Those few moments after he reassured her felt like really short reprieves, as both of them knew the shadow of the abyss was yet over them. Darkwoods were not an ordinary place; rather, it was a gateway, a place where the world of the living touches the abyss itself. And now, with Lian in possession of the Eye of the Abyss, the hum of power reminded them that what they had faced thus far was only the beginning of something greater.

We need to leave," Lian said softly, his eyes scanning the clearings. His hold on Aeris didn't slack, but keen, his eyes were, checking if there was still danger hanging around. "We have bought ourselves some time, but I don't think the shadows are done with us.".

Aeris nodded weakly, her body still recovering from the ordeal. She took a step forward, but her legs buckled beneath her. Without hesitation, Lian caught her, wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her.

"You don't have to face this alone," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "The darkness—it's part of you now. I can feel it."

Lian's jaw clenched. He'd felt it, too. Ever since he'd claimed the Eye, something cold had seeped into his soul, a creeping darkness that whispered at the edges of his thoughts. The power was his to command, but at what cost?

"We will," Lian said, firm, but the doubt chewed at him. He had always found comfort in his strength and his will to push through, but the abyss was different. It wasn't something he could fight with a sword. It was insidious, much more, and it was inside him already.

With every step they made into the forest, the trees seemed to close over them, their long branches flung across the ground, dancing in the mist. Lian could feel the pull of the abyss hardening with every step as if the darkness was reaching out to him, inviting him to surrender.

Aeris clung to him, her grip tight as if she too could feel the danger. "Lian… I don't know how much longer I can resist this. The relic's influence-it has never fully left me."

"We're going to the capital," Lian said, his voice determined. "There has to be someone there who can help us. Someone who knows how to break the abyss' hold.

Aeris shook her head. "It's not that simple. The abyss. it's not just something you can escape from. It's like a part of you now. A part of us."

Lian's stomach twisted at her words, but he pushed the fear aside. He'd seen already the cost of surrendering to the abyss in the shadowy figures that had tried to claim him. He wasn't going to let it take them.

They walked in silence a while, the air growing damper and chillier as they approached the perimeter of the darkwoods. Then, just as the trees began to thin, the earth beneath their feet shuddered.

Lian stiffened, his hand going instinctively onto the hilt of his sword. Aeris clutched his arm, her eyes wide and fearful.

"What was that?" she whispered.

The earth shook again, harder this time, sending ripples across the floor of the forest. Groaning trees swayed their heads wildly as if in some sort of violent storm. There was no wind, only the rumble that grew from beneath them.

And then, from deep inside, a low, guttural roar echoed through the trees.

Lian's blood ran cold. He knew that sound; it was the sound of something far more dangerous than the shadows they had faced before.

"We need to move. Now," he said, his voice tight with tension.

And in an instant, they were off, running, trees whizzing by in a blurred mess. The earth continued to shudder, each successive tremor stronger than the last, as the roar took on a louder, closer perspective. Whatever it was, it was big-and it was hunting them.

Aeris tripped, and Lian caught her just as a huge tree branch crashed to the ground behind them, cracking the earth with a deafening crack.

"We can't outrun it," Aeris gasped, a note of panic in her voice. "What do we do?"

Lian's mind was racing. They were too far deep in the darkwoods to make it to the capital without facing whatever it was that was coming. But turning back was not an option. They had to stand and fight.

"We make a stand," Lian said, his voice grim. He drew his sword, the blade glinting in the dim light of the forest.

Aeris' eyes went wide. "Are you insane? We can't fight that thing!"

Lian turned to her, his face hard. "We don't have a choice."

The roar came again, this time so close that the air itself seemed to vibrate with its force. And then, from the shadows, it emerged.

It must have been a monster: its body was covered in thick black scales, while its eyes shone with an unworldly red light. The creature stood on four columnar legs; with every step, it seemed to shake the very earth. Its maw was lined with jagged teeth, and its nostrils curled with dark smoke as it snarled at them.

It was a guardian from the abyss, an eldritch beast conjured from its deepest parts to guard the veil. And now it had them in its sights.

Lian squared his shoulders, and his grip on his sword tightened. The darkness inside him stirred in response, as if the abyss itself had recognized one of its kind.

"Stay behind me," Lian said, his voice steady. "I'll handle this."

Aeris would have opened her mouth to protest, but before words could leave her lips, he lunged. His huge form barreled toward them-the claws tearing through the ground with frightening speed.

Instinct overrode everything. Lian dodged to the side, his sword flashing as he sliced through its side. The blade bit into its scales, but it barely slowed the beast. Then it turned on him, eyes aglow with anger.

The Eye of the Abyss pulsed at Lian's side; surges of energy ran through him. He felt it, raw power of the abyss, begging to be unleashed. Yet he hesitated. The darkness had helped him before, but each time he used it, he felt himself slipping further away from the light.

The beast roared again, this time swiping its massive claws at him. Lian blocked at the last second; his sword vibrated in his hand with the intensity of the strike.

"I cannot do this by myself," Lian whispered.

He turned to Aeris, who stood as still as stone, eyes fixed upon the monstrosity. She was yet too fragile due to the relic's domination, yet in her eyes he saw determination.

"Aeris," he yelled above the din. "You have to use the light! You can still feel the remainder of it!"

Aeris blinked, as if she had come out of some sort of trance. "The light. but I-

"You have to!" Lian yelled. "We'll both die if you don't!"

Aeris' hands were shaking, but she lifted them anyway. Her eyes closed as she began to focus. A faint glow began to leak from her, her brilliance increasing with each passing second.

The creature recoiled, squinting its glowing eyes as the light intensified.

The darkness stirred inside him because of the light, and in that instant, he felt the duality that had so consistently pulled between the abyss and its other side in a struggle for dominance.

Taking a deep breath, Lian stepped forward, the Eye of the Abyss pulsating in his hand. The darkness surged through him-cold and relentless-but he didn't fight it. He let it flow, joining it with the light that Aeris summoned.

The creature wavered, disoriented by the joining forces. And in that slight moment of confusion, Lian attacked.

His sword, now ablaze with both light and darkness sliced through the air with deadly precision, striking into the heart of the creature.

The beast let out one last deafening roar and fell to the ground, its body dissolving into mist.

Lian was standing over the remains of the creature, panting, his glowing sword still clutched in his hand and burdened with the combined power of light and darkness.

He had won-but at what cost?

---

TO BE CONTINUED