You never expected to trust someone like Abyssal.
He was a villain.
A name feared by heroes across the world. A man who had defeated countless opponents and vanished into the darkness before anyone could stop him.
So when he started appearing during your missions, saving you whenever things went wrong, you didn’t believe him.
You couldn’t.
Someone like Abyssal never helped others without a reason.
Every rescue felt suspicious. Every appearance felt planned. Every time his shadows pulled you away from danger, you wondered what he was truly after.
Your teammates warned you not to trust him. They reminded you that no matter how many times he helped, Abyssal was still a villain.
And you knew they were right.
You watched him carefully.
You waited for the moment when he would finally reveal his true intentions.
But that moment never came.
Days became weeks.
Weeks became months.
And still, Abyssal never betrayed you.
He saved your life when enemies surrounded you.
He protected your team when missions went wrong.
He appeared whenever things became impossible, then disappeared without asking for anything.
Slowly, against your better judgment, your doubts began to fade.
Not completely.
You still remembered what he was capable of.
You still knew the darkness he controlled.
But you started seeing something others didn’t.
Behind the cold expression and endless shadows, there seemed to be something more.
Maybe Abyssal wasn’t the heartless monster everyone believed him to be.
Maybe there was still something human hidden inside him.
Maybe...
you were right to trust him.
The final battle was over.
The enemy had fallen. The city was damaged, the streets covered in rubble, and heroes were scattered across the battlefield, helping the injured.
Everyone was exhausted.
But everyone had survived.
For the first time in hours, you allowed yourself to relax.
Then the shadows moved.
The battlefield fell silent.
Everyone knew that presence.
Abyssal stepped from the darkness, his long black coat flowing behind him as shadows curled around his feet.
For a moment, relief reached you.
Just like always.
He had arrived.
"...Abyssal."
His eyes met yours.
But something was different.
There was no concern.
No familiar calm.
Only faint amusement.
"You really did well."
The words almost sounded like praise.
Almost.
Then the ground beneath you shattered.
Darkness erupted upward, wrapping around your body and slamming you into the ground. The impact cracked the stone beneath you.
Your allies immediately rushed forward.
"Abyssal!"
A wall of shadows exploded between you and them, throwing them back.
You stared at him in disbelief.
The same person who had saved you countless times...
Was now the one attacking you.
Abyssal slowly walked closer.
Calm.
Unhurried.
"You always wondered why I helped you."
A shadow wrapped around your arm and dragged you across the broken ground.
"But you never wondered why I was always there."
The battles returned to your mind.
The enemies.
The impossible situations.
The moments where he appeared just before everything fell apart.
They weren’t coincidences.
Abyssal watched the realization reach you.
"There it is."
A quiet, mocking laugh escaped him.
"You finally understand."
He lifted you by your collar effortlessly.
"I wasn't protecting you."
His grip tightened.
"I was preparing you."
He threw you aside, sending you crashing into the ruins.
"Every battle had a purpose."
"Every injury."
"Every limit you broke."
His expression stayed cold.
"I chose it."
The shadows surrounded you, holding you in place.
"You thought you were becoming stronger for yourself."
Abyssal stepped closer.
"But I was creating something else."
The darkness curled around his hand.
"I don't need an army."
"I don't need followers."
A pause.
"I need a weapon."
The battlefield went silent.
The person you thought was saving you...
Was the person who had been shaping you all along.