Aric stood motionless, his hand still wrapped around the shard as the dark energy swirled around him. For a moment, it felt as if the Abyss had swallowed him whole, the weight of its presence pressing down on his chest, suffocating him. His mind teetered on the edge, the temptation to give in whispering louder than ever before.
But then, the stillness returned. The overwhelming wave of darkness slowly receded, and Aric found himself standing in the clearing once more, the shard cool beneath his palm. He blinked, the edges of his vision clearing as he took a deep breath, fighting to steady his racing heart.
"That's enough for now," Nyra's voice came through the quiet, firm and unyielding.
Aric slowly withdrew his hand from the shard, feeling its power linger on his skin. A shiver ran through him, not from cold, but from the lingering sensation of the Abyss. It was a hunger that had almost taken root in him, an insatiable void that gnawed at the edges of his thoughts.
"You did well," Nyra said, stepping closer to him. Her expression was neutral, but there was a glimmer of approval in her eyes. "But don't forget—power like that always comes with a price."
Aric swallowed, his mind still spinning from the experience. The shard's power was unlike anything he'd ever felt. For a moment, it had consumed him completely. He had been on the edge of giving in, of letting the Abyss swallow him whole. But something inside him had held on—his will to fight, his refusal to become like the Fallen.
"What price?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
"The price of power," Nyra repeated. "The more you use the Abyss, the more it takes from you. It feeds on your fears, your doubts, your very essence. And if you're not careful, it will consume you, piece by piece, until nothing of the person you once were remains. The Abyss doesn't give without taking."
Aric's stomach tightened. He had always known the danger of the Abyss, but hearing it so plainly from Nyra made the reality of his situation even more crushing. Was he already paying the price, even now, for using its power? Every time he used it, was he losing a piece of himself?
"How do I stop it?" he asked, his voice strained.
Nyra's gaze softened, but her answer was blunt. "You can't. Not completely. The Abyss is already inside you, and it will always be a part of you. You can learn to control it, to bend it to your will. But you will never be free of it. That's the price."
Aric's heart sank. He had hoped, deep down, that there was a way to defeat the Abyss, to be rid of it for good. But now he understood: it was not a battle he could win by simply defeating his enemies. The real fight was within himself.
"You can keep it in check," Nyra continued, "but you have to stay vigilant. The more you rely on it, the more it will seek to corrupt you. Every time you give in, every time you let it consume you even a little, it will grow stronger. It will find cracks in your resolve, and the next time, it will be harder to resist."
Aric clenched his fists, the weight of her words sinking in. He had no choice but to continue using the Abyss, but he also had no choice but to fight it with everything he had. It was a dangerous game, and one he didn't fully understand yet.
Nyra seemed to sense his inner turmoil. "You're not alone in this," she said, her tone softer now. "There are others who walk the same path, who fight the same battle. But you're right to be wary. The Fallen—those who embrace the Abyss entirely—are out there. They know what the Abyss can offer, and they will stop at nothing to make you join them."
Aric's mind whirled with the weight of everything he had learned. The Abyss, the Fallen, the battle for control—it was all connected, and he was caught in the center of it. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
A faint rustling in the trees broke his thoughts, and he immediately tensed, his senses sharpening. Nyra was already moving, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade.
"They're here," she murmured, her expression darkening. "The Fallen."
Aric instinctively stepped closer to her, his body bracing for what was to come. He felt the Abyss stir within him, as though it recognized the danger and was eager to feast on it. But this time, Aric didn't allow it to take control. He had learned his lesson. His will was stronger now, and the Abyss would not have him so easily.
From the trees emerged a group of figures—dark, twisted shapes that seemed to shift in the dim light. They were humanoid in form but distorted, their features warped by the Abyss they had embraced. Their eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and their movements were fluid, predatory.
"Fallen," Nyra said under her breath, a flicker of disdain in her voice. "We need to move. They'll be on us in seconds."
Aric's heart pounded in his chest. This was it. The first real test of his resolve. The Abyss had already tried to claim him once tonight. Would it do so again in the heat of battle? Or could he resist?
He glanced at Nyra, who was already drawing her sword. Her expression was hard, her focus unwavering. She had been through this before, but he had never faced the Fallen—never fought against those who had embraced the Abyss completely.
"We fight," she said, her voice steady. "Stay close to me. And don't let the darkness take you."
Aric nodded, trying to steel himself. He wasn't the same man who had entered the clearing earlier. He had made a decision: he would control the Abyss, not the other way around.
With a sudden burst of movement, the Fallen charged.
Aric instinctively reached for his own weapon—his sword—and in the same motion, summoned the Abyss. Dark tendrils of energy coiled around his hand, forming into a blade of pure darkness. The power surged through him, but he kept his focus, keeping the abyssal energy tightly controlled. This time, he would use it without letting it control him.
The first Fallen lunged at him, its elongated claws slashing through the air. Aric raised his dark blade just in time, parrying the attack with a crack of thunder. The creature staggered back, hissing as it eyed him with a mix of fury and hunger.
"You fight well," Nyra called out, her sword flashing as she cut down another Fallen in a swift, graceful motion. "But remember, they are not your only enemy. The Abyss is watching."
Aric gritted his teeth. She was right. As he fought, he could feel the Abyss stirring within him, its whispers growing louder with every strike. It was tempting, so tempting, to let it take over—to let the power flow through him unchecked. But he resisted. He had to.
The Fallen circled him, their eyes glowing with malice. They were no longer human, no longer bound by the limitations of mortality. But neither was Aric. He was something between man and the Abyss, a warrior who fought not just against monsters, but against the very darkness inside him.
With a roar, Aric surged forward, his blade cleaving through the air. He struck down one of the Fallen, the dark energy of the Abyss crackling around him, but he kept his mind focused, kept his soul anchored. He wouldn't let the Abyss consume him. Not now. Not ever.
The battle raged on, each strike a test of his control. But Aric was determined. He would survive this. He would fight the Abyss with every breath in his body, and he would never become like the Fallen.