Chapter 23: Into the Abyss
Chapter 23: Into the Abyss
Aeron's heart was still pounding. Even though the cave had saved them from the monstrous wolf outside, something about this place felt wrong.
The air was too still.
The walls were too smooth.
And the system—was silent.
Sylva groaned, still catching her breath. "I swear… if another world-ending monster jumps at us, I'm logging out."
Hobbles, still lying flat, raised a finger. "You can't log out."
"…Oh, right."
Aeron wasn't paying attention to them. His instincts were screaming that something wasn't right. Slowly, he opened his system interface and tried to scan the cave.
—[ERROR.]—
—Location Data Unavailable.—
His stomach dropped.
"Guys," he said carefully. "I think… we might be somewhere we're not supposed to be."
Sylva froze. "What?"
Hobbles sat up fast. "What do you mean 'not supposed to be'?! This is a cave! Caves exist!"
Aeron turned to them, his expression grim. "Check your maps."
Sylva hesitated, then opened her interface. A second later, her eyes went wide.
"…It's blank."
Hobbles checked his own. "Oh. Oh no. Nope. I refuse. We just found a developer's mistake. This is how horror stories start."
Before Aeron could reply, something changed.
A deep hum filled the cave.
The air grew colder.
Aeron's breath misted.
—[System Alert!]—
You have entered a Forbidden Zone: ???
Escape Impossible.
Death Penalty: ???
The system was back.
And it was not reassuring.
Sylva backed up immediately. "I change my mind! Let's go back! I'd rather fight that wolf outside!"
Hobbles was already walking back toward the collapsed entrance. "Yep! Agreed! Great adventure, everyone!"
Aeron didn't move. He was staring deeper into the cave.
Because something was there.
A faint glow.
Something ancient.
Something watching.
His fingers tightened around his sword. He took a cautious step forward.
Sylva grabbed his arm. "Are you insane?! The system literally told us we can't leave. What if something kills us in here?"
Aeron didn't answer immediately.
Because he had a feeling.
A feeling that this place wasn't in the game's original design.
That this place was a secret.
And if there was one thing he knew about secrets in VRMMOs…
They led to power.
Slowly, he looked back at them. "We can run… or we can find out what's in here."
Sylva stared at him. Then at the darkness ahead.
Then she sighed loudly. "I hate this. I hate everything about this."
Hobbles groaned. "We're going to die."
But they followed him anyway.
And as they stepped deeper into the abyss—
The cave sealed itself behind them.
Aeron froze.
The cave entrance—was gone.
The moment they stepped forward, the stone shifted behind them, sealing the way back. There was no sound, no movement—just an eerie finality.
Sylva's breathing hitched. "Oh. Oh no. Nope. Nope nope nope. We are NOT stuck in a cursed dungeon."
Hobbles turned slowly, staring at the blocked path. "Guys? Guys, I think we just got kidnapped by the environment."
Aeron swallowed. This was bad.
—[System Alert!]—
You have entered a Sealed Domain: The Whispering Abyss.
All external communication disabled.
Respawning unavailable.
Survive.
The last word made Aeron's skin crawl.
"Survive?"
He turned back toward the tunnel ahead. The faint glow was still there. Flickering. Almost… beckoning.
Sylva hugged herself. "Okay. You're the reckless idiot who got us into this mess. What's the plan?"
Hobbles raised a hand. "I vote for sitting here and waiting for a rescue."
Aeron glanced at the system notification again. No external communication. No respawns.
"Nobody's coming," he said quietly.
Hobbles paled. "Welp. That's it. We're dead."
Aeron ignored him and turned his attention to the tunnel ahead.
If they were trapped in here, there had to be a way forward. The developers wouldn't make a location like this without an exit.
At least, he hoped.
"Let's move," he said.
Sylva groaned. "If I die, I'm haunting you."
Hobbles sighed. "Yeah, same."
But they followed him anyway.
---
The deeper they walked, the colder it became.
The stone walls were smooth—too smooth. As if they weren't naturally formed, but carved.
Aeron ran a hand along the surface. The texture was strange. It didn't feel like normal stone. Almost like… bone.
His fingers twitched.
"What kind of place is this?"
Then he heard it.
A whisper.
Soft. Distant.
Aeron stopped walking.
Sylva noticed immediately. "What is it?"
"Shh," he said. "Listen."
For a moment, there was nothing. Just the sound of their breathing.
Then—
A voice.
Not spoken. Not heard.
But felt.
"Who... walks... here?"
Aeron's blood ran cold.
Sylva stepped back. "That's it. That's my cue to leave."
Hobbles, voice trembling: "I, uh, respectfully decline to answer."
Aeron's pulse pounded. The system had given no warnings about NPCs or enemies.
Which meant—this wasn't normal.
Slowly, he forced his voice to stay steady.
"…Who are you?"
The whispers shifted. Moving around them, like a breeze in a sealed tomb.
Then, the glow ahead of them flared.
And a figure appeared.
A shadow of armor. A knight—but not human. Its form was ethereal, fractured—like it was barely holding itself together.
And in its hand—a broken blade.
—[System Alert!]—
You have encountered a Remnant of the Lost Order.
Entity Status: ??
Objective: Unknown.
Aeron's hand went to his weapon. But before he could move—
The knight spoke.
_"You carry the Fragment."
_"You bear the burden."
"Will you listen… or will you suffer?"
The glow intensified.
Aeron tensed.
Because something told him…
This was the real test.