Chapter 17: Eyes in the Shadows
The presence had been there for days now—a constant, unsettling feeling just on the edge of Lahsiv’s awareness. It had first appeared after his encounter with the man who claimed to be a master of the Abyss, but it hadn’t disappeared since. Whether during training or in his private moments, he could feel the eyes on him, watching from the shadows. The sense of being hunted.
Lahsiv didn’t let it bother him outwardly. He had faced worse threats than someone skulking in the dark. But still, the fact that someone or something was tracking his movements so closely was a problem he couldn’t ignore for long. Whoever it was clearly understood the nature of the Abyss, which meant they were dangerous. And if they were connected to the Academy’s deeper secrets, it would mean they knew more than Lahsiv did at this moment—a position he refused to accept.
That evening, as the Academy’s curfew bell rang through the stone halls, Lahsiv made his decision. It was time to confront the watcher. If they thought they could move in the shadows undetected, they clearly hadn’t anticipated Lahsiv’s growing mastery of the Abyss. His control over the shadows gave him a clear advantage. He would not let himself be a prey—he would turn the tables and hunt down whoever was lurking in the darkness.
The corridors of the Academy were quiet as Lahsiv slipped through the halls, moving toward the older, less traveled parts of the fortress. The Academy had many wings, some of which were rarely used. It was in these forgotten places that he suspected his watcher hid.
He used Shadow Veil, wrapping himself in darkness as he passed unseen through the moonlit halls. His senses were sharp, his connection to the Abyss guiding him toward the presence that had been trailing him. The deeper he ventured into the older parts of the Academy, the more pronounced the feeling became, as if the shadows themselves were whispering warnings to him. But Lahsiv was ready.
The hallways grew darker, the torches spaced further apart. The walls were lined with faded tapestries and worn stone, remnants of an earlier time in the Academy’s history. These halls were cold, almost untouched by the life and activity that filled the rest of the fortress. And in this silence, Lahsiv felt the presence of his watcher draw closer.
He stopped in front of a large, heavy door. Its surface was carved with intricate symbols, faintly glowing with the familiar energy of the Abyss. Lahsiv could feel the pull of the dark energy from beyond the door, as if the room itself had been touched by the same force that had empowered him.
Without hesitation, he placed his hand on the door, and it creaked open with a low groan. Inside, the room was dimly lit by a few flickering candles, casting long shadows that stretched across the floor. At first glance, the room seemed empty. But Lahsiv knew better.
He stepped inside, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he scanned the room. The air was thick with dark energy, and the shadows seemed to shift unnaturally, as if they had a will of their own.
“Show yourself,” Lahsiv said, his voice cold and commanding.
For a moment, there was only silence. Then, slowly, a figure emerged from the darkest corner of the room, stepping into the faint candlelight. The man was tall, his face obscured by a deep hood, though his presence radiated power. The shadows clung to him like a second skin, swirling around him as if they were alive.
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“So you’ve finally come,” the man said, his voice smooth and quiet. “I was wondering when you would sense me fully.”
Lahsiv’s eyes narrowed. He recognized the man’s aura—it was the same one he had felt in the Abyssal Hall, the one who had spoken to him after he had touched the dark crystal. The man from the shadows.
“You’ve been following me,” Lahsiv said flatly. “Why?”
The man’s lips curled into a faint smile beneath the shadow of his hood. “Because you are different from the others. You’ve touched the Abyss in ways they can’t comprehend. You’ve tasted its power… but you’ve yet to understand its true nature.”
Lahsiv drew his sword, the Sword of Ruin gleaming faintly in the dim light. “I’m not here for riddles. If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, this ends now.”
The man didn’t flinch, his smile growing ever so slightly. “Impatient. Good. That will serve you well in the trials to come. But no, I didn’t come to fight you—not yet.”
He stepped forward, the shadows parting before him like water. “You’ve felt it, haven’t you? The pull of the Abyss. Its power calls to you, but you resist it. You believe you can master it, bend it to your will.”
“I already have,” Lahsiv replied, his tone sharp. “The Abyss is mine to command.”
The man let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “No, child. The Abyss is never truly yours. It is a force beyond comprehension, beyond control. It is a living thing, a dark tide that consumes all who stand in its way. You may have gained a fragment of its power, but you are still bound by it. You’ve only just begun to scratch the surface.”
Lahsiv’s grip tightened on his sword. He had heard enough. “If you think you can scare me, you’re wasting your time.”
“I’m not here to scare you,” the man said, his voice calm. “I’m here to offer you a choice.”
Lahsiv paused, his eyes narrowing. “A choice?”
The man nodded. “You’ve seen what the Abyss can do—what it can offer. But you haven’t seen its full potential. The Academy teaches you to control Light and Dark Karma, to balance them. But the Abyss is not about balance. It’s about transcendence. It’s about breaking free from the limits of this world and ascending to something greater.”
Lahsiv listened, though his expression remained cold. The man’s words echoed the very thoughts that had been stirring in Lahsiv’s mind since his encounter with the dark crystal. He had always known that the Academy’s teachings were only a fraction of the truth, that there was more power to be unlocked, more than the others could ever hope to understand.
“What are you offering?” Lahsiv asked, his tone guarded.
The man smiled again, stepping closer. “Join me. Let me teach you the true ways of the Abyss. Together, we can unlock its full power. You are already strong, but with my guidance, you could become something far more than just a student. You could ascend to heights no one here can reach.”
Lahsiv considered the man’s words carefully. There was no doubt that the Abyss held greater power than he had yet tapped into. But there was also danger in blindly trusting someone who claimed to know its secrets. The man clearly had his own agenda, and Lahsiv had no intention of becoming a pawn in someone else’s game.
“And what’s in it for you?” Lahsiv asked, his eyes locked on the man’s hooded face.
The man’s smile didn’t waver. “I am a servant of the Abyss. Its will is my will. I don’t seek power for myself—I seek to unleash it, to set it free. You are a vessel for that power, Lahsiv. Together, we can bring the Abyss to its full potential.”
Lahsiv’s mind raced, weighing the offer against the risks. He could sense the truth in the man’s words—the Abyss was far more than a simple source of Dark Karma. But there was also something else, something the man wasn’t telling him. A hidden motive, buried beneath the smooth talk of transcendence.
Lahsiv lowered his sword slightly, though he remained on guard. “I don’t need a mentor. If the Abyss has more to offer, I’ll find it on my own.”
The man’s expression remained calm, but there was a flicker of something darker in his eyes. “Very well. But know this, Lahsiv—you are not the only one seeking the Abyss’s power. There are others. And they will come for you when they realize what you’ve gained.”
Lahsiv didn’t respond, his mind already turning to the possibilities. He knew the other students were watching him, but if what this man said was true, there were forces beyond the Academy that were also interested in his power.
The man took a step back, the shadows beginning to swirl around him once more. “When you’re ready to learn the true nature of the Abyss, you’ll know where to find me.”
With that, the man vanished into the darkness, leaving Lahsiv alone in the dimly lit room. The oppressive energy faded, but the warning lingered in the air.
As Lahsiv left the room and made his way back to his quarters, his thoughts were consumed by what he had just learned. The Abyss was not just a source of power—it was alive, a force that existed beyond the bounds of the Academy. And there were others—other forces, other factions—that sought to control it.
But Lahsiv had no intention of being controlled.
He would continue to walk the path of the Abyss, but on his own terms. If others came for him, he would be ready. And if the Abyss had more to offer, he would take it, but not as someone else’s tool.
The shadows may have been watching him, but Lahsiv knew one thing for certain.
Soon, he would be the one controlling them.