They left the temple with no more answers than they had entered with, but Aric's mind churned with questions. The encounter with the figure had left him with a bitter taste in his mouth, but it also sparked a burning curiosity. Who was this creature? And why had it spoken as though it knew everything about him?
Nyra had been unusually quiet since their departure. She had always been a quiet companion, focused and determined, but today, she was distant. Aric couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her silence than just the weight of their encounter.
They traveled for hours, the night closing in around them as they moved deeper into the wilderness, away from the ruined city. The mountains stretched high above them, the cold air biting, the silence between them deafening.
Finally, Aric broke the silence. "Nyra…"
She glanced at him, her face unreadable. "What?"
"Back there… in the temple," Aric began, choosing his words carefully, "you seemed to know more than you were letting on. The way you reacted when the figure spoke, it was like… like you recognized it. Do you know who—or what—that was?"
Nyra's expression faltered for a brief moment, but it was enough. Aric had seen it. There was something she was hiding. Something she wasn't telling him.
She sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "I didn't want to tell you. I was hoping you'd never find out."
Aric's heart skipped a beat. "Tell me, Nyra. What are you hiding?"
Nyra paused, taking a deep breath. She turned her gaze toward the mountains, her voice soft but laden with regret.
"That figure," she said slowly, "it was one of the first, one of the original beings who wielded the Abyss. It wasn't always like this—something changed. It was once a man, someone who tried to control the Abyss, to harness its power. But in doing so, he became a slave to it, twisted by its influence."
Aric frowned, his mind racing. "So, he's… what? A fallen god?"
"In a way," Nyra replied, her eyes distant. "But he's not just some forgotten god. He's the reason the Abyss exists. He's the one who bound the Abyss to the world, and through him, its influence has spread. He's been pulling the strings for centuries, manipulating everything from the shadows."
Aric's stomach churned. "And you didn't think to tell me this before?"
Nyra winced, guilt flickering in her eyes. "I didn't know how to tell you. The truth is—my family, my bloodline—they were part of the order that helped imprison him. That man, that creature, used to be a member of our order. We thought we had sealed him away. We were wrong."
Aric's world shifted beneath him. Her family was involved in all of this?
Nyra met his gaze, her eyes full of both sorrow and determination. "I've spent my whole life running from my past. But now I see… I can't run anymore. This fight isn't just about the Abyss. It's about me. It's about stopping him—before it's too late."
Aric's heart pounded, not just from the weight of the revelation, but from the understanding that the stakes were far higher than he had ever imagined. The Abyss was more than just a force—it was tied to Nyra's bloodline, to her past, and to a power that neither of them could fully understand.
But one thing was clear: this fight had only just begun.