The monolith's soft luminescence had now extinguished. The chamber, however quiet and still was in a way that had sent an eerie chill throughout it. Team Eclipse caught their breath for a few seconds as they digested everything that just happened. Still heavy with energy, air felt stagnant, and an overwhelming unease did not even abate with this win.
Draven groaned, slumping back against the nearest wall. His shield clanged to the floor as he slid down it, landing with a thud. "If we have to fight one more of those glowing nightmares, I'm going to start charging extra for this quest."
Aris snorted weakly, sliding her daggers back into their sheathes. "Charging who? The system? Let me know how that goes."
Ryu didn't say anything. He was staring at the Abyssal Orb, which now emitted a faint, pulsing glow, almost as if it were alive. He held it up and frowned as a notification appeared in front of him:
[Abyssal Orb: Resonance Stabilized.]
[New functionality unlocked: Abyssal Sight.]
Abyssal Sight?" Ryu whispered to himself, furrowing his brow. The message disappeared, and another icon sprang into his field of view. He mentally touched it, and his perception of the space changed.
The room became overlaid with a glowing web of subtle patterns, illuminating trace pathways of energy that spread out from the monolith into the surrounding walls. They pulsed faintly, as if still energized.
"Uh, Ryu?" Draven called out, his voice tinged with concern. "You okay? You're staring off into space."
Ryu blinked, deactivating the new ability. The patterns vanished, and the chamber returned to normal. He turned to the others. "There's still energy flowing from the Core. It's weak, but it's there."
Aris's expression darkened. "Meaning this isn't over."
Ryu nodded. "The Core could be latent, but deeper in the Nexus, something else is on. We should know what those paths point to."
Draven moaned. "Great. More wandering. I truly hope that where we are heading has some good, decent inn awaiting us at its end."
Aris quipped with a smirk, "Doubtful, big guy."
Their conversation was interrupted by a new message:
[Quest Updated: Abyssal Nexus Investigation.]
[Objective: Follow the energy trails from the Catalyst Core to discover where the Nexus gets its power.
Ryu looked at the others. "Appears the system concurs. Let's go.
They exited the chamber, down a narrow, crumbling path, deep into the ruins. The faint glow of the Abyssal Orb lit up the passage, casting strange shadows upon jagged walls. Distant dripping water and sometimes an indistinct rumble broke through the oppressive silence.
As they ventured deeper, the ruins began to change. The walls became smoother, jagged edges being replaced by polished surfaces etched with glowing symbols. The air grew colder and a faint hum resonated through the corridors.
"This place is getting creepier by the second," Draven muttered, raising his shield.
Aris stopped, her eyes squinting as she looked at one of the glowing symbols. "These markings… they are like the ones on the Sentinel. Whoever—or whatever—built this place must have been connected to it."
Ryu took a step closer, running his fingers over the symbol. A notification popped up:
[Ancient Abyssal Inscription Detected.]
[Translation Unlocked: 'The Nexus shall bind the lost, and from its heart, the eternal light shall rise.']
'The eternal light,'" Ryu murmured. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Aris's frown deepened. "Sounds like it doesn't bode well. If this Nexus is tied into something that is eternal, we are looking at something bigger than just rubble."
Before any of them could comment on this revelation, the corridor opened into a huge cavern. Glowing symbols along the walls intensified as they coalesced into lines that met in an arch that stood at the far end of the room.
The archway pulsed with energy, its surface shimmering like liquid glass.
Draven whistled low. "Well, that's ominous."
A new notification appeared:
[Pathway Discovered: Gateway to the Abyssal Core.]
[Warning: Extreme danger ahead. Proceed only if fully prepared.]
Ryu tightened his grip on the Abyssal Orb. "This is it. Whatever's powering the Nexus is beyond that gateway."
Aris unsheathed her daggers, her expression resolute. "Then let's end this.
Draven hefted his shield, letting out a long sigh. "I swear, if there's another glowing death machine waiting for us…"
Ryu smirked faintly. "You'll live. Probably."
They stepped toward the gateway, the air growing heavier with each step. The Abyssal Orb flared to life in Ryu's hand, and the shimmering surface of the archway rippled, revealing a swirling vortex of light and shadow.
Gazing over his team one last time, Ryu stepped through the gateway into unknown whatever the heart of the Nexus may have in store for them.