Chapter 1726: Echoes of the Void

The shadowy realm pressed in on them, a suffocating blanket of despair. Finn stumbled, his hand brushing against a spectral figure that dissolved into dust at his touch. "These… these are the lost," he whispered, his voice barely audible above the mournful cries that echoed through the desolate landscape.

"We have to focus," Liam said, his sword deflecting a blast of dark energy from Anya. The blade, though glowing, seemed to struggle against the oppressive darkness, its light flickering uncertainly. "Elena, what's the plan?"

Elena, her eyes fixed on Anya, felt a pang of sorrow. The woman before them was a grotesque parody of the kind elder she once knew. The flicker of light within the corrupted shard gave her a sliver of hope, though it was a fragile thing. "We need to reach her," she repeated, her voice firm despite the tremor in her heart. "That shard… it's the key. I think… I think there's still a part of Anya in there, trapped by the void."