The air had changed. Lucian could feel it in the very marrow of his bones, a pressure that grew heavier with each step they took. The oppressive darkness of the Abyss wasn't just a place—it was a force, alive, waiting for them. He could almost hear it whispering, beckoning them to come closer. To surrender to its call.
But he wouldn't. Not without a fight. Not as long as Selene stood beside him.
They walked through the winding, labyrinthine corridors of the Abyss, the walls slick with moisture and shadow. The deeper they ventured, the more the air seemed to thrum with dark energy, the very atmosphere thickening with an unnatural chill. It was like walking into the heart of a storm, where the wind howled but there was no breeze. The weight of the Abyss pressed on their shoulders, trying to suffocate their resolve.
Selene was silent, her brow furrowed in concentration. Her senses were sharp, heightened by the strange magic that pulsed within her veins, but even that wasn't enough to shake the unease gnawing at her insides. The Abyss was no longer just a place—it was a living entity, as alive as she was. It wanted them to feel its power. It wanted them to break.
"Lucian…" Selene's voice broke the silence, a whisper barely above the sound of their footsteps. "Do you feel that? The energy here—it's… different. Like it's waiting for something."
Lucian nodded, his gaze scanning the shadowed corridors ahead. "It's not just energy," he said. "It's fear. Fear of what we're about to do. Fear of what we can do if we keep going."
Selene's eyes met his, her expression serious but resolute. "Then we'll face it. Together."
As they moved further into the Abyss, the path began to narrow. The walls closed in around them, and the shadows seemed to grow thicker, more suffocating. Lucian could feel something pulling at him, tugging at his very soul. It was like the Abyss was testing him, trying to break his will. Trying to make him turn back.
But he wasn't going to let it win. Not now. Not when they were so close.
Then, suddenly, the darkness ahead began to shift. The shadows twisted, coiling like living creatures, forming a shape—a figure that materialized from the depths of the void. A figure Lucian knew all too well.
Alistair.
He stepped out of the shadows, his black cloak flowing behind him like a river of ink. His eyes, cold and calculating, locked onto Lucian's with an intensity that made the air between them crackle. His lips curled into a smile that sent a chill down Lucian's spine.
"You should have stayed away, Lucian," Alistair said, his voice smooth, almost sadistic. "This isn't a place for mortals. And it's certainly not a place for you."
Lucian gritted his teeth. "Alistair… What are you doing here?"
The dark sorcerer tilted his head, a mockery of sympathy in his gaze. "What am I doing here? You're asking the wrong question. The real question is—what are you doing here?"
Lucian's grip tightened on his sword, his muscles coiled like a spring. "I'm here to stop this madness. To stop you."
Alistair laughed softly, the sound echoing through the cavernous chamber like a distant, broken melody. "Stop me? Oh, Lucian, you don't understand. You've never understood. This is bigger than you. Bigger than me. Bigger than anyone."
"Then why fight it?" Selene's voice was sharp, cutting through the tension like a blade. "Why manipulate people? Why create these horrors if it's so much bigger than all of us? You don't have to do this, Alistair. You can stop. Just walk away."
Alistair's smile faltered, his eyes flashing with something—anger, perhaps, or perhaps regret. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by the same cold, calculating look. "I've walked away, Selene. I've tried. But you don't get to choose the game. The game chooses you."
Lucian took a step forward, his voice low and dangerous. "And what game is that? The game of death and destruction? The game where everyone else suffers for your power?"
Alistair's expression hardened, and for a moment, the air between them seemed to freeze. "The Abyss is not something you can control, Lucian. Not anymore. It has its own desires, its own needs. I am merely… its instrument. But I will not be its puppet. I will make it bow to me."
"Bow?" Lucian's laugh was bitter. "You're a fool if you think you control the Abyss. You may think you've been manipulating it, but it's been using you from the start."
Alistair's eyes darkened, his hand flicking to the hilt of his own blade, which gleamed with an otherworldly light. "You have no idea what you're up against. The Abyss is far older than your petty understanding of it. And I—" He took a step toward them, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. "I am the one who will bring its true power to this world."
Selene stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she met Alistair's gaze. "You don't control the Abyss, Alistair. You're just another pawn. Just like the rest of us."
Lucian could feel the heat of her resolve burning beside him, and for a moment, it steadied him. It was true. Alistair might have been powerful, might have controlled vast amounts of dark magic, but he was still just a tool in the Abyss's hands. And tools could be broken.
Alistair's eyes flicked to Selene, his smile twisted with amusement. "You think I'm a pawn? How cute. But you'll soon realize how wrong you are."
Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled. The walls of the Abyss shook, and the shadows around them seemed to pulse, as if the very heart of the Abyss was waking. Lucian's instincts screamed at him, but it was too late. They were caught in its web now.
Alistair raised his hand, his eyes glowing with an eerie light. "The Abyss answers only to me."
Lucian felt the surge of energy before he saw it, a ripple of pure darkness tearing through the air like a storm unleashed. Shadows twisted and writhed, coiling around them like snakes. The Abyss had awoken, and it was angry.
"Now, it's time for you to understand the cost of defying me," Alistair said, his voice filled with venom.
But Lucian wasn't afraid. He wasn't going to let Alistair—or the Abyss—win.
Not now. Not ever.
"Stay close," he muttered to Selene.
The battle was about to begin.