Escaping the Abyss

Oliver pressed his back against the carved pillar, heart pounding in his chest. The glowing pit below cast eerie shadows across the jagged walls of the chamber. Mali’s protective green aura shimmered faintly around them, her body rigid with tension.

“Don’t move,” she whispered, barely audible, her silver hair falling over her face as she scanned the room over her shoulder. “They hunt by sensing the ripples in energy.”

Oliver forced himself to stay still, his breath shallow. Peering through a gap beneath her arm, he caught his first clear view of the Obsidian Prowlers. Two sleek, feline-like forms glided silently across the chamber, their bodies darker than the surrounding shadows, edges flickering like distorted images on broken glass. Their glowing violet eyes scanned the area, and every step they took sent faint ripples through the air.

“How do we fight them?” Oliver asked under his breath, gripping the hilt of his sword.

“We don’t.” Mali turned her head slightly, her sharp gaze meeting his. “Not directly. They can’t be killed—only disrupted. But if we distract them long enough to destabilize the energy in this room, we can make a run for the portal.”

“And how do we destabilize it?”

Mali gestured toward the central pillar they leaned against. “The carvings are conduits. If I can overload one of the glyphs with raw energy, the feedback should send them into disarray.”

Oliver stared at her in disbelief. “Should? That’s not exactly reassuring.”

“Would you prefer I say nothing?” she snapped, her voice still a whisper. “Hold them off while I work on it.”

Before Oliver could protest, Mali released him and knelt by the pillar and placed her palms against its surface. Green energy sparked to life around her hands as she began chanting under her breath, her words a blend of melodic syllables and guttural sounds that Oliver didn’t understand.

The faint hum of magic caught the Prowlers’ attention. Both creatures froze mid-step, their glowing eyes snapping toward the pillar. A low, resonant growl reverberated through the chamber as they stalked toward it.

“Great,” Oliver muttered, stepping forward to intercept them.

The first Prowler lunged without warning, its silent attack almost too fast to track. Oliver barely managed to sidestep, swinging his sword in a desperate arc. The blade passed through the creature’s shadowy form with no resistance, as if slicing through air. The Prowler didn’t seem fazed, but it recoiled briefly, its edges flickering erratically.

“Sword when right through!” Oliver yelled, retreating toward the pillar.

“Keep them busy!” Mali snapped, her voice strained. The green energy around her hands intensified, casting bright streaks across the room.

The second Prowler pounced, and Oliver rolled to the side, the creature landing inches from where he had been. This time, he swung his sword toward its glowing eyes. The blade glanced off with a shower of sparks, and the Prowler hissed, its body distorting like a disrupted hologram.

“Focus on their eyes!” Mali shouted, sensing his small success.

Oliver nodded, gritting his teeth. The Prowlers were relentless, each attack forcing him to dodge, block, or counter with whatever skill he could muster. Sweat poured down his face as the fight dragged on, his movements growing slower with each clash.

Behind him, the hum of Mali’s spellwork reached a fever pitch. The carvings on the pillar began to glow, their intricate lines filling with pulsing green light.

“It’s almost ready!” she called out. “When I say go, you need to get to the far exit to your right!”

“Easier said than done!” Oliver growled as the first Prowler lunged again, its claws swiping within inches of his chest.

With a final, ear-splitting chant, Mali slammed her hands against the pillar. A wave of green energy exploded outward, engulfing the entire chamber in blinding light. Oliver staggered, shielding his face with his arm as the Prowlers let out distorted, agonized screeches. Their forms flickered and twisted, their movements erratic as they struggled against the disruption.

“GO!” Mali yelled, grabbing Oliver’s arm and dragging him toward the far walkway.

The two of them sprinted across the narrow path, the glowing pit below pulsing violently as the destabilized energy began to ripple outward. Behind them, the Prowlers thrashed and roared, their bodies glitching in and out of existence.

They reached the far tunnel just as the glowing pit erupted in a surge of light. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and Oliver stumbled, catching himself against the wall.

“Is it over?” he panted, glancing back.

“No,” Mali said grimly. “That blast will have alerted every creature in the Conflux. We need to move. Now.”

As if on cue, a deep, guttural howl echoed through the tunnel ahead of them, followed by the distant sound of skittering claws and grinding metal.

“Fantastic,” Oliver muttered, tightening his grip on his sword.

