Chapter 23: Echoes of the Abyss

Darkness swallowed them whole.

Kael felt weightless, as if he had been ripped from existence itself. There was no ground beneath him, no air in his lungs, no sense of up or down. Just an endless void stretching into eternity.

And then—

Pain.

A sharp, searing pain surged through his skull, like a thousand voices screaming directly into his mind. He clenched his teeth, trying to move, but his body wasn't his own. The void coiled around him, pulling him deeper, whispering things he couldn't understand.

Then, suddenly, light.

A cold, silvery glow flickered ahead, barely visible through the abyss. It pulsed like a heartbeat, growing brighter with each passing second. Kael reached for it, forcing his body to move, to fight against whatever unseen force held him captive.

And then—impact.

Kael hit the ground hard, his lungs seizing as he gasped for air. His body felt heavy, his limbs sluggish, like he had been submerged in freezing water. The scent of ancient stone and something metallic filled his nose.

A groan came from his right.

Sylva.

Kael turned his head and saw her lying on her side, clutching her temple. Her emerald eyes flickered open, dazed but alert. "That… was unpleasant," she muttered.

Kael forced himself upright, scanning their surroundings. They were no longer in the void. They were somewhere else.

The chamber around them was vast and eerily silent. Smooth, obsidian-like walls curved high above, meeting in a dome-like ceiling that pulsed with veins of silver energy. The floor beneath them was polished black stone, etched with strange symbols that seemed to shift when looked at directly.

Kael's grip on his sword tightened. "Where are we?"

Sylva pushed herself up, her gaze flicking across the chamber. "Not in Eldrath, that's for sure."

A massive archway stood at the far end of the room, its surface adorned with the same glowing sigils they had seen before. Beyond it, a corridor stretched into the unknown, its walls lined with floating orbs of light that pulsed with a rhythmic glow.

And then, Kael saw them.

Statues.

Lining both sides of the chamber were towering statues of armored figures, each standing in rigid formation. Their armor was unlike anything Kael had ever seen—smooth, seamless, and fused with the same silver energy coursing through the walls. Their faces were hidden behind featureless helmets, their hands gripping weapons of unknown design.

But the most unsettling part?

They weren't just statues.

Kael could feel them. A presence—dormant, waiting, watching.

Sylva must have sensed it too because she stepped closer, her fingers curling around the hilt of her dagger. "I don't think we're alone."

Kael exhaled slowly. "No, we're not."

The Guardians

They moved cautiously through the chamber, their footsteps echoing against the polished floor. The statues remained still, but the sensation of being observed never faded. It pressed against Kael's skin, an invisible weight settling over his shoulders.

The archway loomed ahead. Whatever lay beyond it, Kael knew there was no turning back.

As they stepped beneath the arch, a sudden pulse of energy rippled through the room.

And the statues moved.

Kael barely had time to react before the nearest one shifted, its head turning ever so slightly. A deep, mechanical hum resonated through the air, followed by the grinding of stone and metal.

Sylva took a sharp step back. "Kael—"

The statues' eyes lit up, glowing with an intense silver radiance.

And then, the chamber came alive.

The first guardian stepped forward, its movements fluid yet unnervingly precise. The others followed, their weapons unfolding with a series of sharp metallic clicks.

Kael raised his sword, his breath steady. "I think we woke them up."

The lead guardian tilted its head slightly, its glowing gaze locking onto Kael. And then—it spoke.

Not with words, but with thought. A voice inside Kael's mind.

"Outsiders. You stand upon forbidden ground."

Sylva winced, her hands flying to her temples. "Damn it, that's loud."

Kael didn't lower his weapon. "We're not here to fight."

The guardian took another step forward, its massive form towering over them.

"You were not meant to enter this place. The path has been sealed for eons."

Kael's grip tightened. "Then why does it still exist?"

A pause. The energy in the air shifted, as if the guardian was… considering.

And then, it spoke again.

"Because the past cannot be erased. Only buried."

Kael exchanged a look with Sylva. Buried.

So the voidspawn's warning had been true. This place—whatever it was—held something that was never meant to be found.

Sylva took a cautious step forward. "We don't seek destruction. We seek answers."

The guardian's gaze flickered, its silver glow intensifying. "Then you seek ruin."

The words sent a chill through Kael's bones.

And then—

The guardians attacked.

The Trial

The first guardian moved with impossible speed, lunging at Kael with a blade of pure energy. Kael barely dodged in time, rolling across the polished floor as the weapon sliced through the air, leaving a glowing trail.

Sylva darted to the side, flipping onto a broken pillar as another guardian struck, its halberd crashing down where she had stood seconds before.

Kael brought up his sword just in time to parry another strike. The impact sent a shockwave through his arms, nearly knocking the blade from his grasp. The guardian was strong—far stronger than any opponent he had faced before.

"We can't fight them head-on!" Sylva shouted, narrowly dodging another attack.

Kael gritted his teeth. She was right. The guardians were too fast, too precise. They weren't just warriors—they were something beyond human.

Then, he noticed something.

Each time they struck, their weapons pulsed with the same energy as the sigils on the walls. The moment their blades made contact, the glowing symbols flickered—just for a fraction of a second.

That was their key.

"Sylva! The sigils—watch them when they attack!"

Sylva's eyes flicked to the walls just as she dodged another strike. Then, her gaze snapped back to Kael. "I see it!"

Kael took a deep breath. "We don't beat them. We outplay them."

The next time a guardian lunged, Kael didn't dodge. He stepped into the attack. At the last possible moment, he twisted his blade, catching the guardian's weapon against the sigils on the floor.

The effect was instantaneous.

A pulse of energy disrupted the guardian's form, its glowing body flickering unstably. For a brief second, its movements staggered.

Sylva saw her opening.

She moved like lightning, flipping over the guardian and plunging her dagger into the center of its chest. The sigil on its body flared brightly—and then shattered.

The guardian collapsed, its form disintegrating into threads of silver light.

Kael exhaled sharply. "One down."

But the others were still advancing.

Sylva wiped sweat from her brow. "How many of these things do you think there are?"

Kael glanced at the looming corridor beyond the chamber. The guardians were only the first test.

This was just the beginning.

He gripped his sword, eyes locked onto the approaching figures.

No turning back now.