The Abyss let out one final, ear-splitting shriek as its form twisted and unraveled. The darkness that had once loomed over them like an eternal nightmare shattered, dissipating into the void like smoke caught in the wind. The oppressive weight that had suffocated Noah and his companions lifted, leaving behind only silence. Noah staggered, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. The mark on his wrist no longer burned; instead, it pulsed with a steady, quiet glow. He had done it. They had done it. Killian wiped the sweat from his brow, his sword still clenched in his hand as if expecting the Abyss to reform. When it didn’t, he let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “It’s… it’s actually gone.” Vance, who had been bracing for another wave of darkness, slowly lowered his hands, his fire extinguishing. “I can’t believe it,” he muttered. “I thought for sure we’d be swallowed whole.” The hooded woman stepped forward, her gaze fixed on Noah. “You have severed the Abyss’s hold,”

The journey toward the Darklands was unlike anything Noah had ever experienced. The air grew colder with every step they took, a biting chill that gnawed at their bones. The landscape around them transformed slowly, as though the world itself was warping in response to their approach. The once lush forests gave way to barren, twisted trees, their gnarled branches clawing at the sky like skeletal fingers. The ground was cracked and dry, with jagged rocks jutting out of the earth at odd angles. As they ventured further, the silence of the land weighed heavily on them. The usual sounds of nature—the rustling of leaves, the chirping of birds—were conspicuously absent. Only the occasional screech of a distant bird of prey broke the oppressive stillness, but it was always followed by an unsettling silence, as if the land itself were holding its breath. Noah’s thoughts drifted back to the conversation they had before they left. The hooded woman had been cryptic in her explanations, offeri

The silence was deafening. The darkness no longer writhed, no longer reached for him with insatiable hunger. Yet Noah could still feel its presence, distant but lingering, like an ember smoldering beneath the ash.He exhaled sharply, his muscles trembling from the effort of binding the creature. His mind swam with exhaustion, yet the weight of the moment kept him grounded.Killian staggered to his feet, dusting himself off. His usual smirk was absent, replaced by something almost wary. “So… does this mean it’s over?”Vance shot him a look, sheathing his daggers. “You really think something like that goes down without consequences?”Noah flexed his fingers, staring at the mark on his wrist. The pain had subsided, but an odd sensation remained—like a tether stretching into the void.The hooded woman stepped closer, her gaze sharp. “You’ve done what no one else could. But this is only the beginning.”Noah frowned, his heart still racing. “What do you mean?”She hesitated for the first ti

The fire crackled softly, its warmth a stark contrast to the cold weight settling in Noah’s chest. The others had drifted into restless sleep, exhaustion finally catching up to them after the ordeal in the Darklands. But Noah couldn’t close his eyes. Not yet.He stared into the embers, lost in thought. The hooded woman’s words echoed in his mind: You didn’t just restrain it. You claimed dominion over it.A bitter chuckle escaped him. He hadn’t sought power. He never had. But power had a way of finding him, twisting itself into his life whether he wanted it or not.The memory came unbidden—his father’s voice, sharp and full of disappointment.“You hesitate, Noah. You always hesitate. And that is why you will never be strong enough.”He had been a child then, no older than ten, standing in the courtyard of their old estate. His hands trembled around the hilt of the wooden practice sword, his opponent a boy two years older, taller, stronger. The clash of training blades echoed around the

Killian didn’t press further, and for that, Noah was grateful. He wasn’t sure he had the strength to put everything into words just yet.The fire had long since burned out, leaving only glowing embers between them, and for a moment, the world felt still. But Noah knew better than to trust stillness. The Darklands had a way of lulling travelers into a false sense of security before striking when they least expected it.“I don’t sleep much either,” Killian admitted after a moment, breaking the silence. His voice was quieter than usual, almost contemplative. “Too many things in my head. Too many things I’ve done that won’t let me rest.”Noah glanced at him, surprised. Killian wasn’t the type to talk about himself. He had always been the steady one, the fighter who never seemed to flinch, the man who never hesitated. But now, sitting in the dim light, he seemed… human. Tired.Noah hesitated before speaking. “What did you do?”Killian sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “You ever make a