familiar sight of his bedroom felt like a distant memory, like it belonged to someone else.

His legs trembled violently, numb like stone.

Fear crept in.

'Am I still there? Am I... back?'

"Ai... Aiden... Zero... Victor... Veylen... anyone... please..."

He barely expected a reply.

But four figures appeared instantly in front of him.

For a moment, he stared, eyes wide, disbelief overwhelming him.

Aiden grinned before pulling him into a rough, desperate hug. "Damn it, kid. Thought we lost you."

Victor stepped close, nodding once, while Zero, as usual, kept her distance.

Veylen... stood behind them all. Silent.

"I thought... You guys... died... like my family..." Rey's voice cracked, hollow.

Aiden's smile vanished.

"Oi. Don't talk like that. We're spirits. You know that."

"And your family's fine," Victor added calmly.

Aiden clapped him on the back. "Ten hours. You were out cold. Not centuries. Just ten hours."

Rey's world tilted.

'Only... ten hours?'

But the Abyss... it felt like... endless.

He tried to stand, only to collapse again.

"My legs... they're not working..."

Victor let out a quiet chuckle, snapping his fingers.

Rey's muscles flared with subtle energy as Victor's ability slowly repaired the lingering damage.

For the first time since leaving the Abyss, Rey smiled.

A fragile smile.

"I'm... alive...?"

Aiden ruffled his hair. "Barely. But yeah, you're alive."

Veylen watched silently, unmoving, his expression unreadable.

But for a brief second—

His gaze flicked to Rey's soul.

And narrowed.

As if sensing something none of them could yet understand.

While Rey felt something else...

Blood.

That's what Rey felt first.

A sluggish, numb weight in his legs as if they weren't his anymore. But slowly—painfully—the blood began to push through his frozen veins, like something was forcing life back into dead limbs.

Victor watched silently, then nodded once.

"Try standing."

Rey hesitated.

Then, drawing a deep breath, he pushed himself up.

His legs trembled... but didn't collapse.

A tingling warmth spread as the numbness faded inch by inch. His knees locked steady.

He was standing.

A smile—not forced, but real—broke across Rey's tired face.

"I... can move."

He stumbled a step, then another. Awkward, shaky steps turned to firmer ones.

Aiden let out a relieved laugh as Rey paced slowly, even attempting a light jog, followed by a playful leap, and then a dash across the room.

His legs obeyed.

Just like before.

Victor watched silently, but his faint smirk betrayed his satisfaction.

After his short, clumsy celebration, Rey sat back down heavily before the four spirits.

Aiden leaned forward instantly.

"All right. Enough. Tell us. Everything."

Rey looked between their serious faces. Even Zero, usually disinterested, was listening.

He swallowed.

He could feel it.

Whatever had happened inside that gate... wasn't normal.

And they deserved answers.

"I'll tell you everything I remember."

He began to speak.

Of the endless black sea.

Of the lone white dot that turned into an all-seeing white eye.

Of his secrets stripped bare without resistance.

Of his descent into the Abyss Plane, where no sun rose and the world itself whispered madness.

He told them about the voice that greeted him.

The Voice of the Abyss.

His trial?

To find the being who spoke to him.

A task is simple in words.

But in a world without direction, without end, where even hope bled dry, it was a torment that broke him over and over.

He told them of his 108 failures.

Fighting twisted copies of himself, corrupted shadows who wielded mana-enchanted weapons and inhuman reflexes.

Each battle scarred him.

Each defeat crushed him.

Every trick he tried, every strategy he changed—nothing worked. He failed again. And again.

Until hope no longer mattered.

Until death seemed a better answer.

Until... he gave up.

And then, the Voice of the Abyss revealed itself.

His own shadow.

His own death.

He told them how he was named as a disciple by a being whose name he could no longer remember.

A being who sealed his memories.

And then... nothing.

Only darkness.

Endless.

Silent.

He explained how he wandered for years—or perhaps centuries—until something inside him finally shattered. He remembered breaking, but not what came after.

Only that eventually, he was thrown back out of the Abyss.

Into light.

And into unconsciousness.

When Rey finished, silence consumed the white room.

Even Aiden said nothing for several seconds.

Then, unable to accept it, Aiden stepped forward. "I'll check your mind myself."

He placed a hand on Rey's temple, attempting to read his soul directly.

What he found horrified him.

A wall.

A seal.

Not a normal one.

Something beyond his understanding had sealed Rey's memories.

And Aiden knew exactly who had done it.

The Voice of the Abyss.

He stepped back, fists clenched.

"So... do you remember the art?" Aiden's voice was low now. "Anything at all? What did you learn in there?"

Rey hesitated.

Then shook his head.

"I don't remember. Not a single word."

