Yuto gasped for air as darkness swallowed him whole. He felt himself spiraling into the abyss, the weight of its power crushing him, suffocating him. The figure's voice echoed in his mind, a dark, oppressive presence that filled every corner of his consciousness.
"You are the Abyss, Yuto Kisaragi. There is no escape from what you are."
His body trembled violently as the overwhelming force of Abyss took hold. The dark flames flickered around him, swirling wildly, as though the very essence of the Abyss was consuming him from the inside out. Yuto clenched his fists, trying to hold on to some semblance of control, but it felt like grasping at smoke.
"Yuto!" Seiji's voice cut through the haze like a sharp blade. He was still slumped against the wall where the dark energy had thrown him, but he was pushing himself up, his face twisted in pain. "You have to fight it!"
The sound of Seiji's voice pulled Yuto back, if only for a moment. He blinked, trying to focus, trying to ground himself. But the figure in front of him—the shadowy entity that claimed to be the master of Abyss—loomed over him, its presence suffocating.
"Fight?" the figure's deep voice rumbled with amusement. "He can't fight the Abyss. No one can. The more he resists, the more it consumes him."
Yuto gritted his teeth, every muscle in his body straining against the pull of Abyss. He could feel it—an all-encompassing darkness clawing at him, trying to tear him apart. But deep down, beneath the chaos, there was something else—a spark. It was faint, but it was there. A memory. A voice from long ago.
"You are more than this power, Yuto. You always have been."
It was his brother's voice. The one he thought he had lost forever.
Suddenly, the darkness around him wavered, just for a moment. Yuto seized the opportunity, drawing on the spark of hope. "I'm… not going to let this consume me." His voice was low, but firm.
The figure's eyes flared with dark amusement. "Bold words, but meaningless. The Abyss is endless, and you are merely a vessel."
Yuto closed his eyes, focusing on the memory of his brother, on the warmth of his voice. He wasn't just a vessel. He was Yuto Kisaragi, and his fate wasn't written by the Abyss. Slowly, the swirling darkness around him began to slow, the flames flickering less wildly.
Seiji, still recovering, staggered toward Yuto, his eyes locked on him. "Yuto, listen to me. I know you can hear me in there. This thing—it's lying to you! You're stronger than this! You've always been!"
"Stronger?" the figure sneered. "The boy is barely holding on. He's broken, incomplete, and it's only a matter of time before Abyss takes him completely."
Seiji glared at the figure, gripping his sword tightly. "You don't know Yuto like we do. He's not broken—he's fighting. And he's going to beat you."
For a brief moment, Yuto's eyes met Seiji's. The words cut through the haze in his mind like a lifeline. Seiji believed in him. They all did. That was something the Abyss couldn't take away.
"I won't let you win," Yuto muttered through gritted teeth, pushing against the weight of the dark power that threatened to drown him. The flames around him began to subside, their intensity weakening as he fought back.
The shadowed figure's expression darkened. "Foolish boy. You cannot resist the Abyss forever."
But Yuto didn't care. He wasn't trying to resist forever—just long enough to find his way back.
Suddenly, from behind them, a burst of energy filled the air, and the oppressive weight of the Abyss seemed to lift slightly. Takeshi and Shiro had caught up, both of them breathing heavily but ready for a fight.
"Yuto, you have to snap out of it!" Takeshi shouted, his spear glowing with energy. "We'll handle this thing, but you need to take control!"
Shiro stood beside Takeshi, flames flickering in his hands. "Don't let this bastard win, Yuto. We've got your back!"
The words fueled the flickering spark inside Yuto. His friends—his allies—they were all fighting for him. For them, he couldn't afford to lose control. He couldn't let Abyss win.
Yuto inhaled sharply, focusing all of his willpower. He reached deep inside himself, grasping for that faint glimmer of control. Slowly, he felt the weight of Abyss begin to recede, the flames around him shrinking.
"No!" the shadowed figure growled, its eyes blazing with fury. "You cannot deny the Abyss! You are nothing without it!"
But Yuto wasn't listening anymore. He was beyond the voice, beyond the lies. He was remembering who he was—not a vessel for the Abyss, but his own person, with his own will.
With a roar, Yuto forced the dark flames back, pulling the power of Abyss under his control. The swirling energy around him stilled, and the oppressive darkness that had threatened to overwhelm him began to dissipate.
The shadowed figure glared at him, its form flickering as the power of Abyss weakened. "You… you will regret this, Yuto Kisaragi." The figure's voice was strained, its presence unraveling as Yuto's control grew stronger. "The Abyss will consume you in the end. That is inevitable."
Yuto narrowed his eyes, his body tense but stable. "Maybe. But not today."
With one final surge of willpower, Yuto pushed back against the figure's presence, and the shadowy form disintegrated into the air, the last remnants of its dark energy fading into the void.
The silence that followed was deafening. Yuto stood there, breathing hard, his hands still glowing faintly with dark energy, but under control. Abyss was still there, still a part of him, but for now, he had won.
Takeshi let out a low whistle, lowering his spear. "Well, that was… intense."
Shiro walked up to Yuto, eyeing him carefully. "You okay?"
Yuto nodded slowly, still catching his breath. "Yeah… I think so." He glanced down at his hands, watching the dark flames flicker faintly before dissipating. "It's still there, though. Abyss."
Seiji limped over, leaning on his sword for support. "It's always going to be there, Yuto. But you just proved that it doesn't control you. You control it."
Yuto smiled weakly, grateful for their support. "Thanks… all of you."
Shiro grinned, throwing an arm around Yuto's shoulder. "Don't get all sappy on us now. You're not out of the woods yet, buddy."
Takeshi nodded, his expression serious. "Shiro's right. We've got more to worry about. That thing might be gone, but we're still in the Abyss. And something tells me it's not going to let us leave without a fight."
Yuto's eyes hardened. He had come too far to back down now. The Abyss had thrown everything it had at him, and he was still standing. But Takeshi was right—this was far from over.
"Then we keep moving," Yuto said, his voice steady. "Whatever the Abyss throws at us next, we'll face it together."
The group nodded in agreement, and without another word, they began to move forward, deeper into the unknown. Yuto felt the weight of Abyss pressing on him, but he also felt the strength of his friends beside him.
And for the first time in a long while, he felt something else—hope