The swirling mists thickened as Gabi-Hi began her ascent into the jagged mountains. The path was treacherous, carved into the rock by forces long forgotten, and each step brought her closer to the ominous energy emanating from the Abyss.
The darkness was unlike anything she'd felt before—it wasn't just the absence of light but a living, breathing presence pressing against her mind. Every whisper of wind carried voices, faint and unintelligible, but hauntingly familiar.
Hours passed, or maybe days; time had little meaning here. The higher she climbed, the more the mountains seemed to warp around her. Shadows stretched unnaturally long, and the ground beneath her feet shifted as if alive.
It wasn't until she reached a narrow ridge overlooking the heart of the Abyss that she realized she was no longer alone. A figure stood at the edge, cloaked in shadows that seemed to ripple with the same unnatural energy as the Abyss itself. Gabi-Hi's heart raced as she approached cautiously, her hand resting on the hilt of her dagger.
"You've come far, exile," the figure said, its voice deep and resonant, echoing as though it came from everywhere and nowhere at once.
Gabi-Hi stilled. "Who are you?"
The figure turned, revealing a face obscured by a mask of blackened steel. "A guardian," it said simply. "Bound to the Abyss and its secrets. No one enters without paying the price."
"What price?" Gabi-Hi demanded, gripping her dagger tightly.
The guardian tilted its head, as though amused. "The Abyss does not take gold or blood. It feeds on fear, on memories, on the very essence of who you are. To enter is to risk losing yourself entirely."
Gabi-Hi's jaw tightened. "I don't have a choice."
"Few ever do," the guardian replied. "But know this: the relic you seek will not save you. It will consume you, just as it has consumed countless others."
The words sent a chill down her spine, but Gabi-Hi forced herself to meet the guardian's gaze. "If that's the price to stop the darkness, I'll pay it."
The guardian was silent for a moment, then stepped aside, gesturing toward the swirling vortex below. "Then enter. But remember, exile: the Abyss reflects the soul. What you find within will be yours to face alone."
Taking a deep breath, Gabi-Hi stepped past the guardian and began her descent into the Abyss. The air grew colder with each step, and the shadows seemed to cling to her like a living thing. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as she crossed the threshold, and the world around her dissolved into darkness.
For a moment, there was nothing—no sound, no light, no sensation. And then, like a crack in the void, images began to form. Memories, long buried and half-forgotten, played out before her eyes.
She saw her younger self training with the Shadow Clan, her blade striking true as she fought against her peers. She saw the pride in her elders' eyes and the bonds she had forged with those who would later betray her. And then, she saw the moment of her exile—the look of cold detachment on the elders' faces as they cast her out, the sting of betrayal burning hotter than any wound.
The shadows around her shifted, and the memories grew darker. She saw the Specter's face as the black mist consumed him, heard the warning in his voice: The prophecy... it's already begun.
The Abyss seemed to twist these memories, turning them into a grotesque parody of reality. The Specter's face melted into that of someone else—someone familiar yet impossible to place. The shadows whispered her name, mocking and cajoling, their voices growing louder until they were deafening.
Gabi-Hi fell to her knees, clutching her head. "Enough!" she shouted, her voice echoing into the void.
The shadows recoiled, their laughter fading into silence. And then, from the darkness, a single figure emerged—a mirror image of herself, clad in black armor and holding a blade that seemed to drink the light around it.
"You cannot escape what you are," the doppelgänger said, its voice an exact echo of her own. "You are not a savior. You are a shadow, born to destroy."
Gabi-Hi gritted her teeth, drawing her dagger. "I am what I choose to be."
The doppelgänger smirked, raising its blade. "Then prove it."
As the two clashed, their blades ringing out in the void, Gabi-Hi realized that this was the true test of the Abyss—not strength, but the will to face herself and the darkness within.