All Chapters of Sovereign of The Abyss: Chapter 261
- Chapter 270
272 chapters
Chapter 261
His father's eyes opened fully, and Miko's breath caught. The clouded, pain-filled gaze from before had vanished entirely. These eyes were clear, sharp, and cold as winter frost. They studied Miko with the calculating interest of a scientist observing a successful experiment."Tell me, Miko," his father said conversationally, as if they were discussing the weather rather than huddled in an ancient chamber while their world collapsed outside. "Did you never wonder why I pushed you so hard? Why I insisted on perfection in every technique, every form, every breath?""You wanted me to be strong," Miko replied automatically, though the words felt hollow now. "To protect others. To be a hero."His father's laugh was soft but utterly devoid of warmth. "A hero. Yes, I suppose that's what you became. The perfect hero. Noble, self-sacrificing, powerful enough to gather the keys but pure enough that the others would follow you without question." He tilted his head, studying Miko's face. "You exc
Chapter 262
The darkness that erupted from Miko's father wasn't like any shadow they'd encountered before. It moved with purpose, with hunger, reaching out with tendrils that seemed to taste the air before striking. Akiya barely had time to raise her blade before the first wave hit her.She flew backward, slamming into the chamber wall with a sickening crack. Her sword clattered across the stone floor, spinning away into the writhing shadows. Blood immediately began seeping from a gash on her scalp, painting half her face crimson."Akiya!" Samson roared, charging forward despite his existing injuries. His massive frame bulldozed through the initial tendrils of darkness, his war hammer glowing with protective enchantments. For a moment, it seemed like he might actually reach the Master.Miko tried to scream a warning, but his voice emerged as barely a whisper. From his position on the ground, he could see what Samson couldn't—the shadows behind him coalescing into something solid, something with c
Chapter 263
The Master's gaze lingered on each fallen warrior with the detached interest of a collector examining specimens. His shadows writhed around him, tasting the fear and pain that saturated the chamber air. When his eyes finally settled on Samson, something cold and final crystallized in his expression. "You," he said simply. Samson, despite the hole in his shoulder still weeping blood, forced himself to his feet. His war hammer lay just out of reach, but his massive fists clenched with purpose. Even broken, even dying, he stood like a mountain—immovable and defiant. "Figured it'd be me," Samson rumbled, his voice steady despite the pain that must have been excruciating. "Always knew I'd die fighting. Just thought it'd be for something better than this." "Better?" The Master tilted his head. "You're dying for exactly what you lived for—protecting those weaker than yourself. Isn't that noble enough?" Miko tried to crawl forward, his useless legs dragging behind him like dead weigh
Chapter 264
The Master's departure left a vacuum in the chamber, as if reality itself had to reassert its presence. For a moment, no one moved. The survivors remained frozen in their positions of defeat, each processing the twin horrors of Samson's complete annihilation and the revelation of Miko's father's true identity. Then the ground shook—not from the Master's power this time, but from the structure's renewed collapse. Whatever force had been holding the ancient building together was gone. "We have to move!" Akiya's voice cracked through the paralysis. She forced herself to her feet, blood still streaming from the gash on her scalp. "This whole place is coming down!" Renn pushed himself up with his good arm, face pale from pain. "How? Miko can't walk. Elena's unconscious. Kieran—" He glanced at the warrior, who was trying to stem the bleeding from multiple glass wounds. "We're all barely standing." "Then we crawl if we have to," Akiya snarled, staggering toward Miko. "I'm not leaving any
Chapter 265
The abandoned mill became their world. For Miko, it was a prison of immobility and pain, each breath a reminder of his shattered spine. The rough grain sacks beneath him offered little comfort, and the musty air tasted of decay and old sorrows. But worse than the physical agony was the mental torture—replaying the moment of betrayal, seeing Samson's final smile, feeling the weight of complete failure. Night fell, bringing with it a bone-deep cold that the mill's broken walls couldn't keep out. Marcus's sister, Sara, worked by candlelight to treat their injuries with what limited supplies they had. Her hands were gentle but her face was grim. "The nerve damage is extensive," she told Akiya quietly, though Miko heard every word. "Without a proper healer, someone who understands spinal injuries..." She didn't finish, but her meaning was clear. "I can't feel anything below my chest now," Miko said, his voice flat. "It's spreading." "Don't talk like that," Akiya snapped, but her eyes w
