Chapter 70: The Abyss Falls to your feet

The chamber echoed with the deafening roars of the Abyss, the air thick with malevolence. Nathan's heart raced as they dashed toward the faint light in the distance, shadows clawing at their heels. His muscles ached, but the sword in his hand seemed to pulsate with renewed energy, urging him forward.

King, running just behind Nathan, shouted, "We can't outrun it forever!"

Desire glanced over her shoulder, her eyes filled with urgency. "We don't have to! Just get to the light!"

The light, barely visible at first, seemed to grow as they neared it, casting long, eerie shadows on the stone floor. Every few seconds, Nathan could hear the faint whisper of Angel's voice—haunting, distant, like she was being pulled further away with every step they took.

His heart clenched. I have to save her.

As they sprinted toward the light, the ground began to shake beneath them. Massive cracks splintered the floor, and dark tendrils of the Abyss burst forth, whipping at their legs and arms, trying to pull them into the void. Nathan swung his sword at them, the blade cutting through the tendrils with a searing black flame.

Suddenly, Jeremiah let out a cry of pain. One of the tendrils had caught him by the ankle, dragging him toward a deep fissure in the ground. King and Desire stopped immediately, rushing to his side as he clawed at the floor, trying to hold on.

"Help!" Jeremiah's voice was raw with fear.

Nathan spun around and drove his sword into the ground between the tendril and Jeremiah's leg. A dark burst of energy shot out from the blade, severing the tendril and freeing his friend.

"Thanks…" Jeremiah gasped, getting to his feet with King's help.

But there was no time to rest. The light in the distance flickered, and the shadows seemed to grow thicker, closing in around them. With no other choice, they continued to run, dodging the tendrils that lashed out at them from every direction.

As they neared the source of the light, they realized it wasn't an exit. It was an altar—a grotesque, twisted monument, covered in dark runes and glowing with a faint, sickly glow. The air around it felt oppressive, as if the very fabric of reality was being warped.

"Is this… a way out?" King asked, panting heavily.

Desire shook her head, her face pale. "No. This is… something else."

Nathan approached the altar cautiously, the sword in his hand humming with energy. The runes on the altar seemed to pulse in time with the sword's vibrations, as if they were connected somehow. His eyes narrowed. This place, this thing—it was the heart of the Abyss.

A deep, guttural voice echoed through the chamber, filling the air with its malevolence.

"You will not leave."

The voice sent a chill down Nathan's spine. It was the Abyss itself, speaking to them through the altar.

Desire's eyes darted around the room. "It's too late. We're not getting out of here easily."

Nathan stepped forward, gripping the sword tightly. "I'm done running."

With a shout, he plunged the sword into the altar. The moment the blade pierced the stone, a shockwave of dark energy erupted from the point of impact, knocking everyone back. The ground trembled, and the altar cracked, spilling forth tendrils of black smoke.

But something else happened too. The light around the altar intensified, and from within the cracks, a figure began to emerge.

Nathan's breath caught in his throat as he recognized the silhouette.

"Angel…?" His voice was barely a whisper.

The figure stepped forward, bathed in the eerie light. It was Angel—but not the Angel he remembered. Her once bright eyes were now hollow, glowing faintly with the same dark energy that surrounded the altar. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, and her movements were slow, almost mechanical.

"Nathan…" Angel's voice was soft, almost dreamlike. "You shouldn't have come here."

Tears welled up in Nathan's eyes. "Angel… I came to save you."

She shook her head slowly, her expression sad. "There's no saving me. Not anymore."

Desire stepped forward, her face grim. "Nathan… that's not Angel. It's a fragment of her, twisted by the Abyss."

Nathan's heart shattered at her words, but deep down, he knew it was true. This wasn't the Angel he had known and loved. The Abyss had taken her, and now it was using her against them.

Angel—no, the thing that had once been Angel—raised her hand, and the shadows around them began to surge, coiling and twisting like a living storm.

"I'm sorry," Angel whispered, her voice barely audible over the howling wind. "But you can't leave."

With a wave of her hand, the shadows lashed out at them. Nathan barely had time to react before the tendrils wrapped around his arms and legs, pulling him toward the altar. The others cried out as they too were ensnared by the Abyss's dark grip.

Nathan struggled, his mind racing. This can't be the end. Not like this.

As the shadows dragged him closer to the altar, his hand brushed against the hilt of the sword. In that moment, a surge of energy coursed through him—stronger than before. The blade pulsed with a dark light, and suddenly, he understood.

The sword wasn't just a weapon. It was a conduit. A way to control the Abyss.

With a burst of strength, Nathan gripped the sword tightly and willed the darkness to obey him. The tendrils that had been pulling him toward the altar faltered, then slowly began to retract, releasing him from their grip.

Desire's eyes widened in shock. "Nathan… what are you doing?"

"I'm taking control," he replied, his voice steady.

The shadows recoiled from him, as if afraid of the power he now wielded. Slowly, but surely, he forced the darkness back, pushing it away from himself and his friends.

But as the shadows retreated, Angel's form began to fade.

"Nathan…" her voice was soft, barely audible. "Don't let it consume you…"

Before he could say anything, Angel vanished, her body dissolving into the same dark mist that surrounded them.

For a moment, there was silence. The Abyss had receded, but the weight of what had just happened hung heavy in the air.

Nathan lowered the sword, his heart heavy with grief. Angel was gone. Truly gone this time.

Desire approached him cautiously. "Are you okay?"

Nathan didn't answer. He couldn't. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions—grief, anger, fear. But amidst it all, there was one thought that stood out above the rest.

They had to escape. And now, with the sword in his hand, he knew how.

"We're leaving," he said quietly, his voice firm. "And we're taking down the Abyss with us."