The weight of silence pressed on Cale as he trudged through the desolate expanse. The lantern's blue flame flickered softly in his hand, its light his only companion. The terrain hadn't changed—a barren void with faintly glowing veins stretching in all directions.
Each step felt heavier than the last. His body wasn't just tired; it was drained, like something vital had been pulled from him.
"Essence…" he muttered again, testing the word. It was tied to this place somehow, tied to him now, but how? And that voice—it had said something about his soul being incomplete.
"What does that even mean?" he said aloud, his voice cracking against the oppressive quiet.
No answer.
The emptiness around him was overwhelming, suffocating. It wasn't just the lack of sound or landmarks—it was the sheer absence of anything alive. Every now and then, his eyes would catch movement in the distance, but it was always fleeting. Shadows shifting just beyond the edge of the lantern's glow.
Cale had been walking for what felt like hours when something changed. The veins in the ground were thicker here, their glow brighter, and the air felt… heavier.
A faint sound broke the silence.
At first, he thought it was his imagination, but as he strained to listen, it grew clearer—a soft, rhythmic hum. It wasn't coming from a direction he could pinpoint; it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"What now?" he muttered, his grip tightening on the lantern.
The hum grew louder, shifting into something more distinct. Words.
"...lost… searching…"
Cale froze. The voice wasn't like the one he'd heard before. This one was softer, more human, but just as unsettling.
"Who's there?" he called out, his voice trembling.
The words faded for a moment, replaced by that eerie hum, but then they returned, louder this time.
"...the light… it flickers…"
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. "I don't know what you want, but stay back!"
The flame in the lantern flared briefly, as if responding to his fear.
The voice didn't answer. Instead, something began to take shape in the distance—a faint silhouette, barely visible against the fractured sky. It moved slowly, almost gliding toward him.
Cale backed away instinctively, his heart pounding. "Not again…"
The figure stepped closer, its form becoming clearer. It was humanoid, but barely so—its body seemed to shift and ripple like smoke caught in a breeze. Its face was featureless, a smooth void where eyes and a mouth should have been.
And yet, it spoke.
"Why… do you carry the light?"
Cale stumbled back, raising the lantern defensively. "What are you?"
The figure tilted its head, as if considering his question. Its body pulsed faintly, mirroring the rhythm of the lantern's flame.
"Lost… like us…"
Cale's breathing quickened. "Stay back! I mean it!"
The figure stopped, its head tilting the other way. Then, to Cale's horror, it began to split. Its form unraveled into two, then three, each one moving independently.
"No, no, no…" he whispered, his grip tightening on the lantern.
The figures advanced, their movements slow but deliberate. Cale's mind raced. He had no weapon, no plan—just the lantern.
The voice from before echoed in his mind: "Essence absorption required for survival."
"Essence," he muttered, his eyes darting to the flame. Was that what he needed to fight?
The first figure lunged, its smoky form stretching toward him. Without thinking, Cale thrust the lantern forward.
The flame erupted, a pulse of blue light surging outward. The figure screeched as the light consumed it, its body dissolving into wisps of smoke.
Cale staggered back, his heart hammering in his chest.
"Essence absorbed. Capacity: 2%."
The voice returned, calm and detached.
The remaining figures hesitated, their forms flickering uncertainly. Then, as if driven by some shared instinct, they lunged together.
Cale braced himself, swinging the lantern wildly as they closed in. The flame flared again, brighter this time, and another pulse of light rippled outward. The figures shrieked and vanished, their smoky forms scattering into the void.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Cale collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. The lantern's flame flickered softly, its glow steadier now.
"Essence absorbed. Capacity: 3%."
"What… the hell… is this place?" he panted, his body trembling.
The voice didn't answer, and the hum had vanished, leaving him alone once more.
Cale stared at the lantern, its blue flame casting faint shadows across his face. Whatever this "Essence" was, it was keeping him alive.
But the more he fought, the more questions he had. What were those creatures? Why did the lantern react to them? And most importantly… what had happened to him?
His thoughts drifted to the vastness of this place. Somewhere out there had to be something more—more people, more answers, more hope. The woman might have answers, sure, but relying on her alone wasn't a plan. He had to find something else, a way forward that didn't leave him at her mercy.
With a shaky breath, Cale pushed himself to his feet. The ground beneath him glowed faintly, the veins pulsing softly.
He tightened his grip on the lantern and started walking again, the blue flame lighting his path through the endless void. Somewhere out there, he'd find what he needed.