The two of them ran deeper into the labyrinth, the blue glow of the walls casting eerie shadows around them. The skittering sounds grew louder, accompanied by faint, distorted whispers that seemed to come from all directions.

“What’s next on the list of horrors?” Oliver asked, his voice strained.

“Twisted Eclipses, Mawling Constructs, Echoing Choir—” Mali replied, her tone grim.

“Great,” he said. “Can’t wait.”

They rounded a corner and skidded to a halt as a group of creatures with vine-like appendages emerged from the walls and floor, writhing as they sensed the intruders.

“Left!” Mali called, pulling Oliver down a side passage.

The creatures pursued, their movements slow but unrelenting. One of them lashed out with a slimy tendril, narrowly missing Oliver’s leg as he sprinted past.

The tunnel opened into another chamber, this one filled with floating, fragmented shards of light and shadow—

“Lurking Shards,” Mali muttered under her breath. The disjointed fragments hovered aimlessly, but as soon as Mali and Oliver entered, they began to converge, their jagged edges flashing ominously.

“Keep moving!” Mali urged, weaving between the shards with practiced agility.

Oliver followed, his armor clinking loudly as he ducked and dodged the erratic movements of the shards. One of them grazed his arm, sending a sharp jolt of pain through his body.

“Don’t let them touch you!” Mali warned, glancing back.

“No kidding!” he shot back, clutching his arm as they reached the far side of the chamber.

The whispers grew louder, and Oliver realized they were no longer alone. Shadows flickered at the edges of his vision, and faint, ghostly figures began to emerge from the walls—Singing? It was disjointed but that’s what it sounded like. What had Mali said sings?

The Echoing Choir. Their disembodied voices overlapped in a chaotic cacophony, distorting the air around them.

Mali stopped abruptly, her hand shooting out to grab Oliver’s shoulder. “Close your eyes!” she hissed.

“What? Why?”

“Do it!” she snapped.

Reluctantly, Oliver obeyed, shutting his eyes as the voices grew louder. He felt Mali’s hand tighten on his arm, guiding him forward through the noise and confusion.

“Don’t listen to them,” she whispered. “They’ll trap you if you let them in.”

Oliver focused on her voice, tuning out the haunting whispers as they stumbled through the chamber. After what felt like an eternity, the voices began to fade, and Mali released his arm.

“You can open your eyes now,” she said softly.

Oliver blinked and found himself standing in front of a swirling portal of blue and purple light. The air around it crackled with energy, and the carved edges of the archway seemed to pulse in rhythm with the portal’s glow.

“This is it,” Mali said, her voice steady but tense. “Once we go through, we’ll be back in the Breach.”

“Thank god,” Oliver muttered, stepping toward the portal.

Before he could reach it, a deafening roar echoed through the chamber, and the ground trembled beneath their feet. Turning, he saw a massive Mawling Construct emerge from the shadows, its rusted metal and bone frame clanking as it advanced toward them.

“Of course,” he groaned, raising his sword.

Mali didn’t hesitate. She extended her hands, and green energy flared to life around her, forming a barrier between them and the Construct.

“Go!” she shouted.

“I’m not leaving you!” Oliver protested.

“Do what I tell you!” she snapped, her voice fierce.

Reluctantly, Oliver turned and ran toward the portal. Just as he reached it, he felt a hand grab his wrist. Whirling around, he saw Mali beside him, her green energy flickering as the Construct smashed through the barrier.

The world dissolved into a swirl of light and shadow, and Oliver felt himself falling, tumbling through an endless void.

When he finally hit solid ground, he groaned in pain, blinking up at a sky filled with familiar stars and brilliant moon. The chill of the night air stung his skin, and the sound of rustling leaves filled his ears.

Mali lay beside him, breathing heavily. Her silver hair was disheveled, and the green glow around her had faded.

“Where…where are we?” Oliver asked, sitting up.

“Back. That’s all I know right now,” Mali replied, a faint smile crossing her lips.

Oliver looked around, relief washing over him as he realized they were safe—for now.

“And here I thought the Breach was the most dangerous thing,” he muttered, collapsing back onto the ground.

Slowly a soft laugh began from Mali and she grinned looking up. There was something in it that caught him off guard. It sounded like relief but not from what they had just escaped.

“That felt very good,” she purred. “I’ve missed it.”

For a moment, Oliver looked at the woman laying there, her eyes bright and shinning and a grin he hadn’t seen before. Now he wondered if he would have been safer back in the conflux.