Aiden stared at him like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Victor frowned. "You're lying."

"I'm not."

"You have to remember something."

"I don't."

Their suspicion pressed down like a crushing weight.

"Stop it."

Veylen's voice cut through the tension like a blade.

His expression remained distant, unreadable. "Do you both not understand yet? Arts that originate from beings like the Abyss don't allow theft. High-grade Arts write themselves into their owner's soul. Not mind. Not memory."

Aiden and Victor froze.

"Even if he wanted to explain it, he can't," Veylen continued, his tone colder than before. "What he gained is not knowledge. It's instinct. Etched into his existence itself."

Rey blinked.

"I... can't explain it?"

"Correct."

Aiden's frustration simmered down into reluctant understanding.

Victor crossed his arms. "So... the Art protects itself."

"Exactly."

Aiden finally nodded. "Makes sense. If anyone could simply teach it, why would such a thing need to be preserved in the Umbraveth Archive?"

The silence that followed was heavy.

Rey felt a strange mix of relief and confusion. He wasn't crazy after all. His memories weren't missing because he failed... but because the Art itself refused to be shared.

Veylen didn't meet Rey's gaze.

But for a moment, his voice softened.

"Some powers... refuse to belong to the world."

Victor straightened. "System panel."

"Huh?"

"We can't know what you remember. But the System can."

Aiden nodded. "Open it. Let's see your comprehension level. That'll tell us how much you've grasped."

Rey hesitated, then called mentally for the System.

He barely finished the thought.

Suddenly, golden panels rained down in front of him like a storm.

Line after line.

Rey stared, breath stolen.

Even the spirits fell silent.

Because every panel screamed the same thing—

───◈ System Notification ◈───

[System Alert: New Comprehension Detected.]

[Host has partially comprehended the Art: <Veil of the Unseen Abyss>.]

[Rank Evaluation: Art has been classified as Absolute Rank—recognised as an existence beyond conventional technique hierarchies.]

[System Integration Initiated...]

[Notice: Host's comprehended Art has been forcibly integrated into system interference layers.]

[Effect Expansion in Progress…]

[Art's influence is now expanding over Host's Status and System Interference Field.]

─────◈◈◈─────

[System Information to Host:

— Comprehension-Based Effects of <Veil of the Unseen Abyss>:

▸ Upon reaching 25% Comprehension, all invisibility-type skills, both learned and future-acquired, are permanently elevated to S-Rank.

▸ Upon reaching 50% Comprehension, said skills are permanently elevated to SS-Rank.

▸ Upon reaching 100% Comprehension of Stage 0, said skills are permanently elevated to SSS-Rank.

▸Current Stage: Stage 0, Concealment of Shadows [38%] 

▸ Further comprehension and Stage breakthroughs will trigger evolutionary transformations in concealment techniques beyond current classification.]

─────

[System Note:—

Passive concealment effects of the Art are now applying directly to the Host's soul presence, life signature, and system tracking layers.

— Host's recorded existence has partially faded from external system scans.

— Detection by fate-based, karma-based, and causality-linked methods has been moderately suppressed.

— System will continue assisting in monitoring and stabilising the Art's expansion.]

[Warning:

Art's nature is unknown. Overreliance may lead to unforeseen effects. Progress is advised with caution.]

─────

[System Observation: The Abyss stirs.]

[Recommendation: Continue comprehension.]

__

[Due to the host's recent actions and achievements, worth recognition from the Whole Cosmos. You've gained two new titles.]

[Host has given title(s): Blessing of the Abyss (Unique), Absolute Path Initiate (????)]

───◈◈◈◈◈───

"Wow…" That single word escaped Rey's lips, barely containing the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside him. He was utterly stunned, grappling with the intense effects surging through his body, feeling more alive than ever before.

His heart raced with anticipation as he opened his system, eager to unveil the astounding changes that were about to redefine his life.

───◈◈◈◈◈───

[Eternal Omniverse System]

Name: Rey Shadowthrone

Age: 18

Race: Human (Fully Dark-Attributed)

Physique: Darkness Physique (Upgradable)

Titles:

Self-Learner, The Psycho, The Killing Manic, Abyss's Blessing*, Absolute Path Initiate*

Class: None

Level: 6 [883/6000]

Rank: 0th Rank

Core: Darksyth Core [F+] {0%} (Rank 0)

Curse: Nirzveil's Covenant (Origin- Grade)

Variant: Oblivion Gloom (Darkness Path) 

Laws: Death {.0006%}, Soul {.000003%}, 'Darkness' {.01310%}, Shadow {.0001%}*

[Attributes]

HP: 500/500 (Reserve Energy: +500)

MP: 840/840 (Mana Overload: +840)

