TOWER OF THE EXILED GOD

Chapter 6: Descent into Chains

The darkness yawned beneath Kaelen, an endless void where Varin had been swallowed whole. The chains writhed like living serpents, their clinking echoing up through the abyss.

Leave him, the Exiled God murmured in his mind. He’s already marked for death. You’ll only follow him to your grave. 

Kaelen tightened his grip on the glowing dagger, its crimson light pulsing like a heartbeat. “I’m not leaving him.” 

The god’s voice turned sharp. “You barely know him.” 

“He saved my life,” Kaelen growled. 

A low chuckle reverberated in his head. So noble. It will get you killed. 

Kaelen ignored him. He sheathed the dagger and looped a broken chain around his waist, tying it off as a makeshift harness. He tested the tension; it would hold. Then he began his descent. 

The chains were cold, slick with condensation. The air grew damp as Kaelen lowered himself into the void, the glow of the platform above shrinking until it was nothing but a distant halo. 

The silence down here wasn’t empty; it was alive. Whispers slithered along the walls, words too faint to understand, like voices murmuring prayers. 

Kaelen’s heart pounded as he descended deeper. The dagger pulsed faintly at his side, reacting to something unseen. 

Closer, the god whispered, his tone shifting from mockery to fascination. We are closer. “To what?” Kaelen muttered. 

To freedom, the god purred. 

Kaelen stopped to rest on a thick coil of chain, his muscles aching. Below, a faint glow flickered. He squinted and saw movement, chains writhing around something that pulsed with dim blue light. 

Varin. 

Kaelen quickened his pace, sliding down the chains until he reached a massive knot where dozens of links converged. There, wrapped like prey in a spider’s web, was Varin. 

His porcelain mask was cracked, revealing part of his face: a sharp jawline, bloodied lips, and a single dark eye staring back at Kaelen. 

“You’re insane,” Varin rasped, his voice hoarse. 

Kaelen smirked faintly. “You’re welcome.”

Varin tried to move, but the chains tightened around him, digging into his armor. They weren’t just restraining him; they were feeding off him. Glowing runes pulsed along their length, draining something from his body. 

Kaelen drew the dagger, its crimson glow brightening. “Hold still.” 

The dagger hissed as it touched the nearest chain. The rune flared, then shattered, and the chain recoiled like a wounded snake. 

Kaelen slashed another, then another, working quickly as Varin gritted his teeth against the pain. “Faster,” Varin hissed. “It’s calling them.” 

Kaelen froze. “What?” 

A sound rose from below, a low, metallic groan that shook the chains around them. The entire knot trembled, and Kaelen realized with horror that the chains weren’t just alive… they were part of something larger. 

From the depths of the abyss, something stirred. 

Dozens of glowing eyes blinked open in the darkness below. The chains writhed faster, lashing out toward Kaelen. 

He slashed furiously, cutting through the last restraint holding Varin. “Go!” Kaelen shouted. 

Varin fell free, catching himself on a nearby chain. He ripped the cracked mask from his face, revealing sharp, angular features, a scar running from his temple to his jaw. His eyes glowed faintly, not human. 

Kaelen barely had time to process it before the chains struck again. 

Varin hurled his spear with practiced precision, pinning one chain to the wall. “Climb!” he barked, leaping upward. 

Kaelen grabbed Varin’s arm, and together they scrambled up the chains, moving fast as the knot writhed violently beneath them. 

A monstrous head emerged from the abyss, a creature made entirely of chains, its skull a mask of rusted iron, its body a swirling mass of links and hooks. Its roar rattled the very air, sending shockwaves through the walls. 

Kaelen glanced upward. The bridge was still far away. 

“Go!” Varin shouted again, spear flashing as he severed a chain that lashed toward them. “I’ll hold it off!”

“No!” Kaelen snarled, slashing at another chain. “You’re not dying twice in one day!” Varin smirked despite the chaos. “Fair point.” 

The creature’s massive chain-body slammed into the wall, sending tremors through the abyss. Kaelen clung tight, barely holding on as the world tilted. 

The god’s voice roared in Kaelen’s mind. Fool! You can’t fight it like this! 

“Then give me power,” Kaelen growled through gritted teeth. 

The god chuckled darkly. Finally, you ask. 

The dagger blazed with crimson light, runes burning across its blade. Kaelen felt the god’s power surge through him like fire, filling his limbs with strength. His vision sharpened, and his heartbeat slowed. 

With one swing, he severed a massive chain, the blade cutting through it like paper. The chain-beast screamed, the sound deafening. 

Varin glanced back, startled. “What the hell…” 

“Climb!” Kaelen barked, slashing another chain. Sparks and shards of metal rained down as they ascended, the creature’s writhing mass lashing wildly at them. 

They reached the edge of the bridge as the beast lunged, its massive skull snapping toward them. Kaelen spun, dagger glowing brighter than ever, and slashed upward. 

The blade cut deep into the creature’s head, splitting the iron mask. Black light poured from the wound, and the beast recoiled with an inhuman screech. 

Varin grabbed Kaelen’s arm and hauled him over the edge. They landed on the bridge just as the creature slammed against the walls, sending a rain of stone and chains cascading into the abyss. 

Kaelen collapsed onto the bridge, gasping for breath. His entire body trembled from the god’s power, his veins still burning with unnatural energy. 

Varin stood over him, spear in hand, breathing hard. His cracked mask dangled from his belt, his sharp eyes studying Kaelen with a mixture of shock and suspicion. 

“That wasn’t human,” Varin said quietly. 

Kaelen wiped blood from his mouth. “Neither is this place.” 

Varin crouched, his gaze narrowing. “What are you carrying?”

Kaelen tightened his grip on the dagger. “Nothing, I’m ready to share.” 

Varin’s lips curled into a humorless smile. “Then I’ll find out for myself.” 

Before Kaelen could react, Varin’s spear moved like lightning, its tip at Kaelen’s throat. The god’s voice purred in Kaelen’s mind. Ah. He knows. 

Kaelen met Varin’s glowing eyes. The tension between them was thicker than the chains that filled the abyss. 

“Tell me,” Varin said, voice low and dangerous. “Who’s whispering in your head?”