Chapter 22: The Abyss Stirs
The shadow creatures swirled around them, their forms flickering like living smoke. Orin's breath came in ragged gasps as he deflected a lashing tendril with his blade, the force rattling his arms. The energy radiating from the **Shardspire Abyss** was suffocating, pressing down on his chest with every moment.
"Stay together!" Zeela shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos. She sent a wave of compressed gravity toward the nearest shadow, crushing it into the ground before it dissipated into nothingness. "We can't let them split us up!"
Wake unleashed a torrent of flame, his fists igniting the air with every strike. "These things just keep coming! What the hell are they?"
"Echoes," Hiroshi yelled back, his daggers slicing through a creature that dissolved into vapor as quickly as it had formed. "They're not real, not fully. They're feeding off the Abyss's energy!"
Orin pivoted, slicing through another shadow as it lunged for Wake. The beast inside him growled louder with each swing of his blade, its whispers like a drumbeat in his skull. *Let me out. You need me.*
He clenched his teeth, fighting the rising tide within him. "We can't hold them off forever! We need a plan!"
Zeela's sharp eyes darted to the glowing orb planted at the Abyss's edge. It pulsed faintly, its energy readings growing more erratic by the second. "The device is amplifying the Abyss's energy! We need to shut it down before it destabilizes completely!"
"On it!" Wake said, breaking from the group to sprint toward the orb.
"No, wait!" Zeela shouted, but it was too late.
A shadow larger than the others erupted from the Abyss, its tendrils snaking out with unnatural speed. One caught Wake mid-stride, slamming him into the ground with bone-crushing force. He groaned, struggling to move as the shadow loomed over him.
"Wake!" Orin bellowed, his instincts taking over. He charged forward, his blade glowing faintly as he swung at the creature. The shadow screeched, recoiling slightly, but it wasn't enough to destroy it. More tendrils lashed out, forcing Orin to dodge and weave as he tried to reach his fallen friend.
The beast inside him surged again, its voice a low growl. *This is pointless. You're too weak. Let me take control.*
"No!" Orin hissed through gritted teeth, but his movements were slowing. The constant assault was draining him, and the whispers were growing louder, more insistent.
Zeela's gravity well pulled the larger shadow off Wake just long enough for Hiroshi to leap in, dragging him back to the group. Wake coughed, flames sputtering weakly around his fists. "I'm fine… I think."
"We don't have time for this!" Zeela snapped. "If we don't shut down the device now, we're all dead!"
Orin nodded, his resolve hardening. "Cover me. I'll do it."
"No, Orin!" Zeela protested, but the look in his eyes silenced her. "Just be quick."
Orin sprinted toward the orb, the shadows closing in around him. His blade flashed as he cut through the smaller ones, their forms dissipating like smoke. The larger shadow roared, its glowing eyes fixed on him as it surged forward.
*You can't do this alone,* the beast whispered, its voice dripping with dark amusement. *You'll die trying.*
Orin ignored it, his focus locked on the orb. He reached it just as the larger shadow's tendrils lashed out. Raising his blade, he deflected the first strike, but the force knocked him off balance. The second tendril slammed into him, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Pain flared in his side as he struggled to stand, the shadow looming over him. His vision blurred, and for a moment, he thought it was over. But then he heard it—the faint echo of voices. Wake, Zeela, Hiroshi. They were shouting his name, fighting to reach him.
*They'll die because of you,* the beast sneered. *Let me save them.*
Orin's hands trembled as he pushed himself to his feet. The whispers clawed at his mind, but something deeper stirred within him—a spark of defiance. "No," he muttered, gripping his blade tighter. "Not like this."
With a roar, Orin charged the shadow, his blade slicing through its tendrils as he drove toward the core of its form. The shadow howled, recoiling as the glowing orb pulsed violently. The energy around it crackled, the air growing thick with static.
"Orin, get out of there!" Zeela screamed, her voice laced with panic.
But Orin didn't move. He plunged his blade into the orb, shattering it with a burst of light. The energy exploded outward, ripping through the shadows and sending a shockwave across the Abyss. Orin was thrown backward, the force slamming him into the ground.
For a moment, everything was silent.
When Orin opened his eyes, the world was spinning. The shadows were gone, the Abyss strangely quiet. He groaned, pushing himself up on shaky arms as the others rushed to his side.
"Orin!" Wake knelt beside him, his face pale but relieved. "You okay?"
"I've… been better," Orin muttered, wincing as Zeela helped him to his feet.
"What the hell were you thinking?" she snapped, her voice trembling with anger and something else—fear. "You could've gotten yourself killed!"
"Had to do it," Orin said weakly, his vision still swimming. "It worked, didn't it?"
Hiroshi smirked faintly. "He's got a point."
Zeela glared at both of them but didn't press the issue. "Let's get out of here before something else shows up."
The group made their way back from the Abyss, the oppressive energy fading with each step. Orin's body ached, but his mind was oddly quiet. The beast's whispers had subsided, replaced by a strange stillness.
Back at the Academy, they reported their findings to the generals. Siegfreed's expression was grim as he listened, his sharp eyes never leaving Orin.
"The Abyss is more unstable than we anticipated," Sheil said, her tone clipped. "If Azail is connected to this, we're dealing with a threat far greater than we imagined."
Cleve nodded, his calm voice cutting through the tension. "This is only the beginning. The energy signatures you recorded are unlike anything we've seen. We need to prepare for what's coming."
Siegfreed's gaze shifted to Orin. "You did well, Slain. But this mission has revealed more questions than answers. We'll need to push further—and you'll be at the center of it."
Orin nodded, his resolve hardening. Whatever lay ahead, he would face it. The Abyss had tested him, and though he still didn't fully understand the beast within, he knew one thing for certain:
He wasn't running anymore.
Weekly Power Status
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