The moment Maerlyn's hand made contact with the crystal, everything around him collapsed into a blur. Time seemed to stretch and warp as if the very fabric of reality had been torn asunder. The pulsating orb before him grew impossibly large, expanding until it filled his entire vision. The air around him crackled with an energy that was both ancient and incomprehensible, a force that vibrated through his bones, shaking the very core of his being.
He felt his body being pulled inward, as though the crystal was sucking the essence of his soul, unraveling him from the inside out. His skin burned with a cold fire, and his mind spun in a storm of images, flashes of forgotten memories, and cryptic symbols. He could hear voices, millions of voices, whispering in a language he didn't understand, but the meaning of their words clawed at the edges of his consciousness.
He gasped, struggling to breathe as the energy around him intensified, flooding his senses. His heart pounded violently in his chest, but the sound of it was drowned by a deep, thunderous hum that seemed to emanate from the very walls of the spire. He felt his legs weaken, as if the ground beneath him was slipping away, yet he stood frozen, unable to move.
A voice, ancient and filled with sorrow, rang out from the depths of the crystal.
You have come seeking the truth, Maerlyn of the Mortal Realms. But know this—truth is not a gift, nor is it something that can be simply given. It is a burden, a chain that binds the soul to the fabric of existence. Do you truly wish to carry that weight?
The voice reverberated through him, shaking his very being to its foundations. The words were clear, but they seemed to carry an undertone of something much darker, something that pressed against his mind, begging him to turn away.
But Maerlyn had come too far. He had already crossed the threshold. He had already set foot in the Abyss.
"I do," he whispered, his voice trembling but resolute. "I will bear it. I will face the truth, no matter the cost."
The energy around him surged in response, the crystal flaring with a blinding light. For a moment, Maerlyn was consumed by the intensity of it, the light searing his eyes, filling his mind with a thousand images at once. He saw the birth of the Veil, the cataclysmic war that tore the world apart, the rise and fall of empires, and the death of gods. He saw faces—ancient faces, distorted by time—and felt their pain, their fear, their sorrow.
And then, amidst the chaos, one image stood out above the rest.
A figure, tall and cloaked in shadow, standing at the edge of a burning city. Their eyes were filled with the same torment that Maerlyn had felt for as long as he could remember—an overwhelming sense of loss, of something precious ripped away. The figure reached out, their hands trembling, and Maerlyn saw the truth in their eyes. The truth that had been buried for eons.
The figure was him.
It was a vision of Maerlyn, but not the one he knew. This version of himself was older, his face hardened by time and sorrow, his eyes hollow with the weight of the choices he had made. He saw the very moment when his life had split in two—the point at which he had crossed the line, abandoning everything he once believed in.
The vision of himself lifted a hand, and in that moment, Maerlyn understood. He understood the choice that lay ahead of him. The truth he sought wasn't just knowledge; it was the revelation of who he would become, the cost of his actions, and the consequences of the power he had come to wield.
Suddenly, the world around him shifted again, the images fading, replaced by a single, piercing moment of clarity. The voices, the images, the chaos—all of it quieted, leaving him alone in the silence. The weight of what he had just seen pressed upon him, heavier than anything he had ever imagined.
The crystal before him pulsed once more, its glow fading, and the voice returned, softer now, filled with an undeniable finality.
The truth has been revealed. Now, you must choose. Will you embrace the power that comes with it, or will you turn away from it, knowing that you can never undo the damage you have caused?
Maerlyn's heart raced in his chest. The weight of the choice pressed down on him, threatening to crush him under its enormity. He understood now—he had seen the future, the man he would become. The truth was not just about the world, but about him. The power he sought, the knowledge he craved, would come at a terrible price. His very soul would be forfeit, the cost of wielding such power too great to bear.
The crystal flickered, its energy pulsing around him in waves, and he felt the Abyss itself begin to tighten its grip on him.
"Kaelen!" Maerlyn shouted, his voice breaking through the overwhelming force that surrounded him. "Kaelen, where are you?"
But there was no answer. The Abyss was silent.
He was alone.
A terrible emptiness stretched before him, and Maerlyn realized that the decision he had to make wasn't just about the future of the world—it was about his soul. He had come for the truth, but the truth was not something that could be simply taken. It was a burden, one that would change him forever.
You have seen the cost, the voice whispered, the words vibrating through his body like a wave. The truth is not something you can control. Once you embrace it, you will never be the same.
Maerlyn reached out, his hand trembling as he touched the surface of the crystal again. This time, the touch was different. He was not pulling at the world around him; he was pulling at himself. He felt the ancient power coursing through him, flooding his veins, filling him with an uncontainable force.
But with it came the weight of the future—the knowledge of what he would become, the man who would stand at the crossroads of the world, torn between light and shadow. And the weight of it almost crushed him.
Kaelen's words echoed in his mind.
"We're not alone here, Maerlyn. The Abyss isn't just a place. It's a force. A consciousness."
He understood now. The Abyss wasn't just a physical place. It was a reflection of his own soul—of the darkness that resided within him. And if he embraced the power it offered, he would never be able to escape its grasp.
The truth was laid bare before him. He could choose the path of power, embrace the darkness that had always lurked at the edges of his soul, or he could turn away, leaving the truth behind, knowing that he might never find peace.
Maerlyn closed his eyes, his hand still resting on the crystal's surface. The choice was before him. The future hung in the balance.
And yet, despite everything, he knew one thing for certain.
Whatever choice he made, he would have to live with the consequences.
There was no turning back now.