Chapter 5: Abyssal Heart

"It's been days, yet Kael hadn't even discovered the whereabouts of the layer boss. How large is this layer?" He thought, sitting on top of a large rock. He slowly swings his legs to and fro as he thought of his next set of actions.

"I've been here for close to a week and haven't eaten anything, but for some reason, I don't feel anything at all."

"The Abyssal energy, I haven't been able to learn it. I don't think there's a manual. If not, the system would have informed me."

[The abyssal energy is something my Master could not control. But with the knowledge of what he knows, I'll be able to guide you in learning how to control the abyssal energy]

"That's great. So, how do we get started?"

[The abyssal heart, remember its function?]

"Yeah, it stores abyssal energy within." He said loudly, snapping his fingers.

[Affirmative. Connecting with the abyssal heart is the first step in manipulating the abyssal energy]

"So I have to like connect with the abyssal heart? How do I do that?"

[Close your eyes and feel the energy within your heart]

"Alright," sitting comfortably with his legs crossed, he closed his eyes following the instructions of the system. "Dark, it's so dark." That was the first thing he noticed after his consciousness was drawn in.

Soon, he could hear voices. He was bombarded by the whispers, pleas, and screams of lost souls, which flooded into his head. "What's this?" Kael thought, covering his ears.

"Save me! Save me!! No! No! You left us behind, and you promised to stay!!"

"Help us… this pain! It's so dark and scary here!"

"Why! Why did we end up here? The gods betrayed us! They lied to us!"

"Ughhh," Kael felt his head beginning to spin. The voices were soon overwhelming. Thousands of whispers came from men, women, and even from little children.

"Arghh," he opened his eyes instantly, his head covered in sweat and his expression deadly pale. "What the hell? What's that about?"

[Those appear to be the souls of the lost. The abyss is a vast endless void seperate from the other realms with its inhabitants. It's a place lost souls dwells and also serve as a prison. For you to learn how to control the abyssal energy, you must first learn to become one with the abyss]

"Become one with the abyss? How's that possible?" His brows furrowed as he fell into deep thought. Those voices were extremely stressful, draining him of his energy. "Spending more time there, I might even become lost."

[Like I said earlier, that's part of the first step to gain control of the Abyss. You must subdue the voices and make a connection with the abyssal heart]

"Alright, let's give it a shot again." Kael closed his eyes once again, completely focused on the task. The hours slipped by, and soon, another day had begun. A figure was seen atop a huge rock, his brows covered in sweat with his fingers trembling badly.

"Damn, this is exhausting." Throughout the hours, he couldn't get through the voices and was unable to continue any longer. "I should rest for now." With that, he rose, jumping off the rock.

"There needs to be a way I can get through those voices." He thought as he continued in his journey in search of the boss. As he went deeper, it was harder for him to avoid the beasts, which now flocked around him.

BOOOM

"A beast with six spiny legs and a stinger behind flew through the air like a broken kite before crashing into a distant rock. A figure was soon seen running across the hand of another large beast before disappearing.

Appearing above the beast's neck, he swung his hand effortlessly, piercing through the neck of the beast. "That's all, I guess." His body appeared on the ground metres away from the beast, which crashed to the ground with a thud.

[You have defeated two abyssal beasts]

[+600 exp]

[1400/2000]

With each beast he fought, his control of his powers were getting better. 'The blink skill can only work on what I can see. So it would be hard for me to blink through a wall since I won't be seeing the other side, but that's where the void sense comes in. With the void sense, I can connect with the surrounding space and even utilise the blink skill efficiently.'

Locating a cave, he quickly settled down, entering a meditative state. "This time around, I won't fail," he thought, closing his eyes. His consciousness was soon pulled into a separate dark space.

Wandering around, the voices had begun once again, but this time around, he was prepared. Each voice he confronted with his mental strength even getting to connect with them. He felt the memories of the lost souls flash before his eyes before disappearing.

"Oh, now I see." The rest of the hours he spent making connections with the lost souls, glancing through their past life, which flashed before his eyes. All he saw was pain and sadness. He soon lost track of time as he further immersed himself in their past lives.

"Ahhh, that's the last one." He thought with a sigh. The memories of the soul were now etched deep in his mind, leaving him with a complex feeling. The life of those he glimpsed through wasn't a bright one. Taking a step forward, the space darkened further, and he was unable to see anything.

Within the darkness, he could hear the thumping of something, similar to the beating movements of a heart.

BADUUMP! BADUUMP!

As kael took a step closer, he could hear the heart beating faster now. Become one with the abyss. The words of the system floated in his head. Closing his eyes for a brief second, he opened them back, his eyes now revealing a dark glow that pierced through the darkness resonating with the surrounding energy.

"This…" he could finally see it now. The giant like heart that beats effortlessly. The heart was darkish red in colour and in place of blood being pumped, a dark purple like energy with a tinge of red was being sent round.

Kael edged closer and stretched his hand, making contact with the heart. Instantly, his surroundings shattered like a thin glass, his consciousness returning back.

Kael's eyes opened instantly, releasing a bright dark glow. The glow soon spread towards the rest of his body, with his heart beating at a faster rate. Strangely, he could sense the beating from two different regions in his chest.

"What the hell just... happened?"