The Beginning of the Journey
Simon stood at the entrance to the tunnel they had barely escaped from earlier. The echoes of monsters and the sounds of battle at the station faded behind him.
"Are you sure about this?" Victor handed him a flashlight.
"I'm sure," Simon replied, his voice firm though his insides quaked. "If we don't find a way to stop this, no one will survive."
Victor nodded silently.
"Be careful. We'll hold the station as long as we can."
Simon stepped into the darkness. The tunnel swallowed him whole, the faint beam of his flashlight barely piercing the oppressive gloom.
"I have to find the answers," he thought. "Or we're all doomed."
---
The Whispering Dark
The deeper he ventured, the louder the familiar whispers became.
"You are getting closer..."
"Who are you?" Simon whispered, feeling the voice seep directly into his mind.
"I am you. I am everything you've hidden. Everything you've forgotten."
Simon stopped, breathing heavily. Flashes of memories assaulted him again: the lab, screaming people, and the moment when everything plunged into darkness.
"It's not my fault," he thought desperately.
"It is yours," the voice replied.
Shaking his head, Simon forced himself to focus. He felt a strange pulsing sensation—a faint call from deep within.
---
An Unexpected Ally
After hours of walking, Simon noticed a faint light ahead. He braced for a fight but was surprised to find a person instead.
It was a woman, dressed in tattered clothes, holding a sword that glowed with a soft blue hue.
"Who are you?" Simon asked, trying not to show his fear.
"I should ask who you are," she replied, pointing the sword at him. "No one ventures this deep voluntarily."
"My name is Simon. I'm searching for answers... and a way to stop the Abyss."
She lowered her sword, studying him intently.
"I'm Adeline. And if you truly want to stop this, you need to know: the darkness in these tunnels is just the beginning."
Simon frowned.
"Do you recognize this symbol?" he asked, pulling out the map with the mark they had discovered earlier.
Adeline flinched at the sight of it.
"It's a seal. It kept the Abyss contained until it was broken."
"Who broke it?" Simon asked.
Her gaze hardened as if she knew the answer but didn't want to say it.
---
Deeper Into the Unknown
Now they walked together. Adeline seemed to know the way, recounting fragments of what she had seen.
"There used to be an entire network of stations connected by these tunnels," she said. "But when the seal was broken, everything changed. People vanished, and those who stayed… became monsters."
"Do you think the seal can be restored?"
"I'm not sure. But if it's possible, it can only be done at the place where it was created."
"Where's that?"
"In the very depths."
The further they went, the stranger the surroundings became. The tunnel walls were covered in glowing red symbols, pulsing faintly. The air grew heavy, and Simon felt the energy inside him react to the atmosphere.
"These symbols…" he began.
"They feed the Abyss," Adeline interrupted. "They weren't made by humans."
Simon fell silent. With every step, he realized the scale of the threat they faced.
---
The First Trial
They reached massive metal doors, rusted and stained with blood.
"This is the entrance to the zone where the seal was broken," Adeline said. "Beyond it lies the real test."
Simon nodded. A strange warmth stirred in his chest—the energy inside him awakening, as if responding to the challenge.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
"No," he admitted honestly. "But I don't have a choice."
Adeline pushed the door open. A screech echoed through the tunnel, revealing a thick, oppressive darkness beyond.
---
A Battle With the Abyss
Inside, it was cold. The walls seemed alive, shifting as though they were watching.
The first monster struck without warning—a creature resembling a spider but with a human face.
"Get back!" Adeline shouted, raising her sword.
Simon unleashed a wave of fire, but the creature didn't retreat. It lunged at him, and he barely dodged in time.
Adeline darted forward, slashing her sword through the creature. The blade flared, cutting it clean in two.
"There will be more," she said, breathing heavily.
"Then we keep moving," Simon replied.
---
The End of the Path—or Just the Beginning?
The deeper they ventured, the more monsters emerged. Each fight drained their strength, yet they pressed on.
Finally, they reached a vast chamber. In its center floated a black sphere, pulsing with a malevolent energy.
"That's the Heart of the Abyss," Adeline said.
Simon felt the energy inside him resonate with the sphere.
"If I destroy it, will it stop everything?"
"Maybe," Adeline replied.
He stepped forward, feeling the darkness begin to consume him.