Echoes of the Abyss-6

Kael and Sylas barely had a moment to catch their breath before the Harbinger advanced, its form shifting like liquid shadow, stretching and coiling unnaturally. It did not move like something bound by the rules of flesh and bone. It slithered forward, its robes dragging across the ground, though they never truly touched the earth. Its presence was a wound upon the world, seeping darkness into the very air.

Kael's grip on his sword tightened. The voices still echoed in his mind, whispers of lost souls clawing at his thoughts. But he had no time to dwell on them. The Harbinger raised an elongated hand, and from its fingertips, tendrils of black energy lashed out.

"Move!" Kael shouted, diving to the side just as the ground where he had stood erupted into a pool of writhing darkness. Sylas was already a step ahead, flipping backward and landing in a low crouch, twin daggers glinting in the moonlight.

The air thickened, vibrating with unseen energy. Kael could feel it pressing against his skin, making every movement heavier, more difficult. The Harbinger wasn't just an enemy—it was a force, something beyond mortal comprehension. And it was trying to drag them into its abyss.

Sylas threw one of his daggers, aiming for the creature's hood, but the blade never reached its target. A ripple passed through the air, and the dagger slowed mid-flight before twisting unnaturally and shattering into dust.

Kael cursed under his breath. "It's warping reality."

Sylas didn't respond. He was already moving again, darting in low, using his speed to his advantage. His second dagger sliced through the Harbinger's robes, but instead of flesh, there was only emptiness. No blood, no substance—just an endless void.

Kael knew they had to find a way to anchor the creature to something tangible. Without that, it was invincible.

Then the Harbinger spoke.

The sound was not a voice but a chorus—thousands of voices overlapping, whispering, screaming, pleading. Each syllable it uttered carried the weight of countless souls, their despair forming the foundation of its power.

"Return… to… the abyss…"

Kael felt his vision blur. The words weren't just sound; they were invading his mind, twisting his thoughts, unraveling his will. He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to move, to fight.

With a battle cry, he surged forward, slashing his sword in a wide arc. The steel met resistance—not physical, but something else. His blade vibrated as it cut through the air, striking the edge of the void itself. Sparks of blue energy crackled at the point of contact, forcing the Harbinger to recoil slightly.

It could be hurt.

Kael locked eyes with Sylas. "We need to push it back. Keep it from spreading its influence."

Sylas nodded, his expression grim. "Then let's make it bleed—if it can."

The two warriors launched themselves at the Harbinger, their attacks precise, relentless. Kael's sword carved through the darkness, disrupting its form, while Sylas's daggers targeted its movements, forcing it to react, to defend.

But the Harbinger was not without its own weapons.

The shadows at its feet coiled and surged, forming spectral figures—echoes of the dead, their hollow eyes filled with sorrow. They lunged forward, clawing at Kael and Sylas with ethereal hands. Their touch was agony, not physical pain but something far worse. It was a sensation of drowning in memories that were not their own, feeling the weight of countless lives lost to the abyss.

Kael roared, shaking off the phantom grasp. He spun, his blade cutting through the wraiths, their forms dissipating into mist. But for each one he destroyed, two more took its place.

"This isn't working!" Sylas shouted as he barely dodged a grasping hand. "They keep coming!"

Kael knew they needed another approach. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, focusing—not on the physical, but on the energy surrounding them. The Harbinger was drawing power from somewhere. If they could sever that connection…

Then he felt it.

A pulse. Faint, beneath the layers of darkness, but there. A tether leading back to the Harbinger, feeding it strength. His father's magic. The same sickening presence that had tainted Malrik. That had imprisoned his mother's soul.

It was all connected.

Kael's eyes snapped open. "We need to disrupt its anchor."

Sylas dodged another wraith and landed beside him. "Where?"

Kael extended his senses, feeling for the source. And then he saw it. A flicker in the distance—something buried beneath the roots of an ancient, gnarled tree. The Harbinger's shadow was stretching toward it, feeding from it.

"There!" Kael pointed. "We break that, we break it."

Sylas didn't hesitate. "Cover me."

He sprinted toward the tree, weaving through the battlefield, his daggers slicing through anything that got in his way. Kael stepped forward, intercepting the Harbinger's retaliation. It knew what they were trying to do.

The creature's form expanded, its robes billowing like a storm, tendrils of darkness lashing out. Kael met them with fire and steel, his sword cutting through the blackness, his will unyielding. Every strike sent shockwaves rippling through the air, forcing the Harbinger back inch by inch.

Sylas reached the tree, dropping to his knees. He dug his hands into the earth, feeling for the core of the corruption. The energy burned against his skin, but he ignored it. With a growl, he plunged one of his daggers into the ground, channeling all of his energy into severing the link.

The reaction was immediate.

The Harbinger let out a sound that was neither human nor beast—an unholy shriek that shattered the night. Its form wavered, flickering between existence and nothingness.

Kael seized the opening. He charged, his blade glowing with a brilliant blue light. With a final, decisive strike, he plunged his sword into the Harbinger's chest.

For a heartbeat, everything was still.

Then the creature exploded into a vortex of shadow and shrieking souls, the darkness imploding upon itself. Kael and Sylas were thrown backward as the energy dissipated, leaving only silence in its wake.

Kael coughed, pushing himself up. The clearing was empty. The Harbinger was gone.

Sylas dusted himself off. "Well. That was fun."

Kael exhaled, exhausted but victorious. But as he looked at the remnants of the battlefield, at the lingering darkness, he knew this was only the beginning.

His father was still out there.

And the abyss was still waiting.