The silence that followed was deafening, yet far from peaceful. It was the kind of stillness that carried an unspoken promise of worse things to come. Kael stood frozen, his sword still drawn, his gaze fixed on the spot where the Keeper had vanished. The lingering sensation of the rift's energy clawed at the edges of his mind, a dark echo of the Void's presence.
Seris placed a hand on his shoulder, her touch grounding him. "Kael, are you with us?"
He blinked, shaking his head as if to clear the fog clouding his thoughts. "I'm fine."
"You're not fine," Caden muttered, his voice sharp but low. He scanned the chamber, his weapon still at the ready. "What just happened? What was that thing?"
"The Keeper," Kael said quietly, his voice distant. "A servant of the Void. Or maybe… its puppet."
Caden scowled. "And that rift? It felt like it was going to swallow us whole. What was that vision you saw? You froze."
Kael didn't answer immediately. He couldn't. The vision he had glimpsed in the heart of the rift was already fading from his memory, like trying to hold onto water slipping through his fingers. All he could recall were fragments—a city bathed in shadow, a woman's face twisted in anguish, and his own reflection, eyes consumed by the Void's black flame.
"We need to keep moving," he said finally, his voice firm. "The Void won't stop here."
Seris frowned, but she nodded. "Then let's figure out how to get out of this nightmare."
As they turned to leave the chamber, a faint sound stopped them in their tracks—a low, rhythmic thumping, like the beating of a giant heart. It came from all directions, reverberating through the walls and the very ground beneath their feet.
"What now?" Caden muttered, gripping his sword tighter.
The runes along the walls flickered, their once-steady glow now erratic and pulsating. The air grew heavier, colder, and the whispers returned, louder and more frenzied.
"Kael… Kael… the chosen vessel…"
Kael staggered, clutching his head as the voices tore through his mind like jagged glass. They weren't just whispers anymore—they were screams.
Seris grabbed his arm. "Kael! Focus! Don't let it in!"
But the Void was relentless. Images flashed through Kael's mind—visions of destruction, of himself wielding unimaginable power, his friends lying broken at his feet. The screams grew louder, demanding his surrender.
And then, a new voice broke through the chaos.
"Kael."
It was soft, calm, yet commanding. A woman's voice. It wasn't the Void. It wasn't the Keeper. It was something else entirely.
"Who… who are you?" Kael whispered aloud, his voice trembling.
Seris and Caden exchanged worried glances but said nothing, watching helplessly as Kael sank to his knees.
The voice spoke again, resonating within him. "You are not alone. You never were. Follow the light."
Kael gasped, his vision snapping back into focus. The runes on the walls had shifted again, forming a new path—a spiral staircase descending into the earth, illuminated by a faint, golden glow.
Seris noticed it too. "That wasn't there before. What is this place doing to us?"
Caden hesitated. "I don't like this. First, it's trying to kill us, now it's giving us directions? How do we know this isn't another trap?"
Kael pushed himself to his feet, his grip on his sword tightening. "We don't. But we don't have another choice."
Seris nodded. "Then we stick together. No matter what."
The three of them descended the spiral staircase, the air growing colder with every step. The golden light seemed to flicker and fade, and the whispers never fully disappeared.
When they reached the bottom, they found themselves in a narrow corridor, its walls smooth and seamless, as if carved from a single piece of black stone. The golden light led them to another door, smaller and less ornate than the first but somehow more foreboding.
Kael placed his hand on the door, hesitating. He could feel it—something on the other side. Something alive.
"Ready?" he asked, glancing at his companions.
Seris drew her dagger, and Caden raised his shield. "As ready as we'll ever be."
Kael pushed the door open, and they stepped into a vast chamber unlike anything they had seen before. The ceiling was high, disappearing into darkness, and the walls were lined with mirrors, each one reflecting warped and distorted versions of themselves.
At the center of the room stood a figure, cloaked in shadow. It wasn't the Keeper, but something far worse. Its form was constantly shifting, tendrils of darkness flowing off its body like smoke. Its face was obscured, but its eyes glowed with an unnatural light—one green, one gold.
"Welcome," it said, its voice a chilling blend of many tones. "You have come far, but this is where your journey ends."
Kael raised his sword, his voice steady despite the fear clawing at him. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted its head, as if amused. "I am what remains. The fragment of a power you cannot begin to comprehend."
Seris stepped forward. "We're not afraid of you. Whatever you are, we'll stop you."
The figure laughed, a hollow, echoing sound. "You cannot stop what is already in motion. The Void has chosen its vessel, and no amount of defiance will change that."
Its words struck Kael like a blow. He could feel the truth in them, but he refused to believe it.
"Then we'll destroy the Void itself," he said, his voice firm. "Even if it kills me."
The figure's laughter stopped abruptly, and the room grew deathly silent. "You speak of destruction, yet you do not understand. To destroy the Void is to destroy yourself, Kael."
Before he could respond, the mirrors on the walls began to ripple like water, and figures stepped out of them—reflections of themselves, twisted and dark, their eyes glowing with the same unnatural light as the figure before them.
Caden cursed under his breath. "This just keeps getting better."
Kael gripped his sword tightly, his resolve unshaken. "Then we fight. Together."
As the twisted reflections closed in, the room erupted into chaos. The echoes of the Void grew louder, and Kael knew one thing for certain—this was only the beginning.