READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 19: Into the Abyss
I woke up to silence.
Not the comforting kind of silence, like after a storm passes, but the heavy, suffocating kind. The kind that wraps around you, makes your skin crawl, and fills your chest with dread.
I opened my eyes—or at least, I thought I did. Everything was dark. Not just the absence of light kind of dark, but a void that swallowed every sense, every thought.
"You've come far, little spark," a voice echoed in the emptiness. It was deep, layered, and so cold it sent a shiver through my entire body.
I spun around, but there was nothing to see. No ground beneath me, no horizon, no stars. Just the voice and the darkness.
"Who's there?" I demanded, summoning the shadows around me. Except… nothing happened.
My heart sank. The shadows were gone.
"Do you feel it?" the voice continued, ignoring my question. "The weight of your choices. The cracks spreading through your soul."
"Show yourself!" I shouted, panic creeping into my voice.
The darkness shifted, and for the first time, I saw something—or someone. A figure stepped forward, their form barely distinguishable from the void itself. Their face was hidden, but their presence was overwhelming, like standing in the eye of a storm.
"You've been running, struggling, fighting a battle you cannot win," the figure said, their voice soft but sharp. "But you've already lost, haven't you? Piece by piece, you're becoming mine."
"What are you talking about?" I said, though I already knew the answer.
The figure tilted its head, as if amused. "The corruption, Kai. The shadows you wield. They are not tools—they are me. And every time you use them, you open the door wider."
"No," I said, shaking my head. "That's not true. I control the shadows. They don't control me."
The figure laughed, a sound that echoed endlessly in the void. "Is that what you tell yourself? That you are the master? Look around you, little spark. This is your future. This is what you're becoming."
I clenched my fists, trying to summon any scrap of power I had left, but the void was empty.
"Get out of my head," I growled.
"Your head?" the figure said, stepping closer. "This isn't your head. This is mine. And you're trespassing."
I stumbled back, but there was nowhere to go. The void seemed to shift around me, warping and twisting like it was alive.
"You don't scare me," I said, though my voice betrayed me.
The figure chuckled again, a low, mocking sound. "Oh, but I should. Because when the time comes, and you can no longer hold back, I will be there. And you will call my name."
"I'll never give in," I said through gritted teeth.
The figure stopped, their head tilting again as if studying me. Then they extended a hand.
"Join me, Kai. You've seen what we can do together. The power we could wield. Why fight it? Why suffer, when you could have everything you've ever wanted?"
I stared at the hand, my chest tightening. For a moment, just a moment, I thought about taking it. The shadows had saved me before, hadn't they? They'd given me the strength to keep fighting, to protect the people I cared about.
But then I thought of Sparky. I thought of the people the Void had already taken, their faces twisted in pain and fear.
"I'd rather die," I said, stepping back.
The figure sighed, lowering their hand. "Then you will. Slowly, painfully, as the corruption eats away at you. But don't worry, little spark. When the time comes, I will still be here. Waiting."
The void began to collapse around me, the darkness closing in.
And then I woke up.
---
I gasped, sitting up so fast my head spun. The first thing I noticed was the pain—sharp and burning, radiating from every inch of my body. The second thing was Sparky, leaning over me with a look of pure relief.
"Kai!" he said, grabbing my shoulders. "You're alive! I thought—" He cut himself off, shaking his head. "Don't scare me like that, man."
I blinked, trying to piece together what had happened. The last thing I remembered was the creature, the shadows, the fracture…
"What happened?" I croaked, my throat dry.
"You blacked out," Sparky said, helping me sit up. "That thing almost crushed you, but then—" He paused, frowning. "Then you… changed."
"Changed?" I echoed, dread pooling in my stomach.
"You went full Void mode," he said, his voice quiet. "Shadows everywhere, eyes glowing—it was like you weren't even you anymore. But then you just… stopped. The creature was gone, the fracture sealed, and you collapsed."
I swallowed hard, the memory of the void still fresh in my mind. "I don't remember."
"Good," Sparky said, though his expression was far from comforting. "Because it was terrifying. Seriously, Kai, you can't keep doing this. You're going to lose yourself."
I didn't respond. I couldn't.
[Fracture stabilized. Corruption level: 59%. User health critical.]
The system's cold voice sent a chill down my spine. Fifty-nine percent. I was running out of time.
Sparky helped me to my feet, his grip steady despite the tension in his face. "We need a plan," he said. "A real plan. No more diving headfirst into fractures. We need to figure out how to fix this before it's too late."
"Agreed," I said, though the weight of the corruption made it hard to believe my own words.
As we made our way out of the ruined Waterfront District, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed. The shadows felt heavier, their whispers louder.
And deep down, I knew the figure in the void wasn't lying.
The next time I faltered, the next time I lost control…
They would be waiting.