Once everything was in place, Zach made his way to the assessment wing of Grimstone. His expression was calm, but his confidence radiated with every step.
He was sure of one thing, after the elves experienced their first alien invasion, their potential for war would explode.
"Unfortunately, they need a catalyst, Elves aren't naturally built for war after all." he muttered under his breath.
Unlike Cillian's endless abyss, which was harsh and brutal by design, Zach's world was a paradise. The elves were born into peace, nurtured by the World Tree, Diluhar. There had never been famine, war was rare, and harmony defined their civilizations.
The result was that they grew up with strength but no edge. Like infants born with the body of warriors, graceful and powerful, but inexperienced. Many elves lived centuries chasing beauty, art, and perfection, dying without ever touching a blade.
Zach shook his head slightly.
"That's the flaw. They don't understand fear yet, they don't need me."
"But when the terror comes… when the outside world rips into them… they'll crawl back and they'll pray harder then ever before."
"And the more desperate they are, the more divine fire I'll receive."
"That's the real path to ascension."
He stepped out of his dorm, satisfied with the plan. But as he rounded the courtyard, he stopped.
Cillian was walking ahead of him, headed in the same direction.
Cillian, still holding the top spot in divine fire, was reaching the third and final phase of evaluation. Though he kept to himself, his reputation had spread across the university like wildfire.
Some students whispered his name with awe. Others simply stared.
Cillian didn't acknowledge any of them. His expression was unreadable. Several classmates tried to greet him or ask about his mysterious God's Domain, but he ignored them all. His mind was elsewhere, deep inside the abyss he had built.
Zach smirked.
"Typical, no surprise someone like him doesn't care about attention."
Still, he picked up his pace and walked up beside him.
The assessment teacher, who had expected only Cillian, was startled to see Zach arrive.
"Second place? He's starting early too?"
The instructor blinked, but quickly nodded and began preparing the forms. Once the paperwork was done, he led them both toward the exam chamber.
Cillian didn't look back once.
Zach, unable to resist, stepped slightly ahead and smiled at him.
"Hey, you must be Cillian Carter, I'm Zach, Zach Kingston. Looks like we finally meet."
He extended a hand.
Cillian didn't take it.
Zach's smile twitched. He continued anyway.
"This time, I'm going to surpass you. My divine fire is rising, and by the end of all this I will be Grimstone's top student."
Zach's words were laced with challenge,his eyes burned with conviction.
Cillian stared at him blankly. Like someone looking at a stranger on a train.
"Who are you?"
Zach blinked.
"…What?"
For a moment Zach was left befuddled , "Who am I?" And Just as he opened his mouth,ready to explain his divine fire ranking, he choked on his words and his brain short-circuited.
"What do you mean—who am I?"
Cillian was already sitting down in the designated spot. He unfolded a thin obsidian plate and placed it on the assessment altar.
Zach hesitated, and in that moment The Endless Abyss unfolded.
A black-red vortex spun slowly above the altar and radiated a crushing pressure, and it wasn't just the pressure, the world..the thing, felt alive, felt as if it was staring into the deepest depths of your soul.
Zach took a single step back without realizing it.
The downward spiral of the Abyss was gone. Now, a suspended vortex of divine fire hovered like a black sun. Below it, shadowed terrain stretched infinitely and the world projection took shape, a grotesque silhouette, half-monster, half-domain.
And then the whispers began, faint, yet crystal clear murmurs that didn't sound human, or even sane.
They came from inside the abyss. They weren't words, not exactly. More like intent, like a certain hunger.
Zach's skin broke into a cold sweat.
"The fuck is this…"
It wasn't just a world, the travesty was a living, breathing threat to every ideal in Grimstone's curriculum.
Behind him, other students trembled. Even instructors began to sweat under the pressure, the whispers only deepened.
One teacher, acting quickly, raised his hand and sealed the projection. A golden light wrapped around the altar, shielding the other students from exposure.
"Don't look at it!" he barked. "Don't think about it either!"
Zach stumbled, gasping. His hands shook.
"What the hell was that feeling…"
He tried to steady his thoughts. But a sense of dread clung to his soul like a stain.
Across the room, the teacher in charge turned to Cillian.
"All right," he said, recovering his composure. "Cillian Carter, prepare yourself."
"Your third assessment begins now."