The air outside the chamber was colder than Rai remembered. As he and Tenzai emerged from the underground ruins, the sky was painted with dark clouds, the sun barely visible through the oppressive gray. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a fitting backdrop to the unease settling in Rai's chest.
They made camp a short distance away from the ruins, their bodies too battered to continue further. The warmth of the fire provided little comfort as Rai stared into the flickering flames, replaying the haunting words of the shadowy figure.
"I am but a fragment of what is to come."
Tenzai sat opposite him, sharpening his blade in silence. The rhythmic scrape of steel against stone was the only sound between them until Rai finally spoke.
"What did it mean, Tenzai?" he asked, his voice low. "That figure… it wasn't human. Not entirely."
Tenzai paused, his eyes narrowing. "No, it wasn't. That thing—whatever it was—was tied to something ancient. Something powerful." He glanced toward the ruins, now half-buried in the earth. "I've seen glimpses of this darkness before. It's the kind of evil that doesn't fade with time. It lingers, waiting for someone to awaken it."
Rai shivered despite the fire's warmth. "And we just woke it up."
Tenzai didn't answer, but the grim set of his jaw confirmed Rai's fear.
The silence stretched until a rustling sound from the woods broke their focus. Rai instinctively reached for his bow, and Tenzai was on his feet, sword drawn.
"Who's there?" Tenzai barked, his voice cutting through the night.
From the shadows emerged a woman, her figure draped in a cloak that blended seamlessly with the darkness. Her hair, jet-black, cascaded over her shoulders, and her piercing blue eyes reflected the firelight like shards of ice. She raised her hands slowly, a gesture of peace.
"I mean no harm," she said, her voice calm but carrying an edge. "I've been following you."
Rai tightened his grip on his bow. "Following us? Why?"
The woman stepped closer, her movements deliberate. "Because I felt it too—the darkness stirring in the ruins. You've unleashed something dangerous, and I intend to make sure it doesn't consume this world."
Tenzai didn't lower his blade. "And who are you to claim such responsibility?"
She pulled back her hood, revealing an intricate mark etched into her forehead—a symbol Rai recognized from the obelisks in the chamber.
"My name is Kaida," she said. "I am a guardian of the Veil, tasked with keeping the balance between worlds. What you fought in that chamber was a piece of the Abyss, a force that seeks to devour everything in its path. If it fully awakens…" She trailed off, her expression darkening.
"What happens if it awakens?" Rai asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Kaida's eyes locked onto his, cold and unyielding. "If the Abyss awakens, it will tear through this world like a storm, leaving nothing but emptiness in its wake."
Rai exchanged a glance with Tenzai. "Then we have to stop it."
Kaida gave a faint, bitter smile. "Stopping it is easier said than done. The Abyss isn't a single entity. It's a force, a corruption that infects everything it touches. The creature you fought was just one of many manifestations. There will be others—stronger, smarter, more dangerous."
Rai felt a pit form in his stomach. "How do we fight something like that?"
Kaida reached into her cloak, pulling out a small, glowing crystal. It pulsed with a soft, white light, a stark contrast to the darkness they had faced.
"This is a fragment of the Lightbound Relic," she explained. "It's one of the few things that can counter the Abyss. But it's incomplete. The rest of the relic is scattered across the land, hidden in places touched by the Abyss's corruption."
Tenzai sheathed his sword but kept his stance guarded. "And you expect us to help you find it?"
Kaida's gaze didn't waver. "If you want to stop what's coming, you have no choice. The Abyss will not stop with these ruins. It will spread, and when it does, no one will be safe—not you, not your people, not anyone."
Rai clenched his fists, the weight of the moment pressing down on him. He thought of the shadowy figure's chilling words, of the destruction they had already witnessed.
"We'll help," he said, his voice firm.
Tenzai raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. Kaida nodded, her expression softening slightly.
"Good," she said. "We'll need to move quickly. The Abyss feeds on fear and chaos, and it won't wait for us to prepare."
As the fire crackled between them, Rai felt a new resolve harden within him. The path ahead was uncertain and fraught with danger, but if the Abyss threatened everything he held dear, he would face it head-on.
This was no longer just a quest for survival. It was a battle for the very soul of the world.