The Reincarnated Overlord: Vengeance in the Eternal Abyss

Chapter 6: Echoes of the Past

The moon hung low over the Ashen Wilds, casting long shadows across the barren ground from its cold light. Just behind the altar, with his back against the twisted roots of the charred tree, sat Kael. The faint glow of the sigil pulsed steadily on his chest, like a second heartbeat. It was quieter now, less volatile than before, but still a reminder of its presence. 

Drawing a slow breath, he fixed his gaze on his hands. They appeared steadier now than they had been in weeks, yet the telltale tremor inside showed that weeks of training had extracted their price. Malek had pressed him harder than ever before, pushing him to the very limits of what he could handle and forcing him to confront the raw, chaotic power of the Abyss. It wasn't an ideal learning experience at all, but Kael was starting to master it.

"You're brooding again," Malek interrupts from nowhere with his painfully hoarse voice. 

Kael looked up to see the hermit leaning on his staff, hollow eyes glinting in the moonlight. The old man had the bad habit of appearing suddenly out of nowhere from some corner of shadow. 

"Not brooding," replied Kael evenly. "Thinking." 

Malek huffed, a noise that was half amusement, half derision. "Brooding, then." He hobbled over, the crimson runes on his staff dimly glowing. "A quite dangerous habit for someone in your position."

Kael raised an eyebrow. "You'd prefer I acted without thinking?"

"Instead, I would like you to mind the matters at hand," said Malek, who then settled himself on one of the gnarled roots. "It's a heavy chain, Kael, the past. Carry it too long and it will drag you down."

Kael's jaw became tight. The thing is, the old man is right, but it does not quite work that way. Memories of his past-life-great empire and betrayal are not merely chains. They became fuel- a blaze that stoked within every moment of pain and loss and betrayal had become fire.

"Sometimes," Kael said quietly, "the past is the only thing that keeps you going forward." 

Malek looked at him for a long time, his gaze unreadable. Then he sighed, shook his head. "Stubborn as ever. Fine. If you insist on holding fast to your ghosts at least, let them guide you wisely." 

Kael did not reply, as his thoughts started to drift back to that which haunted him. 

The memories were even unbidden, sharp as blade and lucid as glass.

Kael had studied the man carefully, noting the tension in his shoulders, the faint flicker of unease in his eyes. Haden had always been loyal—or so Kael had believed. But in that moment, something felt off. 

"Decisiveness is necessary," Kael had replied, his tone measured. "But recklessness will cost us more than we can afford. The rebels must be dealt with, but we will do so strategically." 

Haden had nodded, his expression carefully neutral. Yet Kael couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. 

Later that night, the feeling had been confirmed. 

Kael had been in his private chambers when the attack came. A blade in the dark, a whisper of betrayal. He had fought back, his magic scorching the air as he faced assassins cloaked in shadows. But for every enemy he struck down, two more appeared. 

And then he'd seen them—Haden, Lysara, and the others he had trusted most. Their faces were cold, their eyes devoid of the loyalty they once professed. 

"This is for the empire," Haden had said, his voice steady despite the blood on his hands. "Your time is over, Kael." 

The memory burned in Kael's mind, a searing reminder of the price of trust. 

"You're doing it again," Malek's voice jolted Kael from his thoughts. 

Kael opened his eyes and, returning to the present, watching the memory fade. His eye shifted to Malek, where a mildly exasperated expression resided.

"I told you, the past is a heavy chain," Malek repeated, tapping the staff on the ground. "If you can't let it go, at least don't let it distract you from what's in front of you." 

Kael pushed himself off the ash-scattered robe to standing, brushing away black dust. "What's in front of me is vengeance. Everything else is secondary." 

Malek studied him, his expression softening just slightly. "Vengeance can be a powerful motivator. But if you let it consume you, you'll lose sight of the bigger picture." 

Then he turned away without waiting for Kael's response and instead, his eyes were on the horizon. "I haven't forgotten the bigger picture. My enemies have taken everything from me. I am going to recover it and make them pay for all they did."

The sigil on his chest pulsed in agreement, the energy within it thrumming with quiet intensity. 

Malek has risen, his staff occasionally clicking against the ground. "Then you'd better be ready for what comes next. Yes, the Abyss may have tested you, but out there in the world beyond these Wilds, nothing compares with its coldness." 

Kael had a sly grin on his face and an unmistakably determined glint in his eye. "Let them try. I faced death, betrayal, and even the Abyss itself. Whatever's out there in the world, I will handle it." 

A flicker of a smile passed across Malek's lips. "We will see." 

The only sound accompanying the two on their way through the forest was the crunch of ash beneath their feet. There lay before them an unknown trail, one filled with danger and hidden foes. Kael, however, relished this. 

He really was not the man who had fallen inside Arkanor Palace. He really was something more- something stronger. 

The Eternal Overlord shall rise, and soon the world will feel the pressure from his returning presence.