The silence after Adrian's words hung between them, heavier than the night air pressing down on the ruins. Alina studied his face, searching for some hidden meaning, some sign that he wasn't withholding something crucial. But Adrian, ever the protector, merely turned away, gripping the hilt of his blade as if it alone could anchor him.
"We don't have time to hesitate," he said finally, his voice flat. "The seal won't wait."
Alina nodded, though unease still curled in her chest. She could feel it now—subtle, but growing. A pulse, deep in her bones, like the rhythm of an unseen force aligning with her heartbeat. The talisman had marked her, and even though she didn't fully understand what it meant, the weight of it settled upon her like chains she hadn't noticed before.
They moved through the ruins with careful, measured steps, shadows stretching long beneath the slivered moonlight. The path ahead wound deeper into the forgotten city, where stone pillars, long since worn smooth by time, jutted out of the earth like jagged teeth. Faint symbols glowed upon them, flickering in and out of existence as if responding to their presence.
"These ruins…" Alina murmured, running her fingers along the carved stone. "It's almost like they're alive."
Adrian hesitated. "Maybe they are."
Before she could question him, a sharp gust of wind swept through the ruins, carrying with it an unnatural chill. The flames in their torches flickered wildly before snuffing out entirely, plunging them into darkness.
Then, the whispers began.
Low, echoing voices swirled through the ruins, speaking in a language neither of them recognized. Adrian's grip on his weapon tightened as he scanned the darkness, his senses heightened. Alina pressed a hand to the talisman instinctively, feeling the way it pulsed in response to the unseen force around them.
Then, from the shadows, something stirred.
A figure stepped into the dim light, its form shifting unnaturally, as if struggling to remain solid. Cloaked in tattered black, its face was obscured by a deep hood, but two piercing eyes glowed from within.
"You tread upon the edge of ruin," the figure intoned, its voice layered, as though multiple voices spoke at once. "The Keeper's warning was not an idle threat."
Adrian stepped forward, his blade at the ready. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted its head slightly, considering. "A remnant. A whisper of what was. And what will be."
Alina swallowed hard, forcing herself to hold steady. "If you know what's coming, then tell us how to stop it."
The figure's eyes flickered toward her. "You already know the cost. Do you have the resolve to pay it?"
A chill ran down Alina's spine, but she refused to waver. "If it means stopping the abyss, then I'll do whatever it takes."
A long silence stretched between them, then the figure extended a hand, revealing an ancient pendant. It bore the same symbol as the seal Adrian had seen in the Keeper's chamber.
"Then take this. The path you walk will break you before it saves you. But know this—there is more than one way to seal a wound. And not all sacrifices must end in loss."
Before either of them could react, the figure dissipated like mist caught in the wind, leaving only the pendant behind. Adrian reached for it cautiously, half-expecting it to vanish upon contact. But it remained solid, cool against his palm.
Alina exhaled slowly. "What do you think he meant?"
Adrian studied the pendant before tucking it into his coat. "I don't know. But if there's another way… We have to find it."
The path ahead had never felt more uncertain. And yet, they had no choice but to walk it.
The night stretched long as they continued through the ruins, guided by the faint glow of the ancient markings. The pendant grew heavier with every step, as if burdened by the very knowledge it held.
Hours passed, though time felt meaningless in the depths of the forgotten city. Then, at last, they reached it.
The seal.
A vast chamber lay before them, its walls lined with towering obsidian pillars, each etched with the same strange markings. At the center of the room, embedded into the stone floor, was a massive circular emblem. The seal.
But they were not alone.
A figure knelt at the center of the emblem, clad in flowing robes, its presence radiating an unnatural energy. As Adrian and Alina stepped forward, the figure lifted its head, revealing hollow, sunken eyes filled with something far worse than madness.
"You are too late," the figure rasped, a grin stretching across its face. "The abyss does not wait for mortals to decide its fate."
A sudden pulse of energy erupted from the seal, knocking them both back. Alina barely caught herself before hitting the ground, her breath stolen by the sheer force of the blast. Adrian pushed himself up, eyes narrowing in fury.
"We're stopping this," he growled, raising his blade.
The figure let out a hollow laugh. "Stop it? You are merely players in a game that was set in motion long before you ever took breath. The abyss has already chosen. And it. Is. Hungry."
The ground beneath them trembled, cracks forming along the seal as a deep, unnatural darkness began to seep through. The very air became heavier, suffocating.
Alina gasped as pain shot through her chest. The talisman burned against her skin, reacting violently to the abyss's presence. Her vision blurred, the whispers in the air growing deafening.
"Alina!" Adrian's voice cut through the haze, grounding her.
She forced herself to focus, clutching the talisman tighter. The Keeper's words echoed in her mind.
The abyss has already marked its vessel.
Sever the connection before it is complete.
She knew what she had to do.
Summoning every ounce of strength she had, she stepped forward, ignoring Adrian's shout of protest. The abyss's darkness reached for her, but the talisman burned brighter, pushing back against its grasp.
The figure snarled. "You cannot fight what is inevitable!"
Alina's hands trembled as she raised the talisman above the seal. "Watch me."
The pendant given by the mysterious figure pulsed at Adrian's chest, its meaning still unclear.
But one thing was certain.
The final choice was fast approaching. And no matter the outcome, nothing would ever be the same again.