Into the abyss

The moment Elder Tian's desperate cries faded, Li was left alone in the suffocating void. The darkness was alive, not the absence of light but an entity of its own, pressing against his skin, crawling into his mind. The howling wind of his descent turned into an eerie silence that rang louder than any sound.

Li drifted, weightless and disoriented, surrounded by an overwhelming darkness that seemed to crush his spirit. His body felt numb, his senses dulled, yet he was acutely aware of the unrelenting pressure around him. The abyss was alive—a malevolent force that whispered and clawed at the edges of his mind.

You do not belong here.

The voice was not singular; it was a chorus, overlapping whispers and guttural growls. It spoke from every direction, weaving into the fabric of the darkness.

Li tried to move, but his limbs felt like they were shackled by invisible chains. Panic surged through him, and his breathing quickened. "Elder Tian!" he called out, his voice a hollow echo in the endless void. "Can you hear me? Anyone?"

Li tried to steady his breathing, but the air felt heavy, thick with an oppressive force. His qi, the lifeline of his existence, flickered erratically like a flame battered by a storm. He reached out instinctively, clutching the hilt of his sword, only to find it fused to his hand.

"What... is this?" he murmured, his voice echoing strangely, distorted by the abyss.

The darkness answered.

Not in words, but in sensations—a flood of memories that weren't his own. Images flashed before his eyes: warriors clad in ancient armor, their faces twisted in agony as the abyss consumed them; a great city swallowed by shadows; and a lone figure standing at the edge of the chasm, their eyes burning with defiance and despair.

Li screamed, clutching his head as the visions surged. His descent accelerated, his body spinning out of control. The cold pierced deeper now, not just into his skin but into his soul.

Suddenly, he hit something solid.

The impact knocked the wind out of him, and for a moment, he lay there, stunned. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on an obsidian platform suspended in the void. The surface was smooth and cold, etched with glowing runes that pulsed like a heartbeat.

Li pushed himself to his knees, his body trembling. The sword in his hand felt heavier than ever, its blade emanating a faint, ominous hum.

"Where am I?" he asked aloud, his voice hoarse.

"Home."

The voice was soft but chilling, echoing from everywhere and nowhere. Li scrambled to his feet, spinning around to find its source, but the darkness remained unbroken.

"Who's there?" he demanded, his grip tightening on the sword.

The voice laughed, a sound that sent shivers down his spine. "You are bold to ask questions, little one. But then, boldness brought you here, did it not?"

Li's heart pounded. "Show yourself!"

The runes on the platform flared, and from the shadows, a figure emerged. It was humanoid, but its form shifted constantly—one moment a cloaked figure, the next a beast of writhing tendrils. Its eyes glowed like molten coals, burning with an intensity that pinned Li in place.

"I am Chaos," it said simply. "And you... you are mine now."

Li forced himself to stand firm, his legs trembling under the weight of the creature's presence. "I don't belong to you," he said, his voice steady despite the fear clawing at him.

Chaos tilted its head, a gesture of curiosity. "Oh? And yet, here you are. Drawn into the abyss by your own actions, your own desires. You wield its power, and yet you deny me?"

"I didn't choose this!" Li snapped.

"Didn't you?" Chaos countered. Its voice turned softer, almost tender. "You crave strength, don't you? Power to protect those you hold dear. And yet, here you are, abandoned, falling deeper into darkness. The light above has forsaken you. But I... I can help you."

Li's grip on his sword faltered. The creature's words struck a chord. He thought of Mei Ming, the twins, Elder Tian—all the people he wanted to protect. And yet, in this moment, he felt utterly alone.

"I can give you what you seek," Chaos whispered, stepping closer. "Power beyond your imagining. Enough to save them all."

Li clenched his jaw. "And what would it cost me?"

Chaos smiled, its shifting form stabilizing into that of a man cloaked in shadow. "Only that which you were willing to sacrifice the moment you touched the abyss."

Li's mind raced. He had felt the abyss's power, its vast and untamed energy. But he had also felt its hunger, its insidious pull. He looked down at the sword in his hand, the runes along its blade glowing faintly.

"This power... it's dangerous," he said.

"Danger is a matter of perspective," Chaos replied. "Embrace the power you possess, stop fighting it and you will master it. Deny it, and it will consume you."

The platform beneath Li's feet began to shift, the runes flaring brighter. Chaos extended a hand, and the shadows around them coalesced into forms—phantoms of people Li recognized.

Mei Ming, lying motionless on the ground.

Lei Yun and Lei Chen, their faces twisted in terror, huddled together like they were still in their mother's womb. Their hands still gripping their swords but plain for everyone to see that they would be cut down any moment.

