Lucian gasped as the void around him shattered.
He felt himself being yanked back into reality, his lungs heaving as if he had been drowning. The sound of battle rushed into his ears—Selene's fire crackling, the Forsaken howling, Ash shouting something he couldn't quite make out.
But the worst sound was the one inside him.
The voice of the Abyss had not disappeared. It laughed, lingering in the depths of his mind, waiting.
"You can't escape me."
Lucian gritted his teeth. He had no time to deal with this.
Selene was still fighting.
The Forsaken were still attacking.
And if they didn't finish this soon, they'd all be dead.
Selene's Determination
Selene's flames raged, sweeping through the Forsaken like a wildfire. She was fighting harder than ever, her golden eyes burning with fury and desperation.
"Lucian!" she called, slicing her hand through the air. A wall of fire erupted between them and the Forsaken, forcing the creatures back.
Lucian took a steadying breath. He couldn't afford weakness. Not now.
He gripped his sword and charged.
His blade struck true, but the Forsaken were relentless—their shifting, fluid forms refusing to die easily.
Selene fought beside him, her flames illuminating the ruins in a way that made her look almost ethereal. She was holding nothing back.
"Lucian," she said between breaths, "we have to get to the Rift. Fighting them is a losing battle!"
He slashed through another creature and nodded. "Then let's end this!"
Ash's Warning
Ash was already at the far end of the ruins, tracing their fingers over a series of ancient carvings on a crumbling stone archway. Their violet eyes were sharp, focused.
"We don't have much time!" Ash shouted. "The Rift is just beyond this passage, but if we don't open it now, we're—"
A horrific screech cut them off.
Selene spun around—and her breath caught.
One of the Forsaken was changing.
Its body twisted, growing larger, more monstrous. Its hollow eyes burned with an unnatural light, and its limbs elongated, stretching unnaturally as its form rippled.
Lucian could feel the shift in power.
The Abyss had just evolved its monster.
And it was coming for them.
The Abyss's Champion
The creature moved with unnatural speed, lunging toward Ash with a clawed hand.
Ash barely dodged, flipping back just in time to avoid being impaled. "We have a problem!" they shouted.
Lucian didn't hesitate. He rushed forward, his blade glowing with the faintest edge of shadow energy.
The Abyss laughed in his mind. "Yes… use my power."
Lucian ignored it.
He swung hard, but the creature was fast—too fast. It dodged easily, then retaliated with a whip-like tendril that knocked Lucian off his feet.
Selene let out a furious cry, sending a massive fireball straight at the monster.
The creature shrieked as the flames engulfed it, its form writhing violently.
For a moment, Lucian thought it was over—
Until the flames died.
The creature stood there, smoldering, its form twisting again, regenerating.
Selene's face paled. "No…"
Lucian cursed. "It's adapting."
The Forsaken around them had already been difficult to kill, but this… this was something else.
Something worse.
Desperate Measures
"We need to go!" Ash called, pressing their hands against the carvings. The symbols began to glow, pulsing with an eerie, golden light.
"The Rift is opening!"
Lucian and Selene backed toward the archway, fending off the Forsaken as best they could.
But the monster—the Champion of the Abyss, as Lucian now thought of it—wasn't letting them leave.
It lunged.
Lucian barely had time to react. He raised his sword, bracing for impact—
But Selene stepped in front of him.
She threw her hands up, and a wall of pure white fire erupted between them and the creature.
Lucian gasped.
This fire was different.
It wasn't just Selene's magic. It was something stronger.
Something ancient.
The creature screamed, its body convulsing as the fire began burning through it completely.
Selene's entire body glowed, her flames roaring around her like a living storm.
Lucian watched in stunned silence as the Abyss's Champion began to dissolve.
It was working.
Selene was winning.
But then—
She screamed.
Her flames flared violently—and suddenly collapsed inward.
The fire vanished.
Selene staggered, her body trembling, smoke rising from her fingertips.
Lucian's heart dropped. "Selene!"
She collapsed.
Lucian caught her just in time, lowering her to the ground. Her skin was burning hot, her breathing ragged.
"Selene!" he shook her, panic clawing at his chest. "Selene, wake up!"
Her eyes fluttered open, weak, unfocused. "Lucian…" she whispered.
Lucian swallowed hard. "What happened?"
Ash knelt beside them, their expression grim. "She overused her magic." They touched her wrist, frowning. "She channeled something much stronger than normal fire. And now, she's paying the price."
Lucian's hands shook as he cradled her.
He had never seen Selene like this.
She was always so strong.
But now…
She looked fragile.
Vulnerable.
And the worst part?
The Rift was still ahead.
And Selene might not be strong enough to make it through.
Lucian gritted his teeth.
"You can't save her."
The Abyss's voice slithered into his mind, smooth and cruel.
"But I can."
Lucian's fists clenched.
He would not make a deal with the Abyss.
Not now.
Not ever.
He turned to Ash. "Tell me what I need to do. We're going into that Rift."
Ash held his gaze for a long moment—then nodded. "Then we'd better move fast. Because this?" They glanced at Selene's weakened form. "This was just the beginning."
Lucian exhaled, lifting Selene gently.
He wouldn't let the Abyss take her.
He wouldn't let it take him.
He didn't care what trials lay ahead.
He would fight.
For her.
For himself.
For both of them.
And if the Abyss wanted a war—
Then Lucian was ready to give it one.