NOVEL WEB Chapter 27: Into the Abyss (Continued)
Into the Abyss (Continued)
As they passed through the gates of the Obsidian Citadel, a suffocating weight settled over the group. The darkness here was unlike anything they had encountered before—it didn't just surround them; it invaded them, clawing at their thoughts, testing their resolve.
Kierra felt the first touch of its corruption when her grip faltered on her daggers. She clenched her fists, forcing the intrusive whispers out of her mind. But they persisted, insidious and persistent. He's gone, Kierra. Ardent abandoned you. You'll die here, and no one will remember your name.
She gritted her teeth and pressed on, staying close to Zephyr. The crystal in his hands pulsed weakly, struggling to push back the oppressive shadows.
"Don't stop," Zephyr said, his voice calm but firm. "The Citadel senses us now. If we falter, it will swallow us whole."
"Good pep talk," Ryu muttered, though his claws remained extended, his posture tense. His golden eyes scanned the shifting corridors around them. The walls seemed to move, pulsating with an almost organic rhythm, as though the Citadel itself were alive and breathing.
It probably was.
A Living Labyrinth
The first trial came swiftly.
They reached a vast chamber where the floor was fractured into floating slabs of stone. The gaps between them were filled with an endless abyss of swirling shadows. Kierra tossed a pebble into the darkness, but instead of falling, it was swallowed by the shadows with an audible hiss.
"Not exactly inviting," she muttered.
"The Citadel is testing us," Zephyr said. He stepped forward, the crystal glowing faintly. As he moved, one of the slabs floated closer, bridging a gap in the path.
"It responds to the crystal," Ryu observed, his voice taut with suspicion.
"For now," Zephyr replied, not breaking stride.
They began crossing, the floating platforms shifting and adjusting with every step Zephyr took. But the farther they went, the more erratic the movements became.
The shadows began to rise.
"What the—?" Ryu growled, slashing at a tendril of darkness that darted toward him. The shadow recoiled, but more followed, reaching for them with claw-like precision.
"Keep moving!" Zephyr shouted, his voice uncharacteristically sharp. "If we stop, we're dead!"
Kierra didn't need to be told twice. She leapt from one slab to the next, her daggers flashing as she cut through the shadows that tried to drag her down. Ryu followed close behind, his claws carving arcs of light in the oppressive gloom.
But the Citadel wasn't done testing them.
One of the platforms beneath Zephyr began to crack, the stone groaning under an invisible weight.
"Jump!" Kierra yelled.
Zephyr hesitated for a fraction of a second, his eyes darting to the crystal in his hand. Then he leapt, landing unsteadily on the next platform. The fractured slab shattered completely, its remains spiraling into the abyss below.
"That was close," Ryu muttered.
"We're not done yet," Zephyr replied, his tone grim.
The Voice of the Shadows
They reached the other side of the chamber, breathless but alive. The floating slabs disappeared behind them, as though the Citadel itself had swallowed the path.
Ahead, the corridor narrowed into a jagged archway. Beyond it, faint, flickering light illuminated what appeared to be a circular room.
The group moved cautiously, every step echoing ominously in the silence. The light grew stronger as they entered the room, revealing walls lined with twisted, blackened mirrors. The reflections within weren't their own.
Instead, the mirrors showed warped, distorted versions of them—darker, crueler, and somehow… more powerful.
"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Ryu growled, glaring at his reflection. The version of himself in the mirror stared back with glowing red eyes, blood dripping from its claws.
"They're not just reflections," Zephyr said quietly, his eyes scanning the room. "They're manifestations of the Citadel's will. It's showing us what we could become if we let the shadows consume us."
Kierra stepped closer to one of the mirrors, her reflection smirking back at her with daggers coated in black ichor. It whispered to her, its voice a chilling echo of her own.
"You're already halfway there, Kierra. All it takes is one step."
She tore her gaze away, her hands trembling.
"We need to keep moving," Zephyr said firmly. "The Citadel is trying to break us. Don't give it the satisfaction."
But as they turned to leave the room, the mirrors shattered in unison, the sound deafening. From the shards rose shadowy figures, each one an exact replica of the distorted reflections.
The group barely had time to react before the doppelgängers attacked.
Against Themselves
The battle was chaos.
Ryu's shadow clone moved with the same feral precision he did, its claws meeting his in a shower of sparks. It grinned wickedly, taunting him with every strike.
"Is this all you've got?" it sneered, its voice dripping with malice. "You'll never be strong enough to protect them."
"Shut up!" Ryu roared, his strikes growing more frantic.
Kierra was locked in a deadly dance with her own doppelgänger, their movements mirroring each other so perfectly that it was impossible to predict the next attack.
Zephyr, meanwhile, faced a shadow clone wielding its own version of the crystal. The two glows clashed violently, the air between them crackling with energy.
"We can't win like this!" Kierra shouted, dodging a strike that came dangerously close to her throat. "They're matching us move for move!"
Zephyr gritted his teeth, his mind racing. The Citadel was toying with them, exploiting their weaknesses. But that meant it had to have a limit—something they could exploit in return.
"The crystal!" he shouted. "It's connected to the Citadel's power! I can disrupt it, but I'll need time!"
"Then make it quick!" Ryu snapped, slashing at his doppelgänger with renewed fury.
Zephyr knelt, pressing the crystal to the ground. He began chanting, the ancient words resonating through the room. The glow of the crystal intensified, and the shadow clones shrieked, their forms flickering.
But the Citadel fought back. The room trembled violently, and the shadows surged toward Zephyr, desperate to stop him.
"Not happening!" Ryu roared, throwing himself in their path. Kierra joined him, her daggers flashing as she carved through the darkness.
Finally, the crystal released a blinding pulse of light, shattering the shadow clones into nothingness.
When the light faded, the group was left standing in the wreckage of the room, their breaths heavy.
Zephyr stood, tucking the crystal away. "This is only the beginning."
Kierra sheathed her daggers, her hands still trembling. "Then we'd better be ready."
Ryu didn't say a word. He just stared at the next corridor, his claws still extended.
Somewhere in the depths of the Citadel, the shadow master was waiting.