Chapter 67: The Call of the Unseen
The dust settled, and with it the smothering aura that had oppressed them lifted. The battlefield was quiet when a moment ago it had been a place of distortion and disarray. Remnants of the Apostle leader's dark presence swirled through the air, but his solid form was nowhere to be found. Jason stood still, holding his sword, and breathed a long, deep breath.
"We. did it," he muttered, though the weight of what they had pulled off did little for his inner peace. His eyes scanned the horizon-to him, this was only a small victory in a much larger war.
Beside him, Lucas was already examining their surroundings, his hand on the hilt of his spear, ready for anything. Joe, ever silent but lethal, stood nearby, his gaze sharp as always. Diane, her golden aura now flickering like a dying star, looked weary but resolute.
"You're sure it's over?" Diane asked, her voice hoarse but steady.
Jason nodded. "For now."
It stretched into a heavy silence, the kind that seemed to be full of unasked questions, full of a cold uncertainty. Jason felt the shiver trickle down his back. They'd defeated the Apostle leader, whatever his name had been, but they didn't know how pervading the influence of the Dark Apostles had become. Where one had gone down, several more could appear, and those would be representative of the greater power of the enemies. The thoughts whirled in his head, yet his attention stayed fixed on the task at hand.
"Did we catch their attention?" Lucas's voice brought him back to reality.
Jason turned to his friend, seeing the glint of concern in his eyes. He could feel it too: they had indeed provoked the Dark Apostles, but what was next? What repercussions would this battle bring?
The only warning was a low, rumbling noise that seemed to emanate from everywhere at once. Distant at first, it was growing louder by the second. Jason's heart raced in his chest. It wasn't just ominous; it was something else.
Something ancient.
"Brace yourselves!" Jason yelled instinctively, falling into a defensive stance. "Prepare for the worst!"
The ground shook beneath their feet as the sound grew deafening. The air seemed to crackle with tension, as if the very fabric of the world itself was shaking. Jason's mind was racing. This wasn't just the aftermath of their victory. Something else was coming.
Suddenly, it burst open, the ground ripping apart with the most deafening roar. It seemed as though the earth parted into two huge lips, baring a wide, glowing crevice. Then, from below, a hard, otherworldly light jetted upward in a steep flight, bathing everything in its unsparing glare over the battlefield. The light wasn't warm, cold as a touch of death itself.
Jason narrowed his eyes, peering into the abyss as the light pulsed. He could feel something-someone-watching them from the depths. It wasn't the Dark Apostles; this presence was different. It was far older, far more ancient.
Diane stepped forward, her hand aglow with golden energy. She sensed it too, her face a mask of curiosity and unease. "What is that?"
"I don't know," Jason said, his hand tightening on his blade. "But we need to find out."
Abruptly, a figure rose out of the depths of the fissure. It was a silhouette at first, but as it stepped into the light, Jason's breath caught in his throat.
Standing before them was a tall, commanding figure clad in dark robes, with what looked like a crown of forged obsidian upon his head. Its face was hidden by a mask, but the aura that exuded from it bespoke pure authority.
"Who are you?" Jason demanded, stepping forward, his voice even as his gut roiled.
The eyes of the figure flickered, shining with a deep, knowing gaze, as if they saw through him, through everything. For a moment, the only sound was silence as the figure regarded them in silent contemplation.
"I am. the Watcher," it finally spoke; the voice was an echo of distant thunder. "And you. you have awakened something that you should not have.
Jason's heart skipped a beat. The Watcher. The name was unfamiliar, but its presence overwhelmed him.
"What do you mean?" Lucas asked, his voice hard. "We've defeated the Apostle leader. We've won.
The Watcher's masked face remained unreadable, but its voice held a strange weight. "You have defeated an agent of the Dark Apostles, yes. But you've also drawn the attention of forces far older than even they. Forces that are not bound by time or space."
Jason's mind raced. The implications of what the Watcher said were troubling. The Dark Apostles were already a threat beyond anything they had faced. Now, this new figure spoke of even greater dangers.
"What forces?" Diane asked, her voice steady despite the palpable tension. "And what is it that we've awakened?"
His gaze turned out to the horizon, toward where the last remnants of the Apostle leader's dark presence still clung, there but unmistakable.
"You have broken a seal," the Watcher continued, "a seal laid long before these Dark Apostles rose to power. That seal. held something far worse than you can understand."
Jason stepped forward. "What is it?"
The Watcher's eyes fixed on him. "The Void.
A chill began running down Jason's spine, for he had heard the whispers about the Void beforehand-ancient, malevolent forces existing beyond the edge of reality itself. It was said to be able to consume entire worlds, erasing them from existence.
Diane frowned. "What does this have to do with us?
The Watcher's voice softened, and a hint of sorrow laced into his words. "The Void is coming. And because you have disturbed the seal, it now seeks you-you, the ones who hold the power to either seal it away again. or unleash it upon the world.
Those words fell upon Jason like a thousand tons. He had been prepared for the Dark Apostles, for battles, for challenges-but this. this was something else entirely. The Void wasn't just a force of destruction; it was a force that could erase all life.
"We need to stop it," Jason said, his voice full of determination. "We won't let the Void consume this world.
The Watcher's eyes gleamed. "You have the resolve of one who would defy fate itself. But the path you walk will not be easy. The Void is not easily defeated."
Joe, who had remained silent through most of the conversation, spoke up. "We've faced impossible odds before. We'll face this one too.
The Watcher regarded him silently, then nodded. "Very well. But be warned: what lies ahead will test every limit you have ever known. You will face enemies, far more terrifying than the Apostles. And the stakes will be nothing short of the survival of all existence."
Jason glanced at his friends, all of them standing tall despite the weight of the truth they had just learned. They had always fought for what they believed in—for their loved ones, for their future. But now, they were fighting for something far bigger.
They were fighting for the very fabric of reality itself.
"We're ready," Jason declared, his voice unshaken.
The Watcher nodded, its face still hidden beneath its mask. "Then, go. The time to act is now."
With those final words, the Watcher vanished, leaving only the crackling energy of the Void behind.
Jason turned to his friends, his heart steeled for the battle ahead. The Void was coming. And they were the only ones who could stop it.
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End of Chapter 67