Stats:

Strength (STR): 102 [E] (↑20)

Agility (AGI): 102 [E] (↑20)

Vitality (VIT): 100 [E] (↑2)

Intelligence (INT): 112 {+224} [D+] (↑0)

Stamina (STA): 137 [E+] (↑40)

Endurance (END): 114 [E] (↑20)

Luck (LUK): F+ (Dependent on Core)

Free Stat Points: 18 (↑0)

Derived Stats:

Attack Power (ATK): 122.4 [(STR + AGI) * 1.2] (Potential Strength: +122.4)

Magical Power (MGL): 201.6 [INT * 1.2] (Arcane Potential: +201.6)

Defence (DEF): 125.5 [({END + STA} * 1)] (Reinforcement Reserve: +125.5)

[Skills]

Active Skills:

Tier 0: Eclipse Shroud (S)*, Umbral Dash (C-) [↑], Abyssal Burst (F+)

Passive Skills:

Tier 0: Darkforged Repair (C+), Phantom Shift (S)*

Resistance:

Tier 0: Heat Resistance (F), Anesthetic Resistance (F)

Art/Technique(s):

Veil of the Unseen Abyss {Stage 0 – Concealment of Shadows} [38%]*

Abilities:

Tier 0: DARKNESS (EX+)

───◈◈◈◈◈───

◇ Title Unlocked: Absolute Path Initiate ◇

Effect:

‣ Increases the comprehension speed of all Absolute Rank by +5%.

‣ Grants +10% increased mental stability during conceptual realisation processes.

‣ Slightly enhances perception of hidden laws during cultivation, training, or meditation.

_____

◇ Title Unlocked: Blessing of the Abyss Will ◇

Current State: Dormant — Evolves alongside the Host's connection to the Abyss Will.

Effect (Initial Stage):

‣ Grants a passive increase in Darkness, Shadow, and Abyss-element comprehension.

‣ Slightly strengthens mental resistance against abyssal corruption and existential collapse.

‣ Host is now partially recognised as an extension of the Abyss Will, by being the Disciple of the Will.

‣ Host can attain a nearly impossible state, Complete Calm, with only half the effort.

__

<<Eclipse Shroud>> [S Rank, 0%]

<Description>

An advanced concealment skill born from abyssal comprehension. Allows the user to merge with shadows beyond physical darkness, extending into conceptual concealment layers. Movements become silent, presence is nearly erased, and detection methods based on sight, aura, or sound are severely disrupted.

<Effects>

‣ Abyssal Concealment: Perfect blending in both darkness and semi-lit areas. Detection range has reduced drastically, even for high-perception enemies.

‣ Existence Suppression: Suppresses aura, life signature, and presence by 70%. Slight suppression even in direct observation.

‣ Silent Movement: Movement speed penalty removed. User retains full mobility while concealed.

‣ Evasion Boost: 25% chance to evade all detection types, including soul-sense and aura tracing.

‣ Void Affinity: Skill scales with Abyss-related comprehension and darkness-based techniques.

__

<<Phantom Shift>> [S Rank, 0%]

<Description>

A supreme movement skill born from the fusion of abyssal principles and shadow agility. The user becomes a transient existence between moments, moving like a flickering shadow, bypassing the constraints of space itself. Movement is no longer limited to physical terrain; brief displacement distortions carry the user forward like an echo between shadows.

<Effects>

‣ Void-Flicker Step: Short-range space-fold during rapid movements. User "shifts" between two points up to 3 meters apart with no visual trace, bypassing physical obstructions for a split second.

‣ Weightless Momentum: Gravity is partially suppressed during movement bursts. Allows for mid-air directional shifts and near-silent traversal over unstable terrain.

‣ Abyssal Flow: Movement speed increased by 30% during any evasive or combat manoeuvre. Boost stacks multiplicatively with agility-based buffs.

‣ Silent Drift: Removes all sound during movement below 30 km/h. The user cannot be tracked via auditory methods during shifts.

‣ Instinctive Warp: Automatic 1-time shift (up to 2 meters) to evade incoming lethal attacks once every 60 seconds. No conscious trigger required.

__

<<Veil of the Unseen Abyss>> {Stage 0 – Concealment of Shadows} [38%]

<Description>

A supreme concealment art born from the fusion of abyssal silence and shadow manipulation, made by the Abyss Will. 

Unlike ordinary stealth, this art erases presence from sensory perception, spiritual detection, and even subconscious observation. Shadows become the practitioner's domain, masking them even from higher-sense cultivators. The Art itself holds the biggest mystery, which can only be discovered as the practitioner proceeds forward in the stages.

As comprehension deepens, concealment transcends physical hiding, influencing fate threads, soul recognition, and karmic detection.

