The air grew heavier as they ventured deeper into the cavern, the darkness pressing in around them like an unyielding force. The only light was from the faint glow of Mary's crimson eyes, the soft pulse of Lela's spear, and the subtle shimmer of Eris's magic as she conjured a small orb of light to guide their way.
The walls of the cavern were slick with moisture, the sound of dripping water echoing eerily in the silence. The deeper they went, the colder it became, and the temperature was dropping fast. Each breath that Mary took felt colder than the last, her vampire senses hyper-aware of the creeping chill. It wasn't just the cold—it was as though the very bones of the earth were rejecting them.
"This place feels... wrong," Lela muttered, her voice low and tense. "Like something ancient is sleeping here."
Mary nodded, her instincts on high alert. "Lucian's power... it's here. I can feel it."
They walked in tense silence for a while, the darkness growing deeper the further they descended. Eventually, the narrow tunnel opened up into a massive chamber, its size impossible to discern. The cavern's floor was uneven, with jagged rocks protruding from the ground like twisted, sharp teeth. There were no natural sources of light here—just the inescapable weight of shadow.
And then, in the center of the cavern, they saw it.
A large stone altar, draped in black cloth, its surface covered in symbols that shimmered with a faint, ethereal light. Atop the altar, surrounded by intricate runes, lay Lucian Valkar—or what was left of him. His body was a shadow of the once-mighty figure they had battled in the Cathedral. He was no longer the perfect, god-like hunter who had commanded the Order's armies. Instead, he looked… withered, as though something had drained him, leaving only a husk of his former self.
"What is this?" Eris whispered, stepping forward. "What happened to him?"
Mary's gaze never left Lucian's still form, her heart pounding in her chest. "He's not dead... but he's not alive either. This is some sort of ritual, a binding."
Loosie stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. "A binding? To what?"
Mary's lips tightened into a grim line. She didn't have an answer, but her instincts screamed at her that they were at the heart of something far darker than they had anticipated.
Suddenly, Lucian's eyes snapped open.
The darkness in them wasn't the same as before. It wasn't the cold, calculated malice of a hunter—it was something older, something primordial. His pupils were mere slits, glowing with an eerie, otherworldly light.
"You should not have come here," Lucian's voice echoed, but it was not his voice—not entirely. It was layered with something else, a deep, guttural tone that sent chills down Mary's spine.
"Lucian," Mary called out, stepping forward. "What is this? What have you done?"
Lucian's lips curled into a twisted grin. "I have unlocked the True Abyss. And now... you will be the first to witness it."
Without warning, the ground beneath their feet shuddered. The cavern walls groaned as if they were alive, as if the entire mountain was waking up.
"Get ready!" Lela shouted, raising her spear.
Lucian's body began to twist and convulse, as though it was being torn apart by invisible forces. His skin rippled like water, his very form breaking down into dark, viscous liquid that splattered onto the altar and splashed across the cavern floor.
"Stay back!" Mary ordered, her voice sharp. Her senses flared as a powerful energy swirled around them, both intoxicating and terrifying.
And then, from the shadows, it emerged.
A creature of pure darkness, its form shifting and writhing like a living nightmare. It was taller than any man, its body a mass of ever-changing shadow, with tendrils reaching out like claws. It had no face, but Mary could feel its eyes—hundreds of eyes, all staring at her, all watching.
"This is it," Lucian's voice came again, though now it was distorted, coming from the creature itself. "The Abyssal Beast, the true power of the ancients. It is my gift, my curse. It is eternal. And now... it will destroy you."
The creature lunged forward, tendrils reaching out like blades of darkness. The air was filled with the screams of souls trapped within it, voices twisted in agony and rage.
"Run!" Loosie shouted, as she darted to the side, narrowly avoiding one of the tendrils. "Mary, you need to stop it!"
Mary felt the weight of the situation. They couldn't escape—not unless they destroyed whatever was holding Lucian's twisted power together.
"Eris!" Mary shouted, turning toward her. "Focus all your magic on the altar!"
Eris nodded, raising her hands and muttering an incantation under her breath. The air around her began to crackle with raw magical energy, and a beam of light shot toward the altar. But before it could reach its target, a dark tendril shot out and snatched the beam, pulling it into the shadows with ease.
"It's feeding on our magic!" Lela said, as she swung her spear at one of the tendrils, only to have it dissipate into mist before reforming into another deadly strike.
"Then we use the only thing it can't consume." Mary gritted her teeth. "We use ourselves."
Mary turned to her companions, eyes flashing with determination. "Focus your attacks on Lucian. He's the anchor. He's holding it all together."
"But he's—" Loosie began, but Mary cut her off.
"I know! But if we don't stop him, that thing will kill us all."
Loosie hesitated, but then nodded. "Alright. Let's end this."
They launched into action.
The Final Stand
Mary rushed toward the altar, her saber raised high. The Abyssal Beast swiped at her, but she moved with vampiric speed, avoiding its attacks as she closed the distance. Her saber flashed, cutting through one of the tendrils. But with every strike, the creature seemed to multiply, splitting into more shadows, each one moving faster, more erratically.
"Focus! Focus on the ritual!" Mary shouted again, trying to keep the beast at bay.
Eris and Loosie were already moving. Loosie tossed her daggers, each one glowing with a faint magical light as they cut through the air like deadly arrows. Eris's magic crackled around her, small blasts of energy hitting the creature, though they barely slowed it down.
Lela was the first to strike at the altar itself. Her spear connected with the stone, sending ripples of energy through the ground as the power of the strike reverberated through the cavern. The runes around the altar shuddered in response.
Suddenly, the creature let out an ear-piercing screech, its form convulsing as if it were caught in the grip of some invisible force. Its tendrils began to thrash uncontrollably, and for the first time since it had appeared, it seemed vulnerable.
It was working.
But Lucian's distorted voice filled the air once more. "You think you can stop me? You think you can stop the abyss?"
Mary's eyes narrowed. "Yes. We will stop you."
With one final strike, she hurled her saber toward Lucian's still form on the altar.