章 30: chapter 30: The Harbinger's Call
After escaping the Aether Abyss, Damian, Nerrisa, and Linda find themselves back in the mansion's main hall, but something feels off. The air is colder, and every sound echoes unnaturally, as if the mansion itself is hollow. The glow from the Philosopher's Stone in Damian's possession pulses faintly, but it's dimmer than before. Linda notices the faint imprint of a chain mark on her wrist, the remnant of her "broken burden."
Damian checks the corruption on his arm. The red glow is stronger than before, and faint tendrils now extend up toward his shoulder. It wasn't like this before the Abyss. Nerrisa notices and suggests checking the grimoire for any clues on "Abyssal Marks" or "Echoes of Burdens."
Suddenly, distant knocking echoes through the mansion. Three sharp, deliberate knocks. It isn't from the front door but deeper in the mansion , the hall that leads to the Seal Chamber where the family's ancestral grimoire was first found.
They looked at each other, without words and using their eyes they agreed to move towards the sound. They follow the sound cautiously and meticulously, As they walk through the hallway, shadowy figures flicker at the edges of their vision, like ghosts that vanish when seen directly. Linda draws an alchemical sigil in the air for protection, but it fizzles, her energy visibly drained. She remarks, "The Abyss took something from us. We're not whole", she looks at Damian and Nerrisa as she catches her breath.
When they reach the Seal Chamber, the door is slightly opened but it's content was covered with darkness. They processed to enter the chambers, Inside, they find a figure standing before the pedestal that once held the grimoire. The figure wears a long cloak adorned with symbols of constellations, and their face is obscured by a porcelain mask divided into two halves, one side pure white, the other pitch black.
The air warps around them, similar to when Kaldros appears. The Harbinger's voice echoes, distant but commanding:
"You walk paths you do not understand, Wielder of the Stone. The threads of fate have grown tangled, and the Abyss demands an answer."
Nerrisa raises her guard. "Who are you, and what do you want?"
The Harbinger turns its head slowly, his neck cracks as he turns, it's eyes unseen behind the mask. "Names are burdens. Titles are chains. But if you must call me something, call me what I am " The Harbinger."
It raises its hand, and black tendrils of shadow writhe around its fingers like living ink. The Harbinger gestures toward Damian. "The Aetherbound Council has noticed you, boy. You've woken the Stone, and now the Watcher has seen you. But I am not here for them. I am here for the one who broke her chain."
Everyone freezes. The Harbinger turns toward Linda. Its gaze pierces her despite the mask. "Did you think it was free? Did you think there was no cost to unbind yourself from the Abyss?", the harbingers voice now filled with hatred and an intent to kill.
Linda backs away, her voice shaking. "We broke the chain to escape! That's all!", Her hands shaking and her legs became numb.
The Harbinger steps forward, gliding soundlessly across the floor. "Escape is a lie. The burden you cast away did not vanish , it returned to the source. And now it grows." It points to Linda's chest, and a faint, rhythmic thumping sound echoes , ahh the heart, like a heartbeat. "It grows inside you."
Linda's face twists in horror as she clutches her chest. Her breathing grows as fear engulfs her mind. Her eyes flash briefly with an unnatural silver glow. Something is inside her.
Before they can act, a pulse of energy bursts from Linda. Everyone is thrown back. When Damian gets up, he sees Linda hovering a few feet off the ground, her eyes glowing silver like twin moons. Her body convulses as alchemical symbols burn into her skin, crawling like living tattoos. The Harbinger tilts its head, as if observing something fascinating.
"The Harrowed One," the Harbinger says with what might be admiration. "A rare fate. Few survive it. Will you?", it said as a smile grind on its face
Linda's body descends, and she collapses, gasping for air. Nerrisa rushes to help her, but the Harbinger raises a hand, creating an invisible wall of force between them. "No. She must bear this alone. Such is the nature of her new burden." your ignorance will cost you your lives.
Linda convulses again, her hands digging into the floor as silver sigils carve themselves into the stone beneath her. The sigils resemble the markings seen in the Abyss. Damian realizes something horrifying, "those sigils are summoning glyphs", Damian shouted out, he's scared of what is to come, he's not yet ready to face mortivax's.
"Get back!" Damian yells, pulling Nerrisa away. The stone beneath Linda's hands cracks as dark liquid oozes up from the fissures. The ooze rises, forming into a twisted humanoid figure made of black tar and silver bones. It has no face, only hollow sockets where eyes should be. Its long arms end in jagged, bony claws.
The Harbinger's voice echoes, more distant now, as if speaking through time itself. "Her burden has taken shape. It is hers to control or be consumed by. Help her, and die trying or leave her to it, and let's see what destiny awaits. The Abyss does not care."
The Harbinger vanishes in a swirl of constellations, leaving only the twisted figure in its wake.
The Bound Wraith lunges at Linda, as if sensing its connection to her. Damian reacts instantly, summoning the power of the Philosopher's Stone to inscribe a barrier sigil on the floor. A transparent dome forms around Linda, holding the Wraith back.
"Linda!" Nerrisa yells. "You have to take control! It's your burden, I know you can do this!"
Linda struggles to stand, her eyes flickering between silver and her normal color. The voices from the Abyss echo in her head, the reflection she saw during the trial. "Your bonds are fragile. You will have nothing left to protect."
With a surge of will, Linda presses her hand against her chest, focusing on the sigil burned into her body. She realizes she can command it. Her eyes glow silver again, but this time, she raises her hand toward the Wraith. She whispers: by night and day, where all things dwell, the gathering of angels hear my prayer, now "Return to me!."
The Wraith stops its attack, shuddering violently. It slowly turns toward Linda, its clawed hands twitching in resistance. It kneels. The silver glow of Linda's eyes intensifies, and her breathing steadies.
"Yeah," she mutters. "You're not in charge. I am."
With a sharp motion of her hand, Linda closes her fingers into a fist. The Wraith dissolves into black mist and swirls back into her chest. She gasps as the silver glow dims in her eyes. The markings on her arms remain.
Nerrisa runs to help her up. "Are you okay? What did it do to you?"
Linda, still breathing hard, looks at her hands and mutters, "I think... it made me stronger."
After Linda recovers, they came together and reflects on the Harbinger's words. Nerrisa asks the hard question: "If Linda's burden took form, what about ours? Did we leave something behind in the Abyss?"
Damian stays quiet, his gaze fixed on his arm where the corruption has grown. He remembers his own reflection's warning:
"You'll fail, as all before you have. The only difference is, this time, you'll drag them down with you."
Nerrisa notices his silence. "You okay?"
"Yeah," he lies, hiding his arm behind his back.
Linda speaks up, her eyes serious. "That Harbinger said something about the Watcher. If we've caught its attention, this isn't over, and who is this watcher?.
Something catches their attention as it disrupts their conversation. they hear a soft scratching sound from behind them. They turn to see a new sigil carved into the stone wall, an eye with a slit pupil. Beneath it, three words are etched:
"I SEE YOU."
Later that night, Damian dreams. In his dream, he sees a throne of bone and black metal. On it sits a figure wearing a crown made of chains. The Watcher. Its glowing eye stares at him, unblinking. " beware little one, When the Stone, the Tear, and the Heart align... you will be mine."
Damian wakes up in a cold sweat, his mind goes wild with thoughts, "is the Witcher on our side?, Or is it another entity whom seeks the st
one?, As he goes through these thoughts, his fist tightens against the stone.
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