The night swallowed them as Gabi-Hi and Kael moved swiftly away from the cathedral, its towering silhouette fading into the horizon. The relic pulsed faintly, its weight far heavier than its physical form.
Kael cast a glance at her, his eyes sharp even in the dim light. "You're not telling me everything, are you?"
Gabi-Hi kept her gaze forward, her strides purposeful. "There's nothing to tell. The relic is dangerous, but we already knew that."
"That's not what I mean," he pressed. "The way you looked back there—like you were staring into the abyss itself. What did the vision show you?"
She halted abruptly, spinning to face him. "It doesn't matter," she said, her voice sharper than she intended. "What matters is keeping this relic out of the wrong hands. If we don't, none of us will survive."
Kael studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable. "Fine," he said at last. "But if this relic starts turning you into something else, I'll do what needs to be done."
Gabi-Hi's jaw tightened. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
They continued in silence, the tension between them palpable. The path ahead twisted through dense woods, the trees clawing at the sky like skeletal hands. The air was thick with an unnatural chill, and the faint sound of whispers drifted on the wind.
"Do you hear that?" Kael asked, his hand moving to the hilt of his blade.
She nodded, her senses sharpening. "We're not alone."
The shadows around them deepened, coalescing into forms that slithered and writhed. Out of the darkness emerged figures cloaked in black, their faces hidden beneath hoods. Their movements were unnervingly fluid, like shadows given life.
"Hand over the relic," one of them demanded, their voice echoing as though it came from multiple mouths.
Gabi-Hi drew her dagger, her stance unwavering. "Not a chance."
The figure tilted its head. "You don't understand what you're carrying. The relic belongs to us. It always has."
"Then you should have protected it better," she said, her voice cold.
The shadowy figures advanced, their forms shifting and distorting as they moved. Kael unsheathed his sword, stepping into position beside her.
"What's the plan?" he asked under his breath.
"Don't die," she replied, her focus fixed on their enemies.
The first strike came fast, a tendril of shadow lashing out at her. She dodged, her dagger slicing through the tendril as if it were smoke. Kael swung his blade with precision, cleaving through another shadowy form.
But for every one they struck down, two more emerged from the darkness. The shadows seemed endless, their attacks relentless.
"Gabi-Hi," Kael shouted, his voice strained. "We can't hold them off forever!"
She glanced at the relic in her satchel, its faint glow pulsating as if it were alive. Desperation clawed at her thoughts. The relic was powerful, but tapping into its strength could come at a cost.
"Hold them off," she said, her voice resolute.
Kael's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"
"Trust me," she said, pulling the relic from her satchel.
The moment her hand touched it, a surge of energy coursed through her, burning like fire and ice. The shadows recoiled, their movements faltering as if sensing the power she now wielded.
"Leave," she commanded, her voice resonating with an otherworldly authority. "Or be destroyed."
The shadows hesitated, their forms flickering. For a moment, it seemed as though they might retreat. But then the largest figure stepped forward, its form solidifying into something almost human.
"You can wield the relic's power," it said, its tone almost admiring. "But at what cost? The shadows take their toll, little heir."
Gabi-Hi's grip on the relic tightened. "I'll worry about that later."
The figure chuckled, a low, guttural sound. "Very well. We'll meet again, child of the shadows. When that relic has consumed you, you'll wish you had listened."
With that, the figures dissolved into the darkness, leaving the forest eerily quiet.
Kael sheathed his sword, his gaze fixed on her. "What was that?"
"The relic," she said simply, slipping it back into her satchel.
"And the cost?"
She didn't answer, her focus turning to the path ahead. "We need to move. There's no time to waste."
Kael stared at her for a moment before falling into step beside her. "You're going to get yourself killed, you know that?"
"If it means saving the world, then so be it," she said, her voice firm.
But even as she spoke, the shadow's warning lingered in her mind. The relic's power was not without its price, and she couldn't ignore the faint sense of dread creeping into her thoughts.
As the two of them pressed on, the forest began to thin, the shadows receding into the distance. Ahead, the mountains of the Abyss rose once more, their peaks shrouded in mist.
Gabi-Hi's resolve burned brighter than ever, but she couldn't shake the feeling that her journey was only beginning—and that the real danger lay not in the shadows, but in herself.