Stage 0 – Concealment of Shadows  — The most elementary step that already surpasses ordinary stealth. Shadows themselves refuse to reveal the user's presence.

????

───◈◈◈◈◈───

Rey's gaze moved across the sea of golden panels.

Each one felt foreign.

Each one felt like a riddle etched into his soul.

His attention finally locked onto the section that stirred unease deep within him—the Art & Law segment.

And there it was.

The new presence that now existed within him.

A mystery he didn't ask for.

But one that refused to be ignored.

His breath slowed as he read the notification again:

[Art: Veil of the Unseen Abyss – Stage 0: Concealment of Shadows (38%)]

It was real.

The Art he fought for.

The Art he nearly died to obtain.

Yet... despite possessing it, Rey understood nothing about it.

Even though the System acknowledged its existence, even though his mastery percentage ticked forward, he couldn't feel it. Couldn't summon it. Couldn't even remember what it was.

The effects?

Unknown.

The usage?

Unknown.

It felt like owning a weapon without knowing which end was the blade.

And yet... something inside him whispered that this power wasn't for his conscious mind to wield.

At least not yet.

He closed his trembling hands.

'When I reach full mastery... maybe then...'

Only then would the answers come.

Maybe.

But his unease didn't stop there.

His gaze drifted toward something equally chilling.

The Law Section.

Among the familiar fragments of energy he once earned, something new now lingered.

<Shadow>.

A Law he never remembered learning.

A Law that now anchored itself to his existence.

And Rey knew why.

'That endless sea... the darkness... the silence... it taught me something I wasn't meant to learn.'

It wasn't just the Voice of the Abyss that changed him.

The Abyss itself rewrote him.

Piece by piece.

Still, he wasn't angry.

He wasn't afraid.

He was alive.

That alone was enough.

'Whatever happened... I survived.'

And that meant he still had a chance to find out why.

Why couldn't he remember the Voice's name?

Why even his title—something meant to be honoured—was sealed away from his thoughts.

'I'll ask him. I'll demand answers next time.'

Rey let out a shaky breath and dismissed the panels.

The spirits noticed.

Aiden, half-smirking yet concerned.

Victor, thoughtful, arms crossed.

Zero, silent as usual.

Veylen… unreadable.

But Aiden's voice broke the silence.

"And kid... You need to see this."

Rey frowned.

Aiden's tone was different now.

Less playful.

More serious.

Before Rey could ask, Aiden's hand dragged his consciousness back into the white space—their shared realm.

And there... it waited.

The gate.

The same gate that Rey had entered not long ago.

Now, it was changing.

Chains.

Thick, black, vine-like chains began to sprout from the edges of the ancient gate.

Like living things, they slithered outward, coiling around the structure's borders.

Their ends dug into the center of the gate.

And then... they pulled.

Tearing something apart.

Piece by piece.

From within the gate's shattered heart, a cold, suffocating darkness leaked forth.

Rey's breath hitched.

Because he recognised it.

That darkness wasn't just emptiness.

It was alive.

And then, in the midst of the spreading black... it appeared.

A single white eye.

Motionless.

Unblinking.

Watching.

"...That's it," Rey whispered. His voice cracked. "That's... the eye. The one tied to the Abyss Will itself."

None of the spirits reacted.

Not even Aiden.

Because they already understood.

Something like that couldn't belong to anything ordinary.

They watched in silence as the darkness condensed.

A white, circular chamber began forming at the gate's center, bound tightly by the black chains.

As if locking something inside.

Or maybe... sealing it away from the world.

Above the eye, new symbols started to burn into existence.

Ancient, eerie letters that Rey somehow understood instinctively.

His mouth moved before he realised.

"Stage 0... Concealment of Shadows... Thirty-eight percent."

His progress.

But why could he read that script?

Why did those alien letters feel... familiar?

Behind him, Veylen watched quietly.

At the moment Rey spoke, the cold spirit's lips curled into a brief, knowing smirk.

But just as quickly, it vanished.

Veylen said nothing.

He offered no answers.

Whatever knowledge he held, whatever secrets he understood...

He wasn't ready to share them.

Not yet.

And Rey?

Rey could only stare, helpless, as the mysterious gate—his gate—continued to pulse with the aura of the Abyss.

A reminder that his path wasn't his anymore.

It belonged to something far beyond him.

For better...

Or worse.

To be continued...

I hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter!

A new layer of mystery has just been woven into Rey's life, and the answers are shrouded in shadows, waiting to be discovered as he grows stronger.

Are you ready to join him on this thrilling journey?

Trust me, you won't want to miss what lies ahead as he unravels the secrets that could change everything! Stay tuned for the adventure to unfold!