The air around Reazeal felt thick, heavy with an unnatural energy. The Rift itself pulsed like a heartbeat, sending tremors through the very earth beneath her feet. The ground, cracked and scarred from the rift's eruption, seemed to breathe with a life of its own. Dark tendrils of energy lashed out from the chasm, curling into the sky and stretching across the horizon like ominous fingers.
She gritted her teeth, clenching the hilt of her weapon with white knuckles. The weight of her thoughts, her emotions, pressed down on her shoulders like an anchor. She had fought countless battles, but this was different. The enemy she faced now was not merely a foe of flesh and bone—it was a manifestation of the rift itself, an incarnation of the chaotic power that Jackeal had succumbed to.
"Jackeal…" Her voice cracked as she whispered his name, but she couldn't let the doubt take root. She had to remain strong. She couldn't afford to break. Not now.
Behind her, the battlefield was chaos incarnate. The Riftborn poured out in waves, their grotesque forms ever-shifting as they formed from the dark energy of the rift. Every time one was slain, another emerged, more numerous and aggressive than before. They surged forward, attacking without hesitation, driven by an insatiable hunger.
But Reazeal's mind was not on them. Her eyes, locked on the rift, could feel it—the presence of something more. The Abyss itself was stirring. The Rift was no longer just a source of energy; it had become a gateway to something far darker, far more dangerous. She could feel the weight of its malevolence pressing in on her.
Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet gave way. She had no time to react before she was plunging into the rift's depths, the world around her twisting and warping like a nightmarish vision. For a moment, she thought she had fallen into the very heart of the abyss.
But then, she landed.
The impact knocked the wind from her lungs, and she struggled to regain her bearings. Her surroundings were… different. The familiar world she had known was gone. She stood on a jagged precipice, overlooking a vast, swirling chasm that seemed to extend forever. The sky above was a sickly, unnatural hue, and the air was thick with the stench of decay.
Reazeal's heart pounded in her chest as she rose to her feet, the gravity of the situation sinking in. She had fallen into the heart of the abyss. But why? And how?
In the distance, she saw a figure—one that should have been impossible to mistake.
Jackeal.
But he wasn't the same. His once vibrant presence had been replaced with something darker, twisted. His eyes glowed with an eerie red light, and his body pulsed with the same energy that emanated from the rift itself. He stood tall, his form now cloaked in shadow, his power radiating like a storm ready to break.
Reazeal's breath caught in her throat. She could feel it—the pull of the rift's energy trying to draw her in, to consume her. But this was Jackeal, her comrade, her friend… wasn't it?
"Reazeal…" His voice was like a whisper on the wind, but the malice in it was undeniable. "You should have stayed away."
Her heart twisted at the sight of him, but she couldn't let her emotions cloud her judgment. She had to fight, had to save him from the rift's grip, even if it meant sacrificing everything.
"Jackeal!" She shouted, her voice breaking the silence that had settled over the abyss. "Fight it! I know you're still in there!"
But Jackeal didn't respond. Instead, he raised his hand, and the air around him crackled with raw, unbridled power. Energy swirled around him like a tempest, forming into a massive construct of dark energy. The very air vibrated with the force of it, and Reazeal felt the weight of the power pressing down on her.
"You can't save me," Jackeal's voice echoed, cold and distant. "I am beyond saving now. This power is all I need."
And with that, he unleashed the full fury of the rift, sending a shockwave of energy hurtling toward Reazeal.
She barely had time to react. She summoned every ounce of her strength, her magic surging through her as she formed a protective shield in front of her. The energy collided with the shield, and for a moment, she thought she might be crushed under the force of it. But she held firm, her shield flickering but holding strong.
"No, Jackeal!" She shouted, her voice hoarse with desperation. "You're not beyond saving! I won't give up on you!"
The rift continued to pulse, its energy flooding the battlefield in waves. But Reazeal's heart burned with a resolve stronger than ever. She would not let the rift claim Jackeal. She would save him, or she would die trying.
With a primal scream, she hurled herself toward him, her sword blazing with energy as she closed the distance between them.
End of the chapter.