Chapter 266
The second day dawned grey and oppressive, as if the sky itself knew what was coming. In the mill, the survivors had arranged themselves in a rough circle, their injuries making even simple movements an ordeal. But they were talking, planning, trying to piece together the puzzle of the Master's true intentions. "Let's start with what we know," Akiya said, using a charred stick to draw on the mill's dusty floor. "The Master—Miko's father—has been planning this for how long?" "My whole life, at least," Miko said from his makeshift bed. Elena sat beside him, preparing for the healing ritual with trembling hands. "Twenty-three years of deception." "Longer," Elena corrected, grinding herbs with a borrowed mortar and pestle. "The Master of the Abyss is ancient. The texts speak of him appearing throughout history, always different faces, always the same goal." "Which is?" Renn prompted, his broken arm held tight against his chest. "The convergence of realms," Tomás answered, his magical
Chapter 267
Miko struggled to his feet, Elena rising with him in perfect synchronization. Their shared movement felt strange but necessary—two broken halves making one functional whole. As he tested his weight on legs that could finally bear it, something nagged at the edge of his consciousness."We need to reach the Sentinel Stones," Akiya was saying, already planning their route. "If there are other warriors gathering there—""Wait." Miko's voice cut through her words. He looked around the mill, counting faces. Something was wrong. Deeply, fundamentally wrong."What is it?" Elena asked, feeling his unease through their bond."Where are Anna and Liam?" The question dropped into the room like a stone into still water.Everyone froze. Akiya's face went pale as she looked around, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly. Kieran pushed himself up despite his injuries, scanning the mill as if they might be hiding in the shadows."They were..." Renn started, then stopped, confusion clouding his featu
Chapter 268
Miko stood there, supported by the false bond he shared with Elena, feeling the weight of everything they'd discovered. The missing memories of Anna and Liam. The reality alterations. The terrible truth that his father could rewrite existence itself.Elena squeezed his hand through their bond. "We'll find them," she said softly. "Anna and Liam. We'll bring them back."Miko looked at her, at this healer who had appeared when they needed help most. Who had sacrificed part of herself to share his paralysis. Who spoke with such conviction about saving friends she claimed not to remember.He smiled.It was a cold smile. The kind that didn't reach his eyes."No," Miko said quietly. "We won't."Elena's expression flickered with confusion. "What do you mean? We have to try—""You're good," Miko interrupted, his voice gaining strength despite his broken body. "All of you. The concerned healer. The loyal assassin with the conveniently broken arm. The scrambled mage. Even Marcus with his perfect
Chapter 269
The false companions dragged them through the morning mist, Elena's borrowed strength forcing Miko's legs to move despite the paralysis. Each step sent spikes of pain through his spine, but the mental anguish was worse. How had he not noticed Anna and Liam were missing? How had false memories fooled him so completely?"Akiya," he said quietly, testing if he could still speak freely."Save your strength," Elena advised, but she didn't stop him from talking. Apparently conversation wasn't a threat."I'm here," Akiya replied. Blood still trickled from where Marcus had struck her, but her eyes burned with undiminished fire. "What is it?""Do you remember the others? From before all this started?""What others?" She frowned, then her eyes widened. "Blaze. Oh gods, where's Blaze?"The name hit Miko like a physical blow. Blaze—their powerhouse, their protector, the one who always charged in first and asked questions later. How could he have forgotten Blaze?"And Cabin from the… championship,
Chapter 270
They stood in the crossing where realities touched, waiting for the Master to arrive. Elena still held Miko upright, her false strength keeping his paralyzed legs moving. The constructs formed a loose circle around them, patient as only inhuman things could be.Akiya watched them all, flames flickering weakly around her fingers. She was exhausted, bleeding, pushed far beyond her limits. But something had crystallized in her mind during their long walk through impossible spaces."You know," she said conversationally, "I've been thinking.""Dangerous habit," Renn commented, his perfectly healed arm a mockery of the broken bone from before."Miko saw through you all. Figured out you were constructs." She shifted her weight, testing her balance. "But he cooperated anyway. Want to know why?""To save his friends," Elena said simply. "Love makes people predictable.""No." Akiya's smile was sharp. "He cooperated because he's buying time. Waiting for something. Or someone."The constructs exc