Zhang Wei, standing over them protectively, his sword drawn and bloody. But he is surrounded by hundreds, no, thousands of enemies who keep coming at him relentlessly. It was only a matter of time before he, also falls to the darkness.

Elder Tian, staring into the abyss with despair.

Struggling against the unseen chains, Li summoned his qi. The energy sputtered weakly, barely a flicker compared to the storm of power he had wielded before. The abyss seemed to absorb his efforts, mocking him with its vast emptiness.

He clenched his fists. "I won't give up. Not now."

The darkness around him shifted, rippling like water disturbed by an unseen force. A sudden coldness swept over him, piercing to his very core. From the void emerged faint glimmers of light, flickering like dying embers. As they grew brighter, the darkness twisted and coalesced, forming shapes that sent a chill down Li's spine.

Figures began to materialize, their forms hazy and indistinct. They floated around him, specters of people he recognized. Mei Ming's delicate figure appeared first, her eyes hollow and accusatory. Lei Yun and Lei Chen followed, their expressions contorted in anguish. Even Zhang Wei, their strong and steadfast leader, stared at him with an expression of deep disappointment.

"You failed us," they whispered in unison, their voices cold and devoid of life.

Li shook his head, his heart pounding. "No… this isn't real! You're not real!"

The apparitions drew closer, their whispers growing louder. "You let us fall. You let us die. All because of your weakness."

"No!" Li screamed, his voice raw. "I fought for you! I fought to protect all of you!"

The figures began to melt away, their forms dissolving back into the darkness. But the whispers persisted, burrowing into his mind like worms.

"No!" Li shouted, stepping back from the vision of horror but unable to stop himself from looking.

"They are already lost," Chaos said. "You know this to be true. But if you accept my gift, you can rewrite their fates. You can save them."

The phantoms reached out to Li, their eyes pleading. His heart wavered. He wanted to believe they were illusions, tricks of the abyss. But the pain in their faces felt too real.

"I... I don't..." Li stammered, his resolve crumbling.

"Choose, boy," Chaos said, its voice firm now. "Take my hand, or fall into oblivion."

Li looked at the outstretched hand, then at the phantoms. The weight of the moment pressed down on him, and for the first time, he doubted himself completely.

Then, from deep within, a faint voice echoed in his mind.

"Li... remember who you are."

It was the sovereign's voice, the voice that had plagued his dreams and visions for months now steady and resolute.

Li closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Willing the dots in his blood to flare and take shape. Willing them into dominance. When he opened them again, the fear had not left him, but something else burned within, defiance and an unfounded arrogance.

"I won't give in to you," he said.

Chaos's smile faded, replaced by a flicker of annoyance. "Foolish boy. You cannot resist me."

"Maybe not," Li admitted, raising his sword. "But I won't stop fighting."

The platform shook violently as the runes erupted in a cascade of light. Chaos roared, its form unraveling as the abyss itself seemed to turn against it.

Li felt the ground beneath him give way, and once again, he was falling. But this time, he held tightly to his resolve. He landed on his back amid a patch of grass surrounded interspersed with stones. The darkness seemed to press down on him harder as he quickly sprang to his feet.

A path of jagged stones appeared before him, leading toward the only source of light, a distant, flickering glow on the horizon.

Li steadied himself, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. His body ached, and his spirit felt frayed, but he refused to falter. "I will not fail," he muttered.

Taking his first step onto the path, he felt the weight of the abyss pressing down on him, heavier with each stride. The whispers returned, a constant drone of doubt and despair. But Li forced himself to focus, drawing on the fragments of his training and the memories of those he fought to protect.

As he walked, the path began to shift, growing narrower and more treacherous. Shadows darted at the edges of his vision, and the ground trembled beneath his feet. But Li pressed on, his resolve hardening with every step.

"I will not break," he said through gritted teeth. "I will not give in."

The flickering light ahead grew brighter, and with it came a sense of warmth and familiarity. It called to him, a beacon amidst the chaos. Li quickened his pace, his hope rekindled.

But the abyss was not done with him yet. The ground erupted before him, and from the darkness emerged a monstrous form—a grotesque amalgamation of claws, fangs, and tendrils, its eyes burning with crimson fury.

Li drew his sword, its blade glowing faintly with the remnants of his qi. He squared his shoulders and met the creature's gaze. The red motes in his blood flickered with apparent joy, welcoming the conflict.

"I am a descendant of the sovereign of eternity," he declared, his voice steady despite the fear clawing at his heart. "And I will not be your prey."

The creature roared, and Li charged forward, his blade gleaming fiercely in the dim light.