The Forsaken moved like shadows, a writhing mass of abyssal figures closing in fast.
Lucian felt them before he saw them—the cold pull of the Abyss coiling around his chest like a tightening chain.
They weren't here to fight.
They were here to take him.
Selene's fire flared at his side, but it wasn't enough to push back the overwhelming darkness. Even Ash, usually quick with a sarcastic remark, had gone dead silent.
Lucian tightened his grip on his sword.
He wouldn't let them win.
But the mark on his hand burned, and in the depths of his mind, the Abyss laughed.
The First Strike
They struck without warning.
The Forsaken rushed forward, moving too fast for human eyes to follow.
Selene reacted instantly—her flames erupted in a brilliant arc, scorching the air, forcing some of them to scatter.
But not all.
One of them—a creature with clawed hands and silver eyes—lunged straight for Lucian.
He barely had time to lift his sword before—
CLANG!
The force of the impact rattled his bones. Lucian stumbled back, but the Forsaken didn't stop.
They wanted him alive.
They wanted him back.
"Come home, Lucian," a voice whispered in his head.
"Stop fighting. This is where you belong."
Lucian snapped.
"I belong to no one!"
And with that, he attacked.
A Fight Against Himself
His sword cut through the air, colliding with one of the Forsaken. The creature hissed as abyssal black blood splattered across the ground.
But Lucian barely had time to breathe before—
The mark on his arm pulsed.
Pain ripped through him like a blade made of ice. His vision blurred for a second, and suddenly, he wasn't in the ruins anymore.
He was in the Abyss.
Surrounded by endless darkness.
He could see himself, standing on the other side.
But it wasn't really him.
It was the Lucian the Abyss wanted him to be.
Silver eyes. Black veins. A face devoid of warmth, of mercy, of love.
A king of the void.
"Give in," the other Lucian whispered.
"Become what you were meant to be."
Lucian's breath hitched.
Because for a split second, he wanted to.
Selene's Desperate Gamble
"Lucian!"
Selene's voice shattered the illusion like a blade through glass.
Lucian gasped as he was yanked back into reality, his knees nearly buckling.
Selene was in front of him, fire burning around her hands.
And then—
She grabbed him.
Lucian's heart stopped as Selene pressed her forehead to his, her fire rushing through him.
It hurt—like flames licking at his soul—but it also pushed back the cold.
"Come back to me," she whispered, her voice shaking.
Lucian's entire body tensed.
Because the Abyss was fighting back.
It didn't want to lose him.
And if Selene kept pushing, if she kept trying to pull him out—
She was going to burn herself alive.
Lucian panicked.
"Selene, stop!"
She ignored him.
"I won't lose you!"
Her fire flared even brighter, and Lucian's mark seared as it tried to resist.
It was breaking.
Lucian could feel it breaking.
And then—
The Abyss screamed.
Lucian Breaks Free… For Now
The Forsaken reeled back, shrieking in agony as Selene's fire exploded outward, creating a blast of golden light.
The darkness tore apart.
Lucian's mark stopped burning.
The whispers vanished.
And suddenly—
The Forsaken were gone.
The ruins fell into silence.
Lucian fell to his knees, his breath ragged, his hands still shaking.
Selene knelt beside him, her fingers cupping his face, her touch warm despite her exhaustion.
"You're still here," she whispered.
Lucian swallowed hard.
"Yeah," he said. "But for how long?"
Neither of them had an answer.
But they both knew this fight was far from over.
End of Chapter Fifty-Eight