Chapter 23: The Whispering Abyss

The Storm Reaper groaned as if it were alive, the air crackling with an unnatural energy. Below deck, Evelyn tightened her grip on the control panel, her breath coming in short gasps. The artifact wasn't just reacting—it was speaking.

"You have awakened me."

The voice slithered through the room, an eerie amalgamation of whispers layered over one another, shifting in tone and inflection. It was as if a thousand voices spoke at once, yet none of them belonged to anything remotely human.

Evelyn's fingers hovered over the emergency shutdown sequence. "Victoria—"

The automaton's glowing eyes flickered. "Containment breach imminent."

No sooner had she spoken than the artifact pulsed again, sending a shockwave through the ship. Pipes burst overhead, hissing steam, and the walls trembled.

Above deck, Lucien barely had time to register the sudden shift before Crowe lunged at him.

The Crimson Hand captain was fast. Too fast.

Lucien dodged left, but Crowe anticipated it, landing a solid punch to his ribs. He staggered back, coughing.

"Slower than I remember, Graves," Crowe sneered, cocking his pistol. "Getting old?"

Lucien wiped blood from his lip, grinning. "Nah. Just pacing myself."

The ship lurched violently, and both men stumbled. A deep, guttural humming filled the air, reverberating through the hull.

Crowe narrowed his eyes. "What the hell—"

Before he could finish, a column of dark energy erupted from below deck, shooting into the sky like a beacon.

The world seemed to bend around it. The Crimson Hand soldiers froze, their eyes widening in horror. Even Rosie stopped firing, her hands trembling over the gun's controls.

Lucien's stomach dropped.

"Evelyn—what did you do?"

Below Deck: The Voice in the Dark

Evelyn barely had time to brace herself before the containment unit ruptured, spilling waves of crackling black-and-red energy into the room.

A shadowy form began to take shape above the artifact. Not quite a figure—more of a shifting mass, its outline flickering like a flame. And then… it turned toward her.

Ah.

The voices layered over one another, a chorus of amusement, curiosity, and something deeper. Something ancient.

Fascinating.

Evelyn's heart pounded. "Who—what are you?"

The entity shifted, the shadows warping. A question with many answers. A mind seeking understanding. A vessel unknowing of what it carries.

The energy lashed outward, tendrils of darkness licking at the walls. Victoria stepped forward, placing herself between Evelyn and the entity.

The voice chuckled.

Ah. The Machine with a Soul. How delightful.

Victoria's fingers twitched. "State your purpose."

The shadows pulsed, and suddenly, the ship screamed. The Storm Reaper itself—every gear, every rivet—wailed.

Evelyn staggered as images flooded her mind. Cities burning. Machines rising. A war that had never been recorded in history books. And at the center of it all—this artifact.

She gasped, gripping her head. "It's not just a power source. It's a prison."

The entity chuckled.

Yes. And you have unchained me.

Above Deck: The Chaos Unleashed

Lucien barely had time to react before the darkness burst through the deck like an explosion. Soldiers screamed as tendrils of energy wrapped around them, lifting them off their feet.

Crowe swore, backpedaling. "What the hell have you been playing with, Graves?"

Lucien didn't have an answer—only instincts. He grabbed Marion and Rosie, shoving them toward the ship's helm.

"Rosie—get us in the air! NOW!"

"But—"

"NOW!"

She didn't argue, sprinting to the controls as the ship shuddered.

Crowe, however, wasn't about to retreat. He reloaded his pistol and aimed it at Lucien. "I don't know what kind of nightmare you unleashed, but I'm still taking that artifact—"

The shadows moved.

One of the Crimson Hand soldiers let out a strangled gasp as the tendrils pulled him in. His body convulsed—then disintegrated into the swirling darkness.

Crowe paled. "What is this thing?!"

Lucien grabbed a rope as the ship tilted. "I don't know, but unless you want to be next, I'd suggest running!"

Crowe hesitated—then cursed and sprinted for his own ship.

Lucien turned back to the hatch. "Evelyn! What's happening down there?"

Her voice came through the steam and chaos. "I don't know!"

Selene grabbed his arm. "We have to get her out of there."

Lucien's gut twisted. He had faced airship battles, bounty hunters, even full-scale wars—but this was something different.

Something older.

Something hungry.

And it was awake.