Chapter 3: Against the Abomination

I feel the sting of the staff’s thorns biting deeper into my palm as I channel another surge of magic. The violet spark within the crystal flares, feeding on my desperation. I grit my teeth, steady my trembling limbs, and release the spell. A crackling bolt of lightning arcs toward the abomination looming before me, and for a heartbeat I think it might be enough to end this nightmare.

But the corruption that clings to this world twists my power. The bolt shudders mid-flight, warping as it collides with the creature’s shoulder. At first, it seems to work—one of its bladed limbs tears away in a burst of acrid smoke. The monster bellows, each of its many eyes narrowing on me with ferocious malice. I feel that hatred like a weight on my chest.

A flicker of movement at my side alerts me to the spectral wolf. It lunges at my unspoken command, phasing through the rubble in a graceful leap. Its ethereal fangs sink into the beast’s throat, a snarl vibrating in the air. I watch with a strange sense of hope—maybe this spirit can buy me time to regroup. But the wolf’s form shimmers, half-real and too vulnerable. The abomination rears back and slashes with one of its intact limbs. I hear a rasping shriek as the wolf’s misty body rips apart, dissolving into fading wisps.

The wolf’s sacrifice triggers a swell of guilt in my chest. My stomach clenches at the memory of its snarling loyalty, however fleeting. An emptiness remains where its presence stood, and I wonder if I’ve just destroyed a piece of myself.

My brief moment of remorse is broken by another flash of white-hot pain in my mind. The Silver Eye Pendant burns against my skin, and a vision rips through me:

The same hulking creature bows before Kael in a grand hall lit by guttering torches. Kael’s face is half-hidden under his hood, but I see a deep scar marking his cheek.

He presses a shard of Void Glass into the abomination’s chest. His voice trembles with fervor: “Find Eldrin. Bring me his heart.”

Then the vision ends abruptly, leaving me reeling. My head feels like it’s about to split, and I have to brace myself against a broken column to avoid collapsing. The creature, still glistening with black ichor from its severed limb, thrashes and clicks in the debris, dragging itself closer. The stench of rot and scorched flesh rolls off its body in waves.

My magic reserves are nearly spent. My fingers tingle with numbness, and every attempt to draw power sets my heart pounding like it’s on the verge of bursting. Yet the abomination is still alive, and it wants my blood.

I catch sight of the Void Glass Dagger at my belt, its surface shimmering darkly. It seems to pulse with an almost hungry energy. The journal had warned me about its lethal properties—this blade can kill “them” permanently. I don’t know if that extends to this monstrosity or if it only refers to… something else. Either way, I can feel the dagger’s chill calling to me, urging me to finish what I started.

A weak tremor runs through my knees; I know that one more grand spell could very well knock me unconscious or bring the tower crumbling down around me. My breath comes in ragged bursts. The staff’s once-brilliant glow sputters, mirroring my own failing strength. But the beast drags itself relentlessly forward, unflinching in its purpose. Ash drifts in the air, catching in my throat with each swallow.

I shift my grip on the staff and try to gather myself. My thoughts spin:

The Wolf’s sacrifice bought me only moments.

The abomination is wounded but still dangerous.

Another spell might destroy us both.

The Void Glass Dagger hangs at my side, gleaming with possibility.

A wave of dizziness washes over me, and I can still taste copper on my tongue—blood or backlash, it’s hard to say. My pulse thrums in my ears, a frantic drumbeat that syncs with the monster’s approach. Its many eyes glare with insane focus, and I see twisted reflections of myself in each pupil: a gaunt figure clinging to a staff, on the brink of collapse.

I touch the Silver Eye Pendant briefly, seeking any trace of insight, but it only sears my skin in silent warning. No more visions come. My name, Eldrin, echoes in my thoughts like a feeble attempt at self-assurance. Am I strong enough to end this?

I force my tired legs to move, stepping forward despite the screaming protest of my muscles. My hand drifts to the dagger’s hilt. The nearer I get to the abomination, the colder the blade feels against my side—like a chunk of frozen night. The creature’s jaws snap, rusted blades lining its maw. Its breath pours out in ragged hisses, and I smell the bitter tang of metal, as though it’s been feasting on scrap and bone.

One more step. My staff is raised, though it feels heavier than ever. The magic within it still flickers, but I don’t dare unleash another wild spell. I have only one real option left if I want to survive.

Letting the staff clatter to the ground, I grip the Void Glass Dagger with both hands. The abomination screeches as I lunge, every muscle in my body screaming in unison. For an instant, I see it reel back, too many limbs scrabbling for a hold on the shattered floor. My world narrows to a single point: the dagger’s dark, unnatural edge gleaming in the sickly light.

This might be my only chance—to strike at the heart of whatever Kael made it into. My heart pounds faster, a silent prayer passing through my lips that this weapon can finish what my magic could not.

I draw in a ragged breath, the name “Kael” erupting from my throat with more fury than I knew I possessed. The instant the word pierces the air, the abomination stills. Its bladed jaws clench shut, and for one surreal moment, a glimmer of humanity flickers in the monster’s single unclouded eye. A faint blue light shivers there, and its voice—cracked and rasping—emerges like a wounded lament:

“Eldrin…? No. No. He said you were the traitor. He said you… you…”

It falters. Its voice—guttural, warped—shouldn’t be able to form words, but it does.

