The journey toward the Abyss of Shadows began at dawn, with Tal'Rem fading behind Gabi-Hi like a distant memory. She moved swiftly, her steps silent as the city's gates closed behind her. The road stretched ahead, winding through barren landscapes and thickening forests, each step taking her closer to the heart of darkness.
The weight of Ronan's words still pressed heavily upon her mind. The Specters—the once-noble protectors—were now in the grip of something far more sinister. The Shadow Clan, her former brothers and sisters, had fallen. But she couldn't dwell on what had been lost. There was too much at stake.
She traveled alone for now, but Ronan was right. She needed allies. And not just any allies—she needed those who could navigate the darkness as well as she could. Her thoughts turned to the forgotten factions scattered throughout the realm, the ones who had no loyalty to the light or dark, but to survival alone.
By midday, she reached the edge of the Desolate Plains, a vast stretch of barren land that separated Tal'Rem from the deep wastelands. The air here was heavy with dust and decay, the ground cracked and brittle beneath her feet. Nothing grew here, and nothing lived save for the carrion birds that circled overhead.
It was here that she would find her first ally.
Narrowing her gaze, she scanned the horizon. There, a figure stood motionless atop a distant ridge, draped in ragged cloaks that fluttered in the wind. Gabi-Hi approached with caution, her hand never straying far from the dagger hidden beneath her cloak.
The figure did not move as she neared, but the air around them seemed to hum with a quiet power. As Gabi-Hi drew closer, the figure turned, revealing a face half-hidden by a veil, the eyes gleaming with an otherworldly glow.
"Gabi-Hi," the figure rasped, voice like the wind through the dead trees. "I've been expecting you."
She stopped, her own voice steady despite the unease prickling her skin. "Suriya."
Suriya was an enigma, a wanderer who had long been rumored to possess strange and ancient powers. Her origins were unknown, her motives ever-shifting, but if there was anyone who could navigate the path ahead, it was her.
"You know why I've come," Gabi-Hi said, not wasting any time.
Suriya tilted her head, her lips curling into a faint smile. "The Abyss of Shadows," she said softly. "You're walking into death's embrace."
"Not if I can stop it," Gabi-Hi replied, her voice firm. "Will you help me?"
For a long moment, Suriya said nothing, her glowing eyes studying Gabi-Hi as if she could see into her very soul. Finally, she nodded, the faintest of movements. "I will guide you to the edge of the Abyss. But beyond that, your fate is your own."
It wasn't much, but it was enough. Gabi-Hi had learned long ago not to rely on anyone completely—especially those with unclear loyalties. But Suriya's knowledge of the wastelands was invaluable.
Together, they set off into the heart of the plains, their path growing darker with every step. The wind howled around them, carrying with it the faintest whispers of voices long dead. Shadows twisted and danced at the edge of her vision, but Gabi-Hi knew better than to look too closely.
"Tell me," she said after hours of silence. "What do you know of the darkness in the east?"
Suriya's eyes flickered toward her, unreadable beneath her veil. "It is an ancient power," she said. "Older than the Shadow Clan, older than Tal'Rem itself. It was sealed long ago, but such things never remain buried forever."
"Do you know how to stop it?"
Suriya's laugh was cold, sending a shiver down Gabi-Hi's spine. "Stop it? No. I can show you the way, but stopping such a force is beyond any mortal's power. You will need something far greater."
Gabi-Hi's jaw clenched. She had suspected as much, but hearing it aloud only solidified her growing dread. "Then what do you suggest?"
Suriya paused, her gaze shifting toward the horizon, where the faint outline of jagged mountains loomed in the distance. "There is a relic," she said slowly. "A weapon forged in the time before the clans. It is said to hold the power of both light and shadow, but it has been lost for centuries."
"Where?"
"The Abyss of Shadows," Suriya replied. "Buried deep within the heart of the darkness."
Of course. Everything led back to the Abyss. Gabi-Hi nodded, her resolve hardening. If this relic existed, she would find it. She had no other choice.
As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the desolate landscape, they reached the edge of the wastelands. The mountains rose before them, their peaks disappearing into a thick, swirling mist that seemed to pulse with an unnatural energy.
Beyond those mountains lay the Abyss of Shadows. And beyond that, her destiny.
Suriya stopped, her gaze fixed on the dark peaks. "This is where I leave you, Gabi-Hi," she said. "The path ahead is yours alone."
Gabi-Hi turned to her, her eyes narrowing. "You're not coming?"
Suriya's smile was sad, almost pitying. "I've already walked my path into the darkness. Now it's your turn."
Without another word, she vanished into the mist, leaving Gabi-Hi standing at the threshold of the unknown.
Gabi-Hi took a deep breath, steeling herself for what lay ahead. The wind howled around her, the shadows twisting and writhing at the edge of her vision, but she pushed forward.
The Abyss awaited.
And she would face it alone.