The forest felt eerily calm after the dragon's retreat, but Aric could still feel the weight of the encounter pressing down on him. His heart thudded in his chest, and the air around him seemed to hum with residual power, crackling with energy. He looked around, his senses alert for any further threats, but there was nothing—just the quiet, oppressive stillness of the forest.
The mysterious figure who had intervened in the battle now stepped fully into the light, and Aric's breath caught. The figure was tall, draped in a flowing cloak of deep indigo, and their hood was drawn low enough to obscure most of their features. But even in the dim moonlight, Aric could sense a strange power radiating from them—an ancient energy that made the very air around him feel heavy.
"Who are you?" Aric's voice was sharp, his hand still on the hilt of his dagger. The encounter with the dragon had rattled him more than he cared to admit, and the sudden appearance of this figure only added to the tension.
The figure tilted their head slightly, as though studying him. Then, in a voice that was calm and composed, they spoke. "I am someone who has walked the path you now tread, Beastmaster. You are not yet ready for what awaits you in the Abyss, but I can guide you—if you are willing to listen."
Aric didn't lower his guard. "Guide me? For what purpose?"
The figure seemed to consider this for a moment, their eyes gleaming with a quiet, knowing intensity. "To prepare you for the trials ahead. You are not the first to be chosen by the Abyss, and you will not be the last. But unlike many others, you have the potential to rise above the darkness, to wield its power without being consumed by it."
Aric's mind raced. The dragon had spoken of the Abyss, of becoming something more than just a Beastmaster, but the words had left him with more questions than answers. Now, this figure—someone who seemed to know more about the Abyss than anyone Aric had encountered—was offering to help him. But at what cost?
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