My blood turns cold. It knows me. The creature’s body trembles, something almost human flickering beneath the twisted mess of rusted metal and warped flesh. Recognition. Pain. A sliver of something lost.

And I hesitate.

Just for a breath. A single heartbeat where I don’t strike, where I feel the urge to ask, Who were you? Then the Void Glass dagger hums at my side. A pulse—not just of power, but of something else. Hunger. Expectation.

The abomination’s movements falter. It’s afraid.

But I don’t question why.

Before it can speak another word, before the moment can solidify into anything real, my body moves on instinct—or something deeper than instinct. My hand seizes the dagger, and in one fluid motion.

Whatever it tries to confess dies on its blackened tongue. A swift, horrible convulsion seizes the creature as barbed shards of Void Glass burst from its flesh, forcing it back under Kael’s dark command. I watch in grim fascination as the shards anchor themselves like hooks, twisting its limbs until the last hint of humanity is snuffed out. But that moment of hesitation has already cost the monster dearly.

The dagger in my hand vibrates with an almost predatory eagerness. The thrumming resonates up my arm, urging me to strike. My heart pounds in response. I can’t ignore the sorrow in the creature’s gaze from mere seconds ago—a clarity that whispered it might’ve been more than just a monster. Yet I know mercy isn’t letting it suffer under Kael’s control. Mercy is the blade in my hand.

I tighten my grip and lunge, burying the Void Glass Dagger straight into what passes for the abomination’s heart. The blade glides through its body as though piercing smoke. Instantly, cold pulses along my arm, and I sense the dagger’s hunger drinking in the creature’s life. The monster’s last remaining eye clears for a heartbeat—human in shape and sorrow. There’s a flicker of gratitude, a silent plea to end this nightmare.

Its howl splinters the air, a wretched sound that shakes the ruined tower to its foundation. Its many limbs convulse, its body arching in agony. The Void Glass doesn’t just pierce—it devours. The black veins webbing across its skin spread like cracks in dying stone, pulling inward, consuming flesh, bone, and whatever fragment of memory it had left.

For a fraction of a second, I see the horror in its last remaining eye—not just pain, but understanding.

A flicker of gratitude. A silent plea for an end.

Then its body crumbles into ash.

A ghostly whisper lingers in the air, curling in my mind like a dying ember.

“Thank you…”

A wave of fatigue nearly sends me to my knees. The Silver Eye Pendant around my neck flares with cold light, searing my skin. A gentle voice reverberates in my skull, heavy with both sorrow and relief:

“A kindness, Eldrin. Rare in this age.”

But there is a price. I hiss in pain as numbness spreads through my hand. I look down to see black veins creeping across my skin, dark tendrils clutching my flesh like hungry parasites. Where the dagger’s hilt rested, the shadows still writhe, leaving me feeling hollow yet burning all at once. My stomach twists in revulsion, though part of me knows I should be grateful I’m still standing at all.

I release the dagger on reflex, expecting it to fall to the ground. It doesn’t.

The moment my fingers loosen, the weapon clings to my palm, as if unwilling to let go. A jolt of something—not pain, not quite power either—runs up my arm. I force my breath steady. The dagger is bound to me now. The thought should terrify me. Instead, I feel nothing at all.

In the remains of the creature’s ash lies a single fragment of Void Glass, no bigger than a finger, still humming with malevolence. The stone emanates a subtle throb of power, and I imagine I feel Kael’s will pulsing inside it—a remnant of the control he imposed on that poor soul.

Behind me, the iron chest draws my attention again. The serpentine runes on its surface glow faintly, reacting to the black veins that spiderweb my fingers. There’s a resonance between my new corruption and the chest’s ancient curse, and I sense the lock’s wards loosening at the threshold of my approach. Each labored breath I take whispers a warning in my ears: This is dangerous. Yet the chest may hold answers—about Kael, the Cataclysm, or even about me.

Before I can decide whether to pry the lid open, another flicker of memory rips through my thoughts. The pendant’s cold light intensifies, and I catch a glimpse of a woman with piercing silver eyes. She’s draping this very amulet around my neck, her touch gentle yet urgent. Her voice is clear in my mind:

“When the time comes,” she says, “remember the Blind Citadel.”

Then the vision fades, leaving my head throbbing. My legs threaten to buckle under the weight of all that’s happened: the spectral wolf’s brave sacrifice, the monstrous abomination’s final thanks, and Kael’s manipulations lurking behind it all. My name is Eldrin—I cling to that one solid fact amidst a sea of questions.

Steeling myself, I glance from my tainted hand to the iron chest. The runes glow brighter, feeding off the darkness creeping through my veins. With the beast defeated, a hush settles over the rubble-strewn tower, broken only by the faint crackle of the black ivy slithering in the background. The sky outside remains a sickly green, thick with ash, but I find a trembling resolve sparking within.

My next steps feel inevitable, even though every instinct warns me to be cautious. The Blind Citadel… the chest… the memory of a silver-eyed woman. I breathe in the stench of death and decay, taste bitter adrenaline on my tongue, and prepare to push forward—toward the answers, or dangers, that await me next.