Aethren awoke to the sound of Kaelor sharpening his blade, the rhythmic scrape echoing in the still air. The Shatterfield stretched endlessly before them, its jagged rocks and barren plains seeming even more oppressive in the dim, gray light.
“How long was I out?” Aethren asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
“Long enough,” Kaelor replied without looking up. “We need to move soon. The Riftbeast wasn’t the only threat out here.”
Aethren groaned, his body aching from the battle. “You mean there’s more?”
Kaelor sheathed his blade and stood. “Always. The Abyss doesn’t rest, and neither can we.”
----------------------------------------
They set off again, the shard glowing faintly in Aethren’s hand. Its light was weaker than before, but it still provided a measure of comfort against the oppressive gloom of the Shatterfield.
“What exactly is the shard?” Aethren asked as they walked.
Kaelor glanced at him, his expression unreadable. “A fragment of the Nexus’s power, a remnant of the ancient force that keeps the Abyss at bay. It’s a tool, a weapon, and a key all at once.”
“And why do I have it?”
“Because it chose you,” Kaelor said simply. “The Nexus has a will of its own, and it saw something in you.”
Aethren frowned. “I wish it had chosen someone else. I’m not exactly hero material.”
Kaelor smirked. “Neither am I, but here we are.”
----------------------------------------
As the day wore on, the landscape began to change. The jagged rocks grew taller and closer together, forming a maze-like terrain that forced them to slow their pace. The air grew heavier, and the hum that had haunted them since entering the Shatterfield seemed to grow louder.
“We’re nearing the Rift’s Edge,” Kaelor said, his voice low. “This is where the Veil is weakest.”
Aethren shivered. “And that’s a bad thing, right?”
Kaelor nodded. “It means we’re closer to the Nexus, but it also means the Abyss’s influence is stronger. Stay alert.”
----------------------------------------
The first sign of trouble came as a whisper on the wind. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but it sent a chill down Aethren’s spine.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
“Did you hear that?” he asked, gripping the shard tightly.
Kaelor stopped, his hand on his sword. “Voices. They’re not real, but they can still be dangerous.”
“What do you mean, not real?”
“The Abyss doesn’t just send creatures to kill us,” Kaelor explained. “It plays with our minds, using our fears and doubts against us. Ignore the voices, no matter what they say.”
Easier said than done, Aethren thought as the whispers grew louder. They were indistinct at first, a jumble of words that he couldn’t make sense of. But then they began to take shape, forming a voice he recognized all too well.
“You’ll never be enough,” the voice sneered, dripping with venom.
Aethren froze, his heart pounding. It was the voice of his brother, Rylan, echoing from the depths of his memory.
“You’re weak, Aethren. Always have been, always will be.”
“No,” Aethren muttered, shaking his head. “It’s not real. It’s not real.”
Kaelor grabbed his shoulder, snapping him out of it. “Focus, Aethren! Don’t let it in!”
Aethren nodded, his breath coming in shallow gasps. He tightened his grip on the shard, its faint warmth anchoring him to the present.
----------------------------------------
The voices didn’t stop, but Aethren forced himself to keep moving. He tried to block them out, focusing on Kaelor’s steady presence ahead of him.
But then the shadows began to move.
They were subtle at first, shifting at the edges of his vision. But as they pressed deeper into the maze, the shadows grew bolder, coalescing into humanoid forms that stalked them from a distance.
“Kaelor,” Aethren whispered, “we’re not alone.”
Kaelor’s hand moved to his sword. “I know. Keep your wits about you. They’ll strike when we’re most vulnerable.”
“What are they?”
“Echoes,” Kaelor said. “Shadows of those who’ve fallen to the Abyss. They’re drawn to the shard’s light.”
----------------------------------------
The first Echo attacked without warning, lunging from the shadows with a clawed hand outstretched. Aethren barely had time to react, raising the shard instinctively. A burst of light erupted from it, forcing the Echo to retreat with a hiss.
Kaelor was already in motion, his blade slicing through another Echo as it emerged from the darkness. The creature dissolved into smoke, its form unraveling as Kaelor’s sword struck true.
“They’re weak against light,” Kaelor said, his movements fluid and precise. “Use the shard!”
Aethren nodded, summoning the shard’s power. Beams of light shot from it, illuminating the maze and driving the Echoes back.
But for every Echo they destroyed, more seemed to take its place. The maze was alive with shadows, the air thick with whispers that clawed at Aethren’s mind.
“We can’t keep this up,” he shouted, his voice hoarse.
Kaelor gritted his teeth. “Then we push through. The Rift’s Edge is close. Once we’re out of the Shatterfield, they’ll lose their strength.”
----------------------------------------
They fought their way forward, the shard’s light carving a path through the darkness. Aethren’s arms ached, and his energy waned, but he forced himself to keep going.
Finally, they emerged from the maze into a vast, open expanse. The air was colder here, the hum of the Shatterfield replaced by an eerie silence.
“We’re out,” Kaelor said, lowering his sword.
Aethren collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. “That was... too close.”
Kaelor nodded, his expression grim. “It’ll only get harder from here. The Abyss won’t stop until it has the shard—and you.”
Aethren looked up at him, his exhaustion tempered by determination. “Then we’ll just have to keep going, won’t we?”
Kaelor allowed himself a small smile. “You’re learning.”
As they prepared to continue their journey, Aethren couldn’t shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come.