The Awakening Of The Shadows
Chapter 50: The Abyss

Chapter 50: The Abyss

The Void.

It was the first thing Lian felt upon awakening.

There was no ground beneath his feet. No air to breathe. No light. Just nothing.

For a moment, he thought he was dead.

His body floated in the darkness, as if he were falling, but with no destination. He felt no pain, no cold, only the faint pressure of the surrounding void.

"Where am I?"

He tried to move, but there was nowhere to go.

That was when he felt it... something watching him.

At first, it was a distant sensation, but it quickly became suffocating. Something within the shadows was observing him, like predators stalking wounded prey.

His instincts screamed. This was not an empty space.

He was not alone.

Lian attempted to summon Oblivion, but his hand found only air. His sword was gone.

Panic began to rise inside him.

"Oblivion!" he shouted, but his voice was swallowed by the void, as if even sound could not exist there.

Then, the whispers began.

Distorted voices, hissing words he could not understand, echoed around him.

They came from all directions.

"You are not worthy..."

"You are merely a fragment..."

"Your body will not withstand..."

Lian clenched his teeth. He wasn’t going to die here.

He tried to unleash a burst of shadow energy, but nothing happened. It was as if his connection to his own power had been severed.

"I can’t use my powers?" Confusion clouded Lian’s mind. "Where did that black hole take me? Am I trapped here forever?"

No. He refused to accept that.

Then, amidst the infinite darkness, something shone.

A small purple particle, floating before him.

Lian fixed his eyes on it, and as if it had read his thoughts, the light rushed toward him.

And then, everything collapsed.

He felt the impact before he understood what had happened.

His body was hurled downward, as if an invisible force had seized him. He crashed violently onto something solid, the air being forced from his lungs in a harsh gasp.

Coughing, Lian forced himself up, his muscles protesting the movement.

He was on solid ground.

For the first time since entering the black hole, he felt the stability beneath his feet.

The world around him was... strange.

He stood on a vast plain of black stone, cracked and worn, stretching endlessly into the distance. Above him, there was no sky, only a vast ocean of darkness, suspended in the air. In the far horizon, shadows moved, alive, pulsating as if they were breathing.

The silence was absolute.

And then, the pain came.

A crushing wave of exhaustion coursed through his body. His chest burned, his head throbbed. Even his own blood felt heavier.

Something was wrong.

"You are absorbing the energy of this place."

The voice did not come from outside. It came from within.

Lian froze.

He knew that voice.

It was the voice of Oblivion.

"This is our true home."

Lian’s heart pounded.

"What do you mean by that? What is this place?"

Oblivion did not answer immediately.

Lian sensed a presence behind him.

His instincts screamed, and he turned just in time.

Two figures emerged from the shadows.

They were humanoid, but distorted. Their bodies were long and thin, with limbs stretched too far to be natural. Their sleek, black skin gleamed as if made of pure void. They had no eyes, only wide, tooth-filled mouths twisted into inhuman grins.

Lian knew what they were, as if a buried memory had awakened within him. It was strange. He had never seen these creatures before, yet he recognized them.

They were Abyssal Creatures, predators. Beings that took pleasure in killing and devouring anything that moved.

The one closest to him moved first, like a mindless beast acting on instinct.

It was too fast.

Lian tried to dodge, but his reaction was sluggish. He felt cold claws scrape against his arm, cutting his skin. The pain made him grit his teeth, but he ignored it.

He had to fight back.

He tried to summon his shadows...

Nothing happened.

The second monster lunged at him. Lian rolled aside, barely escaping.

His powers still weren’t working.

He was vulnerable.

The first creature struck again. Lian had no choice. He used his raw strength, punching the monster’s chest.

It was like hitting stone.

The impact reverberated through his arm, but the creature staggered back, as if not expecting resistance.

The second one shrieked, a horrible sound that reverberated across the land.

Lian tried to summon Oblivion, but this time, it felt different. The energy of this place seemed to be interfering with his control.

Before the creatures could attack again, he focused all his willpower into summoning Oblivion.

A pulsating black shadow emerged from his own chest, stretching into his hand. The familiar weight of the blade materialized between his fingers.

Lian held Oblivion once more.

The monsters hesitated.

They felt the presence of the sword.

Lian grinned.

"Now... let’s see who hunts who."

The first creature roared and leaped at him. But this time, Lian was ready.

He swung the blade in a wide arc, and Oblivion sliced through the darkness like air.

The monster was split in two, dissolving into scattered shadows.

The second hesitated.

Lian advanced.

He brought Oblivion upward, and the blade pulsed with energy, responding to his will to fight.

A single strike tore through the creature’s chest, and it dissolved like the first.

Silence.

Lian took a deep breath, gripping the sword tightly.

His heart still raced, but something inside him had changed.

He could feel the energy of this world.

He knew this was a place where he could learn more about his powers, this place seemed connected to him and his abilities.

But he also knew... this was a world with no way out.

"Oblivion... where are we?" Lian asked, gazing into the horizon, searching for something, anything.

"It’s been a long time since you’ve spoken to me, Lian. Or rather... it’s been a long time since you’ve spoken to yourself."