Descent into Oblivion

The storm raged above as Shin and his team pushed forward, the valley narrowing into a jagged chasm that seemed to swallow all light. The weight of the past encounter with the shadow lingered in his mind—its warnings, the visions it had shown him, the reality of what lay ahead. Tenka was evolving, becoming something beyond human comprehension. And if Shin wasn't prepared, he would fall just as the warrior before him had.

But he would not fall.

Kai walked beside him, his steps steady but tense. "I don't like this, Shin. That thing back there—it knew too much. And it showed us just enough to rattle us."

Aiko, trailing slightly behind, exhaled sharply. "The abyss keeps pulling us deeper. And the worst part? I don't think we have a choice."

"Tenka is forcing our hand," Daichi added, scanning the path ahead with sharp eyes. "He's waiting for us to come to him."

"And we will," Shin said. His Abyssal Eye pulsed faintly beneath his bangs, responding to the unseen forces pressing against them. The air felt heavier now, charged with an energy that made his skin crawl.

Rei, usually the most quiet of them all, spoke up. "We should expect an ambush."

No one disagreed.

The ground beneath them sloped downward, leading into the entrance of what had once been an ancient underground temple. Half-collapsed pillars lined the entrance, their inscriptions eroded by time. The very air inside felt different—thicker, alive, watching.

Aiko's fingers curled around her kunai. "I don't like this place."

"That makes two of us," Kai muttered.

Shin stepped inside first. The darkness swallowed him, but he did not stop. The others followed, their movements cautious, their weapons drawn.

Then the entrance sealed shut behind them.

Aiko cursed. "Of course."

The temperature dropped. The silence deepened. And then—they heard it.

A whisper.

No, many whispers.

They came from the walls, the floor, the very air itself.

"Welcome, wanderers…"

The voice slithered through the chamber, ancient and amused. A cold dread settled into Shin's stomach as the whispers formed into something tangible. Shadows pooled ahead, twisting into figures with hollow eyes and gaping mouths.

Wraiths.

Daichi tightened his grip on his blade. "Tell me those things aren't real."

Rei took a step forward, his voice eerily calm. "They're real enough to kill us."

The wraiths moved in unison, their forms flickering between solid and ethereal. Shin could feel them pressing against his mind, trying to pry into his thoughts.

He didn't let them.

Instead, he moved.

In a flash, his katana cut through the air, slicing through the first wraith. The blade should have passed harmlessly through—but instead, the void within him resonated. The wraith let out a shriek as it shattered into mist.

"They can be killed," Shin said. "Strike when they materialize."

The others wasted no time.

Kai weaved between two wraiths, his twin blades flashing like silver lightning. Aiko moved with precision, her kunai finding the exact moment to pierce. Daichi's swings were wide and brutal, cleaving through the misty forms, while Rei fought with eerie calm, his strikes almost surgical.

But the wraiths were endless.

For every one they cut down, another took its place.

"They're trying to wear us down," Aiko gritted out, breathing hard. "We need an exit—now!"

Shin's Abyssal Eye burned. He focused, reaching for the void within him, pulling at the threads of darkness that these creatures were made of. If they were born of the abyss, then he would command them.

The wraiths hesitated.

Shin pulled.

The shadows twisted, drawn toward him like moths to a flame. For a single, horrifying moment, he felt everything they had once been—shreds of souls, echoes of pain, remnants of the forgotten.

Then he crushed them.

The wraiths let out an ear-piercing shriek before dissolving into nothing.

Silence followed.

Kai stared at Shin. "What the hell did you just do?"

Shin exhaled slowly, his hands trembling slightly. "I don't know."

Aiko wiped sweat from her brow. "Let's not stick around to find out."

The chamber ahead had changed. The walls shimmered, revealing an opening that had not been there before. A path forward.

They had passed the first test.

But it would not be the last.

The deeper they went, the stronger the pull of the abyss became.

The second chamber was vast—far larger than the temple's exterior should have allowed. At its center, a massive monolith stood, inscribed with glyphs that pulsed like a heartbeat.

And standing before it… was him.

Tenka.

Clad in his midnight robes, his Abyssal Eye burning like a dying star, he greeted them with a slow, almost amused smile. "You've come far," he said. "Further than most."

Shin stepped forward, blade in hand. "It ends here, Tenka."

Tenka tilted his head. "Does it?"

Darkness exploded from his form.

The chamber shook.

The monolith cracked.

And something else—something ancient—began to stir.

Shin barely had time to react before the shadows around them came alive.

Not wraiths this time.

Something worse.

Tendrils of abyssal energy lashed out, tearing through stone like paper. Figures emerged—figures with no faces, no names, only endless hunger.

Tenka's creations.

"Let's see if you're worthy," Tenka whispered. Then he vanished into the void, leaving them to fight for their lives.

Shin gritted his teeth. "Formation! Now!"

The battle began anew.

And the abyss watched, waiting to see who would survive.

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