The air was thick with tension, and the dense blackness seemed to churn about Lian like something alive. His breaths came short and shallow as he stared numbly at the spot where Aeris had disappeared into the darkness. For a long while, he was unable even to move, his heart racing uncontrollably with his mind reeling from the after-shocks of what he had just seen.

  

  Aeris was no more.

  

  Or rather, not quite so.

  

  Somewhere in that churning darkness, the Aeris he knew was still in there-trapped, manipulated by the power of the relic. No matter what it would take, Lian wasn't going to leave her behind.

  

  He sheathed his sword with a sharp clink, his resolution hardening. He couldn't fight the relic's power alone, not without a plan. Charging in would only bring more destruction-and more loss. If he wanted to free Aeris, he would need help, knowledge, and a means of severing the relic's hold on her without losing her in the process.

  

  Taking one last look at the altar, now pulsing faintly with the relic's energy, Lian turned and sprinted down the tunnel, his footsteps echoing in the silence. There was only one person who might have answers—an ancient scholar who'd been studying the undercity long before the relic had resurfaced.

  

  Old Master Khoren.

  

  ---

  

  The road that led up to Khoren's sanctum had been long and grueling, leading through ruins and temples forgotten by time-twisting deeper with every step into the heart of the abandoned city. His mind was a turmoil of visions of Aeris, the darkening of her eyes, how the shadows took her so completely.

  

  But through it all, there had been a flicker of hope. Aeris was strong-stronger than she knew. And Lian believed that deep inside, she was still fighting, resisting the relic's grasp.

  

  He had to believe it.

  

  It wasn't until hours later that Lian finally reached the outskirts of Khoren's domain, a hidden enclave built into the side of a huge stone cliff. The entrance was guarded by a pair of weathered statues, their features worn away by centuries of neglect, but the faint glow of torchlight flickered from within.

  

  Lian approached cautiously, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. The shadows here felt different-quieter, more subdued, as though the relic's influence had not yet reached this far. But even so, he could not get rid of the uncomfortable feeling that he was being watched.

  

  As he stepped into the sanctuary, he was met by a low, raspy voice.

  

  "Lian, son of Valen.

  

  Lian's gaze snapped to the figure sitting in the shadow at the far corner of the room. Old Master Khoren was a spindly man, his body bent by the weight of years, but his eyes were sharp, piercing in their intensity. He sat cross-legged on a stone platform, shrouded by ancient scrolls and artifacts of his own.

  

  "You have come for answers," Khoren said in a soft, yet knowing, voice. "I sensed the awakening of the relic."

  

  Lian nodded, stepping forward. "Aeris… she's been taken by the relic's power. I need to know how to stop it—how to save her.

  

  Khoren's eyes turned dark and he let out a deep, heavy sigh. "The relic… it is not a tool to be controlled. It is an ancient, powerful living force born of the darkness of the abyss. Those that fall under its sway… are seldom returned."

  

  Lian clenched his fists. "There must be a way.

  

  Khoren fell silent for a time, his eyes boring into Lian's face as if considering the stoutness of his determination. Finally, he spoke.

  

  "There might be a way… but at terrible cost. The artifact draws its strength from the shadows, from the darkness that resides in all our souls. You'd have to draw the burden of that darkness into yourself-to take it within you."

  

  Lian's heart leapt. "You mean… I would have to—"

  

  "Become one with the shadows," Khoren finished grimly. "It is a dangerous path, one that few have survived. The shadows are not easily controlled, and if you fail, you will be lost to them, just as Aeris has been."

  

  Lian swallowed hard, the weight of the decision weighing down on him. To save Aeris, he would have to risk it all-his soul, even his being. But there was no other choice. He couldn't leave her to be consumed by the power of the relic.

  

  "What must I do?" Lian asked, his voice steady though his insides racked with fear.

  

  Khoren struggled to his feet, slight figure dancing in the eerie light of flickering torches. "You must find the *Eye of the Abyss*. An ancient artifact, hidden deep within the undercity, it alone has the power to bind the shadows-and to free those trapped by the relic."

  

  Lian's mind was racing. The Eye of the Abyss… another relic, one that could hold in its belly the secret to save Aeris. But to retrieve it would not be easy. Undercity was a maze of dangers, and the shadows wouldn't let him reach the Eye without a fight.

  

  Still, he had no choice.

  

  "I'll find it," Lian said, his voice full of determinism. "Whatever it takes."

  

  Khoren nodded, his head moving slowly. "Be careful, Lian. The shadows will try your soul, even as they tried Aeris'. And should you falter… there will be no one to catch you."

   ---

  

  

  With each step farther away from the sanctuary, the weight of his mission settled heavily upon his shoulders. The path that lay ahead was a perilous one, and the cost of failure too terrible to contemplate. But for Aeris—for the friend who had always been by his side through thick and thin—he would face whatever darkness awaited him.

  

  And with that, the journey to the Eye of the Abyss began.

  

  ---