Whispers in the Dark

Shin Noragetsu stood at the edge of a towering precipice, overlooking an abyss so deep that even his sharp eyes could not see the bottom. The cavernous space stretched endlessly, its obsidian walls pulsing with an eerie glow. Every few moments, strange whispers echoed through the air—voices speaking in a language long forgotten, slipping in and out of his consciousness like a passing breeze.

His breath was steady, but his mind was on high alert. The trial of the abyss had changed something within him. He could feel the presence of the void now, not just around him but within. It was a strange sensation, like a heartbeat that did not belong to him, beating in sync with his own.

He took a cautious step forward. The moment his foot touched the ground, the cavern shifted. The walls twisted, the darkness deepened, and the very air grew heavy. Shin clenched his fists, prepared for whatever came next.

"Noragetsu…"

The whisper slithered through the void, the voice neither friend nor foe—just an entity of pure existence. Shin did not flinch. He had heard it before, countless times since awakening to his newfound connection with the abyss.

"I hear you," he said, his voice unwavering.

The shadows coiled and twisted, forming an amorphous shape before him. The darkness pulled together, condensing into a towering figure. It had no distinct face, only two piercing, silver slits where eyes should be. Its form flickered, shifting between solid and incorporeal, like a wraith caught between worlds.

"You have passed the first trial," the entity murmured. "But the void does not accept those who merely wield it. You must become one with the darkness... or be consumed by it."

Shin tightened his grip on his katana, the steel glinting with the faint glow of the abyss. "Then test me."

The shadow moved. In the blink of an eye, it surged forward, its form distorting like liquid smoke. Shin barely had time to react before a tendril of darkness lashed out, wrapping around his wrist. A sharp, icy pain shot through his arm, and for a moment, his vision blurred.

A battlefield. Corpses littered the ground, their faces twisted in agony. Smoke curled into the air, the scent of blood thick in his nostrils. He saw figures in the distance—familiar ones. Friends. Comrades. Dead.

Shin staggered backward, heart hammering in his chest. The vision faded as quickly as it came, but the weight of it lingered.

"A glimpse of what awaits those who fail," the shadow hissed. "Do you understand now? The void is not just power. It is knowledge. It is suffering. It is eternity."

Shin exhaled sharply. He had seen death before, but this was different. It felt real. Too real. He rolled his shoulders, pushing away the lingering dread. "If the void wishes to break me, it will have to try harder."

The entity chuckled, a hollow, unsettling sound. "Then let us continue."

The darkness surged again, this time taking the form of multiple figures. Shadowy warriors, wielding weapons of abyssal energy, materialized around him. Their movements were erratic, unpredictable—faster than any human.

Shin wasted no time. He moved, his katana slicing through the first shadow. The figure dissipated, but the others closed in. He weaved between their strikes, his instincts guiding him through the chaos. Each attack was met with precision, but the moment he cut one down, another would take its place.

There was no end to them.

Shin grit his teeth. He was fighting shadows—literally. If he wanted to win, he needed to change his approach.

Stepping back, he closed his eyes for just a moment. He let the void flow through him, allowed it to whisper its secrets. The darkness was not his enemy. It was his weapon.

When he opened his eyes, his blade pulsed with abyssal energy. The next time the shadows lunged, he did not strike them with steel—he struck them with the void itself. The energy lashed out, unraveling the figures at their core. They shrieked before fading into nothing.

One by one, they fell, until only the entity remained.

Shin steadied his breathing, keeping his stance firm. "Is that all?"

The figure was silent for a long moment. Then, slowly, it stepped forward. The cavern trembled with its approach. "You have begun to understand," it said. "But the void is limitless. And you… are still bound by form."

Before Shin could react, the darkness lunged again. But this time, it did not attack his body. It went for his mind.

Pain.

It was like nothing he had ever felt before. His thoughts fractured, memories shifting like broken glass. He saw himself as a child, alone in the snow. He saw the faces of the people he had lost, their voices calling out to him. And then—he saw something else.

A figure, standing at the center of the abyss. Clad in black, with piercing crimson eyes that burned with unnatural light.

Tenka.

Shin gasped as he was yanked back into reality. His knees buckled, sweat dripping from his brow.

The entity watched him. "You see now, don't you?" it murmured. "The void does not serve you. It does not bow to your will. It simply is. And those who seek to control it… must first surrender to it."

Shin took a shaky breath, his heart still racing. He met the entity's gaze, his expression unreadable.

"I won't be controlled," he said finally. "Not by the void. Not by anyone."

The figure tilted its head. "We shall see."

The darkness shifted once more, and the cavern around him dissolved.

When Shin opened his eyes, he was back at the temple's entrance. The trial was over.

But as he stood there, feeling the remnants of the void still lingering in his veins, he knew one thing for certain.

This was only the beginning.

-----------

For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Oskin