Chapitre 21: Call Of The Abyss
The days following the revelation of Azail's potential involvement were marked by an unsettling calm. The Academy resumed its usual routines, but for Orin, nothing felt normal. The whispers had grown quieter but more insistent, their presence like a shadow he couldn't escape. The beast inside him stirred constantly, waiting, watching.
General Siegfreed's summons came on a cold morning. Orin had barely finished his drills when a messenger arrived, delivering the order with a sharp salute. The words on the parchment were simple but heavy: *Report to the War Room immediately.*
Orin's gut twisted as he made his way through the towering halls of the Academy. The whispers in his mind surged, as if the beast knew something he didn't. When he arrived, the tension in the War Room hit him like a physical force.
Inside, General Siegfreed stood at the head of a circular table, surrounded by Generals Sheil Luthren, Cleve Rain, and a figure Orin didn't recognize—a man clad in dark armor with a jagged scar running down his face. His piercing eyes locked onto Orin the moment he entered.
"Slain," Siegfreed said, motioning for him to step forward. "We have a mission for you."
Orin's chest tightened. "What kind of mission?"
Sheil leaned forward, her voice sharp. "We've identified a potential lead on Azail's whereabouts—or, more specifically, the remnants of his influence."
Cleve spoke next, his tone measured. "In the northern wastelands, near the **Shardspire Abyss**, we've detected an anomaly. Monari activity is unusually concentrated there, and the energy readings are unlike anything we've seen."
The scarred man spoke, his voice low and gravelly. "The Abyss is no ordinary place. It's a rift between this world and… something darker. If Azail is manipulating the Monari, this could be where it begins."
Orin's mind raced. The Shardspire Abyss was a place of legend, a cursed region where reality bent and the boundaries between worlds grew thin. Many who ventured there never returned.
"And you want me to go?" Orin asked, his voice steady despite the storm brewing inside him.
Siegfreed nodded. "You, Zeela, Wake, and Hiroshi. You've proven yourselves capable, and this mission requires more than just strength—it requires adaptability and trust."
Sheil's gaze sharpened. "There's more to this than reconnaissance. If the Abyss holds answers about Azail, we need them. No matter the cost."
Orin swallowed hard, the weight of the mission pressing down on him. "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow at dawn," Siegfreed said. "Prepare yourselves. This will not be an easy journey."
The hours before their departure passed in a blur. Orin packed his gear mechanically, his mind consumed by the implications of the mission. The whispers in his mind had grown louder, more coherent, as if the beast itself was eager for the journey.
*The Abyss calls to you,* it hissed. *It knows what you are.*
Orin shook his head, trying to block out the voice. But no matter how hard he tried, the unease remained.
That evening, the squad gathered in the barracks, their usual banter subdued. Wake leaned against his bunk, twirling a flame between his fingers, while Hiroshi sharpened his daggers with deliberate precision. Zeela sat at the table, studying a map of the Shardspire region.
"This place gives me the creeps," Wake muttered, extinguishing the flame with a flick of his wrist. "I've heard stories about the Abyss. None of them good."
"Stories won't help us," Zeela said without looking up. "We need to focus on the mission. Stay sharp, stay together."
Hiroshi smirked, his blade glinting in the dim light. "I don't know. A little paranoia might keep us alive."
Orin sat silently, his thoughts distant. When Zeela finally looked up, her sharp eyes fixed on him.
"You ready for this?" she asked.
He met her gaze, forcing himself to nod. "Yeah. I'm ready."
The journey to the Shardspire Abyss began before dawn, the squad traveling in relative silence. The terrain grew harsher as they ventured north, the air growing colder and thinner. Jagged rocks and twisted trees dotted the landscape, and the distant horizon was marked by the ominous spires that gave the Abyss its name.
By the third day, the oppressive atmosphere had taken its toll. The group moved cautiously, their senses heightened. Orin felt the whispers growing louder with each step, the beast inside him stirring more violently.
When they finally reached the outskirts of the Abyss, the sight before them was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. The Shardspire Abyss stretched before them like a wound in the earth, its jagged cliffs descending into an endless void. Dark energy crackled in the air, and the ground seemed to pulse beneath their feet.
"This is it," Zeela said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The Abyss."
Hiroshi crouched near the edge, his sharp eyes scanning the area. "Looks quiet. Too quiet."
Wake frowned, his flames igniting instinctively. "I don't like this. Feels like we're walking into a trap."
Orin stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the swirling darkness below. The whispers in his mind had become deafening, the beast's voice clear and insistent.
*This is where it begins. Step closer.*
Orin's fists clenched as he fought to maintain control. "What now?"
Zeela pulled out a small device, a glowing orb that pulsed faintly. "We plant this at the Abyss's edge. It'll record the energy readings and transmit them back to the Academy. But…"
"But what?" Wake asked, his flames flickering.
Zeela hesitated. "If the anomaly is as unstable as the readings suggest, planting this might… disrupt it."
"Disrupt it how?" Orin asked, his voice tight.
"Enough to draw attention," she said grimly. "From whatever's down there."
Silence fell over the group as the weight of her words sank in. Finally, Orin stepped forward, his resolve hardening.
"I'll plant it," he said.
Zeela opened her mouth to protest, but Orin shook his head. "This is about Azail. About the Monari-Kai. If something happens… I'll deal with it."
Reluctantly, Zeela handed him the orb. "Be careful."
Orin approached the Abyss's edge, the device glowing faintly in his hands. The air grew colder with each step, the darkness below seeming to reach out toward him. He knelt at the cliff's edge, his heart pounding as he placed the orb on the ground.
The moment he activated it, the air erupted with a deafening roar. Shadows poured out of the Abyss, swirling and coalescing into monstrous forms. The ground trembled beneath them, and the oppressive energy intensified.
"Orin, get back!" Zeela shouted, her gravity well already pulling one of the creatures off balance.
Orin scrambled to his feet, his blade flashing as he joined the fight. Wake's flames roared to life, Hiroshi darted through the chaos, and Zeela's precision strikes kept the monsters at bay. But the shadows were relentless, their numbers seemingly endless.
In the midst of the battle, Orin felt the beast inside him surge. The whispers became a deafening roar, and his vision blurred.
*Unleash me. You cannot win without me.*
"No," Orin growled, his grip tightening on his blade. "I don't need you."
But the beast laughed, its voice dark and cold. *You will.*
As the shadows closed in, Orin realized the truth: this was only the beginning.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone