Ch 29: Descent into the Abyss
The cold, damp air of the warehouse
wraps around them, a stark contrast to
the oppressive heat they felt earlier.
The door behind them creaks shut, but
the eeriness only grows as they move
deeper into the building. Tara's breath
echoes in the silence, her feet hesitant
on the creaking wooden floor. Samudra,
once carefree and playful, has become
unnervingly still. The atmosphere is
thick with a tension that even Aryan,
usually flirtatious and light-hearted,
can't seem to shake
Tara's eyes narrow at the narrow
staircase ahead. It's an odd, unsettling
sight. The stairs seem to descend far
deeper than they should, as if leading to
another world entirely. The air seems to
grow heavier with every step, as if the
very ground beneath them is holding its
breath.
"Stay alert," Samudra's voice cuts
through the silence, low and controlled
It's a warning, but it also carries the
weight of an unspoken order. Tara
nods, her senses heightened. She can
feel the shift in the air, the unnatural
stillness in the warehouse now
replaced by an ominous quiet. The
walls seem to close in as they descend.
Aryan, in his usual nonchalant manner, leaned closer to Azeus, whispering, "I bet ten coins it's nothing but rats. Big, scary rats."
Azeus growled, his tail bristling. "If it's rats, I'll eat my own tail."
The banter felt hollow in the suffocating dark, but it was enough to break the tension as they descended. Each step echoed loudly, the sound swallowed quickly by the vast, empty void below.
---
As they reach the bottom, the faint,
guttural sounds become clearer-a low
growl, almost as if something is stirring
in the darkness below. A chill ran
down Tara's spine. Her fingers twitch,
instinctively reaching for her elemental
power, but she pauses. She can't afford
to reveal herself just yet.
The basement is cold. The air smells of
mildew, rust, and something else-a
metallic tang that clings to the back of
her throat. The darkness feels
oppressive, as if it's alive, watching
them. Tara takes a deep breath
channeling a spark of her light element
A faint glow bursts from her palm,
casting long, eerie shadows that
stretch across the room.
Her light reveals the scene before
them.
The basement stretches out far beyond
what Tara expected, its walls lined with
towering cages. Inside them-monsters
of varying shapes and sizes, twisted
creatures with limbs that don't quite
match their bodies. Some have horns.
Others have wina Some are
humanoid, both like beasts.
Each one is a hybrid, a chimera in the truest sense. The air smells of their sweat and blood, a stench that clogs Tara's nostrils.
"These… these shouldn't exist here," she whispered, her voice trembling. "This... this is what comes out of the rifts in my world. But they're—"
"Man-made," Samudra finished grimly. His sharp gaze swept over the cages, lingering on the runes etched into the bars. "This isn't just experimentation. It's a ritual."
Azeus hissed, his fur standing on end. "This is madness. No one should have this kind of knowledge."
Aryan moved closer to one of the cages, peering at the creature inside. It was a hulking beast with the body of a lion, the wings of a bat, and a serpent's tail. It snarled at him, slamming against the bars, but the runes flared, holding it back.
"Impressive craftsmanship," Aryan muttered, though his tone was grim. "But why?"
The cages groan and rattle, as if the
creatures inside are desperate to
escape, but the cold metal bars hold
them at bay. The weight of their gaze
feels suffocating, their eyes burning
with an intelligence that's almost
human but alien at the same time.
Tara's heart hammers in her chest. The
reality of what she's seeing sinks in:
these creatures aren't born from the rifts. They are man-made.
Tara's light flared brighter as she stepped forward, her gaze drawn to the center of the room. There, floating a few feet above the ground, was a dark altar. Blood-red runes pulsed along its surface, casting an ominous glow.
Her gaze shifts upward, and her breath
catches in her throat.
The altar floated just above the ground,
suspended by an unseen force. It is a
dark, ominous structure, covered in
ancient symbols and runes that pulse
with an eerie light. Beneath it, a circle
of unconscious people lies in a heap,
their bodies arranged in a grotesque
pattern. Blood drips from their lifeless
forms, pooling at the base of the altar.
Tara can see the crimson liquid being
drawn up, disappearing into a glowing
rune etched into the stone. A faint hum
reverberates through the air as the
ritual continues, the blood sacrifice
feeding something far darker than she
can comprehend.
Her stomach twists with disgust, but
that's not the worst of it. Above the
altar, space itself seems to bend and
warp, shimmering like a mirage. The
time-space continuum ripples, as if the
very fabric of reality is being stretched
beyond its limits.
Tara freezes, her mind racing. This is
impossible. These creatures-these
rituals-shouldn't exist in this world.
They were the things she fought in her
future, creatures born of rifts, not
twisted by human hands.
Azeus moves forward, inspecting the horrific scene before him. His tail flicking in anger, every hair on his small body stood at edge. His expression is grim, his eyes narrowed as he surveys the scene.
"This..this is absurd," he hisses, his
voice thick with disbelief. Even as a dragon, this was his first time coming across something so bizarre.
Aryan, usually unfazed by the most
bizarre of situations, now stands with
his eyes wide, his easy smile gone. His
fingers twitch, as if he's ready to draw
his own weapons in an instant. "This.
this is beyond what I expected," he
mutters under his breath. "Who would
do this?"
"The Eclipse Sect either doesn't know what they are messing with or they are doing it with reason.", Samudra clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. "This altar… it's disrupting the balance. If this continues, it could tear a hole in the world."
Tara stared at the altar, her mind racing. The space-time ripples above it were faint but unmistakable. She had seen this before. In her world, such disruptions led to rifts.
"This… this is how it starts," she murmured. "This is how the rifts form."
Her words hung in the air, heavy with implication. Samudra's expression darkened. Aryan and Azeus exchanged uneasy glances, the weight of her revelation sinking in.
"We can't let this stand," Samudra said, his voice cold and resolute. "This Sect—and my brother—need to be stopped. Now." "And fast," he murmurs, his voice laced with urgency.
Tara's heart skips a beat. The weight of
his words hangs heavy in the air. A
world teetering on the edge of collapse.
She feels it now. The gravity of the
situation. Her mind reels, and for a
moment, she's dizzy from the
overwhelming realization of what
they're facing.