The wind howled as Aric stood motionless, staring at the space where the herald had vanished. His chest heaved with the weight of its words, each one digging into his mind like a knife, twisting and turning as if it were carving out a new reality for him. The Abyss wanted him. Not as a servant, but as its master. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized how little he understood about this power, this darkness that had chosen him.
What was the Abyss truly? Was it just a force of destruction, or was it something far more insidious, something capable of remaking the world according to its own will? Could he truly bend it to his own desires, or would it inevitably twist him into something unrecognizable?
The deep rumbling growl of his beast brought him back to reality. His companion stood next to him, its massive form trembling, eyes glowing with an unsettling mix of fear and trust. The bond between them had become far stronger in the last few days—his beast could sense the danger and the power coursing through him, just as much as it could feel the strain of the Abyss clawing at Aric's soul.
Aric clenched his fists. The shadowy power inside him wasn't just a gift. It was a curse. And no matter how much he tried to deny it, there was a part of him that craved it. The strength. The control. The allure of bending the world to his will.
But Aric refused to be a puppet, even if that was the path the Abyss had set out for him. There had to be another way. There had to be a way to fight back, to resist.
"Let's move," Aric muttered to his beast, his voice low and resolute. His beast's ears twitched, and it followed closely, its massive paws leaving deep prints in the earth. Aric didn't look back at the ruins—they were behind him now, as was the herald's dark warning. His focus was forward, toward the horizon, where new challenges awaited.
The next step was crucial. The Abyss had made its move; now it was time for him to make his own.
The journey ahead was long and fraug