The Abyss Awakens
The Abyss Awakens
The girl's words echoed in Jerry's mind long after her form had vanished into the shadows.
"You came."
The battlefield remained eerily silent, save for the faint crackle of dying embers from the shattered wagons. Vrkane's low growl rumbled beside him, while Bengala's claws flexed in the snow, leaving shallow marks in the ice.
The abyss had set this trap for him. Not for his companions, not for any soldiers—just him.
And now it knew where to find him.
He exhaled slowly, forcing his heart to steady. "We need to move."
Janice's voice was low and tight. "What the hell was that?"
Jerry shook his head. "A message—and a warning. The abyss isn't done with us."
"It was never just after us, was it?" Selene asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. "It's after you."
Jerry didn't answer.
He didn't have to.
---
A Desperate Escape
They didn't stop moving until the sun dipped beneath the frozen horizon. The fading light bled through the trees like a dying fire, casting long shadows across the snow.
Vrkane and Bengala kept to the flanks, their forms blending into the deepening gloom. Aviana soared overhead, her sharp cries occasionally breaking the silence to warn of movement in the distance.
No one spoke.
The battle had rattled them all. The symbols carved into the snow, the girl's unnatural voice, and the realization that the abyss's reach was growing—it weighed on them like chains.
Jerry felt it pressing against his thoughts, trying to worm its way inside, trying to make him doubt.
But he wouldn't let it.
He couldn't afford to.
Not with everything at stake.
Not with Mike—or Orion—still out there.
---
The Shelter of Shadows
By nightfall, they found refuge in a narrow canyon carved between two towering cliffs. The natural walls offered shelter from the biting wind and, more importantly, gave them only one direction to defend if anything tried to attack.
Jerry crouched by the fire, sharpening Backbone while his thoughts churned.
Janice sat across from him, her gaze locked on the flickering flames. "You're going to tell me what that thing really wanted from you."
Jerry didn't look up from his blade. "It wanted me to hesitate."
"And you think that's all?"
The edge of Backbone gleamed under the firelight. "No," Jerry admitted. "I think it wants to break me."
Janice leaned forward. "Why you?"
Jerry paused, the tension in his shoulders tightening.
"Because I've already lost everything once."
The words hung heavy in the air.
Vrkane and Bengala shifted in the shadows behind him, the bond between them pulsing with shared grief. They knew what Jerry carried—they felt it.
Janice didn't push further.
Instead, she quietly asked, "And if it succeeds?"
Jerry's hand clenched around the hilt of his sword. "It won't."
---
The Abyss Strikes
The attack came just before dawn.
The shadows around them moved.
No sound. No warning.
Only the cold rush of void-touched claws slicing through the air.
Jerry reacted instantly, his bond flaring to life.
Vrkane lunged from the darkness, intercepting the first creature—a mass of writhing limbs and snapping jaws. His claws tore through the abyssal flesh, ripping it apart with raw fury.
Bengala followed, her striped form a blur of motion as she tore into another shadowy monstrosity.
Jerry's swords came alive in his hands. Backbone cleaved through two approaching entities, the divine metal burning their corrupted forms to ash. Dismay followed in a sweeping arc, cutting down another that had managed to slip past his defenses.
This wasn't a random attack.
This was a test.
And the abyss was watching.
---
The Integration
Jerry didn't hold back.
He let go.
The bond between him and his companions surged, their forms blending into his own. His muscles thickened with Vrkane's raw strength, his senses sharpened with Bengala's predatory instincts, and his eyes took on Aviana's golden clarity.
His armor morphed with him, adapting to the shifting tide of battle. Scabbards formed along his back, allowing his swords to snap into place the moment he needed to free his claws for close combat.
This was what they were meant for.
Unity.
The shadows faltered, their advance breaking under the weight of Jerry's newfound strength.
But the abyss didn't retreat.
It adapted.
The shadows pulled back, forming a circle around the group—whispers rising in the air like smoke.
"You are not enough."
The voice wasn't real.
It wasn't even sound.
It was inside Jerry's mind, clawing at the edges of his consciousness.
But Jerry pushed back.
"Then I'll become more," he growled.
And with one final surge, he drove Backbone into the ground.
A pulse of golden energy erupted outward, incinerating the shadows in an explosion of light.
---
Aftermath
When the light faded, silence returned.
The abyssal creatures were gone—at least for now.
Jerry sank to his knees, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. The bonds within him pulsed weakly, drained from the effort but alive.
Janice knelt beside him, her voice soft. "You alright?"
Jerry nodded, though exhaustion weighed heavily on his shoulders. "Yeah."
But the victory felt hollow.
Because he knew this was only the beginning.
The abyss was learning.
And next time, it would be ready for him.
---