The portal's pull was a suffocating void, my mind sluggish from the System's latest price: Cognitive clarity reduced. Thoughts slipped through my grasp like water, my purpose blurring. Why was I here? To survive? To fight? I couldn't remember the faces of my parents, the streets I grew up on, or even Mira's voice. All I had was her name, a fading ember in the fog of my mind. Despair clung to me, heavier than ever, as the portal released me.
I landed in a cold, cavernous chamber, the air thick with a suffocating gloom. The walls were jagged, etched with faint, glowing runes that pulsed like a dying heartbeat. Shadows writhed in the corners, whispering doubts. Vyrn landed beside me, his armor dented but his smirk intact. Syl appeared last, her crimson dress a stark contrast to the darkness, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
The System flashed:
Eighth Floor: Despair Trial
Task: Face your despair. Cross the Abyss of Sorrow.
Reward: Tını Points +225, Ability Unlock
Penalty: Oblivion
Cross the abyss? I looked ahead and saw it—a massive chasm splitting the chamber, its depths swirling with a black, inky void. A narrow, crumbling bridge stretched across it, barely wide enough for one person. The shadows on the walls grew louder, their whispers becoming voices—my voice. "You've lost everything, Kael. You're nothing. Give up."
The System identified the challenge:
Obstacle: Abyss of Sorrow
Tını Points: 1000 (Collective)
Warning: The abyss feeds on your despair. Succumb, and you will be erased.
Vyrn scoffed, stepping toward the bridge. "Another pathetic trial," he said, but his voice lacked its usual confidence. The shadows turned to him, their whispers shifting. "You'll never be enough, Vyrn. A failure, even as a Reaper." His smirk faltered, his steps slowing.
Syl tilted her head, her smile faint. "This trial will break you both," she said, her voice a distant echo in my dulled senses. "Despair is the hardest to face." She stayed back, watching, as if she knew something we didn't.
I forced myself to move, my legs trembling. The bridge creaked under my weight, the abyss below pulling at me. The shadows' whispers grew louder, dredging up every failure, every loss. "Mira's gone. Your parents are gone. You're a Sacrifice—worthless." My mind, already foggy, couldn't fight back. I sank to my knees, the despair overwhelming. I wanted to stop, to let the abyss take me.
Vyrn was struggling too, his sword dragging as he walked. The shadows taunted him relentlessly. "You envy a Sacrifice. You're weak, Vyrn." He roared, swinging his sword at the air, but it did nothing. The abyss fed on his anguish, the bridge crumbling beneath him. He stumbled, nearly falling into the void.
Syl's voice cut through the haze. "You can't fight despair, Kael," she said. "You have to accept it."
Accept it? How could I accept this pain? But as I teetered on the edge of giving up, a faint thought broke through the fog—Mira's name. I didn't remember her, but I remembered fighting for her. That was enough.
I stood, my body shaking, and took a step forward. The shadows screamed, but I didn't fight them. I let the despair wash over me, accepting the pain, the loss, the emptiness. The bridge stopped crumbling, the abyss's pull weakening. I kept walking, each step heavier than the last, until I reached the other side.
Tını Points: +100
Vyrn was still on the bridge, his face twisted with rage and sorrow. The shadows had him surrounded, their whispers relentless. I turned back, using Apathy Bind to slow the abyss's pull on him. The gray energy wrapped around the shadows, giving Vyrn a moment to breathe. He glared at me, but he kept moving, finally crossing the bridge.
Task Completed
Reward: Tını Points +225, Ability Unlocked: Sorrow's Echo
Total Tını Points: 1135
Sorrow's Echo? I felt a new power in my chest—a quiet, mournful energy, like a heartbeat of grief. But the System wasn't done:
Warning: A new price paid. Willpower reduced.
My resolve wavered, a wave of exhaustion crashing over me. I could barely stand, my will to fight nearly gone. Vyrn, now beside me, laughed bitterly. "You're a shell, Kael," he said. "The System's breaking you faster than I ever could."
Syl stepped forward, her smile gone. "You've passed the seven sins," she said, her voice low. "But the tower has only begun. The next floor… it's not a trial. It's a revelation."
A new portal opened, its pull stronger than ever. The System's voice echoed:
"Ninth Floor: Revelation of the Tını awaits."
As we were dragged in, Syl's words lingered. A revelation? I wasn't sure I could handle any more truths—not when I was already falling apart.