Echoes of Despair
The whispers had not left him. Closer… deeper… yield… They scraped against his mind like nails, each word chipping away at the edges of his thoughts. The void stirred within him, its hunger reignited. The chains flared in response, their runes flickering with pale light as though warding off the unseen presence that pressed against him.
Li Tian forced himself to move forward. The stone beneath his feet was uneven, cracked in places, as though the earth itself resisted his passage. His breathing quickened, the pressure around him building as the whispers grew louder.
He stepped into another chamber. This one was vast—larger than any he had encountered so far. The ceiling disappeared into shadows, and jagged pillars lined the walls like teeth. At the center, a massive circular platform hovered above a pool of black liquid, its surface swirling and rippling as if alive. Chains extended from the platform, tethered to the walls and ceiling, their links thrumming with power.
Li Tian's pulse quickened. The chains around his arms grew warm, responding to the energy radiating from the platform. The void surged, eager and impatient. He clenched his fists, forcing it back. "Not yet," he whispered.
A low rumble echoed through the chamber. The pool of darkness rippled violently, and tendrils of shadow began to rise from its surface. They coiled and twisted, forming shapes that shifted and merged. Eyes opened within the shadows, crimson and unblinking.
They see you… they hunger… The whispers turned sharp, filled with malice.
The tendrils lunged. Li Tian reacted instinctively, releasing a wave of void energy that collided with the shadows. The blast pushed them back, but the tendrils reformed quickly, surging toward him again.
He moved, weaving between the attacks as the chains flared with light. Tendrils of energy lashed out, slicing through the shadows. The air crackled with power, and the ground trembled beneath his feet.
More shadows poured from the pool, their forms solidifying into twisted humanoid figures. Chains dangled from their limbs, dragging along the stone floor as they advanced. Their movements were slow but deliberate, their eyes locked on him.
Li Tian gritted his teeth. "Guardians."
The first creature lunged, its chains snapping like whips. Li Tian ducked, void energy flaring as he retaliated. The tendrils coiled around the creature, binding it in place, but the others pressed in, their chains striking like blades.
Pain flared as one chain grazed his arm, tearing through his robes. He stumbled, but the void surged in response, forcing the shadows back. The chains on his arms ignited, wrapping around the nearest guardian and pulling it toward the platform. The creature shrieked as the chains tightened, dragging it into the swirling pool. It dissolved, its form consumed.
The shadows recoiled, but they did not retreat. More rose from the pool, their movements growing faster and more erratic. Li Tian's pulse thundered in his ears as the void pushed harder, desperate to be unleashed.
"Not yet!" he roared, forcing the void back. Sweat poured down his face, but he held firm, channeling the energy into the chains. They flared brighter, binding another guardian and pulling it into the pool.
The chamber shook, the shadows screaming as the chains claimed them one by one. The runes along the walls pulsed in time with the chains, their light intensifying. The last guardian fell, its form consumed by the pool, and silence fell over the chamber.
Li Tian staggered, his breath ragged. The chains on his arms dimmed, their glow fading as the energy settled. The whispers receded, but the void remained, coiled and waiting.
The pool's surface rippled again, slower this time, as if its hunger had only been dulled—not extinguished. Li Tian's eyes narrowed. He could feel the tension in the air, a residue of the power that had been stirred. The chains on his arms pulsed faintly, their runes flickering.
He stepped closer to the pool, the shadows around its edges curling toward him before retreating, wary. The void surged again, its whispers louder. Control… command… become.
The chained figure's voice broke through the whispers, faint and distant. "You have bound the darkness, but the void still hungers. Each victory deepens its hold. Remember that."
Li Tian looked down at the chains, their weight pressing heavier than before. He could feel the void pulsing within them, stronger now, more alive. The power was his to wield, but it came at a cost. Each step forward felt less like a triumph and more like a descent into something he could no longer escape.
He straightened, his resolve hardening. "I won't stop," he said, his voice steady despite the tremor in his limbs. "Not until it's done."
The pool of shadows stilled, its surface smooth and silent. But Li Tian could feel its presence lingering, watching, waiting. The passage ahead loomed, darker than before.
With one final breath, he stepped forward, the chains rattling softly as he disappeared into the shadows once more.