The ground beneath Lian's feet was still. The great beast that had risen from the abyss now lay defeated. Its body melted into the fog, as if it never existed. But Lian could feel his victory weigh down his shoulders. It wasn't the weariness of battle-it was something deeper, infinitely more dangerous.

He faced Aeris, who was still breathing hard, her hands still trembling as the glow of light faded from her palms. She was pale, her eyes wide at the aftershock of what they'd just faced.

"Lian…" The shaking of Aeris' voice stumbled into his as she made her way to him. "What… what just happened? The light and the darkness—they shouldn't be able to—

"They shouldn't," Lian cut in. His voice was taut, his hold on the Eye of the Abyss such that the knuckles had whitened. "But it did. I don't know how, yet it did."

 

Aeris reached out, her hand brushing against the amulet that hung from Lian's neck, her eyes searching his face. "The abyss… it's pulling you in, isn't it?"

 

Lian didn't reply immediately. He could feel it. Ever since he'd laid his eyes on the relic, there had been a shift inside him. The shadows whispered to him in a voice only he could hear, deeper into the void. He knew he could control it, that he could bend the power of the abyss to his will, yet with every usage, he found it was harder to resist. And now, with the light and darkness wrestling within him, he was not certain how much longer he could cling to.

"We have to get to the capital," Lian said, brushing past Aeris and sheathing his sword. "There's someone there who can help us. Someone who can tell us how to stop this."

Aeris frowned, her hand falling to her side. "You mean, how to stop you from falling into the abyss.

Lian's heart clenched at the truth in her words. He couldn't deny anymore, the fact that this power he was wielding, dangerous though it was to his enemies, was just as dangerous to himself and to any who would be near him. He was turning into something he did not fully understand, and the chasm was waiting for him to make that one fatal mistake.

But he wasn't ready to give up. Not yet.

"We haven't got any time to lose," Lian said, more decisively this time. "That thing… that was just the beginning. The abyss knows we are here, and it is not going to stop till it claims us both."

Aeris was taken aback, her eyes remaining fixed on Lian. The doubt in them was evident, but so was the firm resolve. She, too, was not ready to give up just yet.

Without another word, they started moving again, the darkwoods growing denser around them as they ventured deeper into the unknown. But the atmosphere changed. The forest wasn't just a place now; it felt alive, watching them, waiting.

They continued in silence for hours, their footsteps muffled by the thick carpet of dead leaves and underbrush. The tremors resulting from the battle long hours earlier had subsided, but the air was still thick with tense unease.

He could feel the Eye of the Abyss thrumming against his chest, its pulse in sync with his heartbeat. Every step he took seemed to draw him closer to the edge of something unseen-something that scared him more than any creature or battle ever had.

"We're getting close," Aeris said quietly-the sudden break in silence was.

Lian looked up, his gaze following the line of the horizon. Thronged by a thick canopy of trees, a faint glow could be seen from afar. The capital stood as a beacon of hope bathed in the warm light of its torches, but Lian couldn't help feeling danger awaited them there.

"Do you think they'll know how to help us?" Aeris asked, her tone uncertain.

"I don't know," said Lian, "but they're the only ones who might understand what we're up against. If anyone can sever the abyss' hold, it'll be them."

As they drew closer to the city, the shadows seemed to grow thicker, as though the abyss was reluctant to let them go. But there was something else-a presence, something or someone, which watched them.

Lian froze, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of his sword. "We are not alone."

Aeris tensed, her eyes darting around the darkened trees. "What is it?"

"I don't know." Lian's voice was barely above a whisper. "But we need to keep moving."

Then, a figure emerged from the night, draped in black. His face was hidden by his hood, but Lian could feel the dark energy from him, thick as a fog.

"You don't need to come here," said the stranger in a very low and chilling tone. "The abyss can't let off anyone who tries to run from it."

Lian's heartbeat quickened as he grasped his sword tightly. "Who are you?

This figure took another step closer, suffocating in his presence as though he were an extension of the abyss itself. "I am its servant," he replied. "And you, Lian, are already too far gone."

---

TO BE CONTINUED