The tunnel walls pulsed with an eerie silence as Aedric led the way, gripping the cursed blade tightly. Behind him, Seris and Tessa moved cautiously, their eyes scanning the shadows. Dust still hung in the air from the chamber's collapse, settling into the crevices of the ancient stone.
None of them spoke. They didn't need to. The whispers that had taunted them were gone, but a presence still clung to the air, an invisible weight pressing against their senses.
Seris broke the silence first. "That sword… I don't think we understand what you just took."
Aedric glanced at the weapon. The blade was pitch-black, the edges shimmering as if absorbing the faint torchlight. He could still feel it—something inside the weapon, watching, waiting.
"I don't either," he admitted. "But leaving it behind wasn't an option."
Tessa scoffed. "Wasn't it?" She wiped a layer of dust off her sleeve, eyeing the blade warily. "That thing nearly got us killed, and now we're carrying it around like a souvenir."
Seris exhaled through her nose. "No. We're carrying it because it chose him."
Tessa's expression darkened. "That's supposed to make me feel better?"
Aedric remained silent. He couldn't argue with them, not when doubt already gnawed at him. The moment he had grasped the blade, he had felt something shift—as if the world itself had taken notice. And those whispers…
"You are not worthy."
The words still rang in his mind. If he wasn't meant to wield the weapon, then why had it responded to him?
The tunnel stretched on, winding deeper into the ruins. The air was colder now, thick with an unsettling stillness. No more whispers. No more tremors. But Aedric couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't alone.
"We need to get out of here," Seris said, her voice low. "The sooner, the better."
Aedric nodded. "Agreed."
They picked up the pace, moving swiftly through the labyrinthine passageways. But the ruins weren't done with them yet.
As they rounded a corner, the ground beneath them shifted.
Tessa barely had time to yelp before the stone floor crumbled, sending them plunging downward.
Aedric hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs. Dust and debris rained down around him, the echoes of the collapse reverberating through the cavern.
Groaning, he pushed himself up. His body ached, but nothing felt broken. He glanced around, searching for the others.
Seris was nearby, already on her feet. A small gash marked her forehead, but otherwise, she seemed unharmed. Tessa groaned from a few feet away, coughing as she tried to sit up.
"Everyone alive?" Aedric called out.
"Barely," Tessa muttered. "Remind me why we keep coming to places that try to kill us?"
Aedric ignored the sarcasm and scanned their surroundings. The chamber they had fallen into was vast, larger than any they had seen before. The walls stretched impossibly high, disappearing into darkness. Strange carvings marked the stone, glowing faintly with a soft, blue light.
And at the center of the cavern, something shifted.
Seris stiffened. "We're not alone."
Aedric turned toward the movement. In the dim light, he saw it—a figure, humanoid but wrong. Its form flickered, as though struggling to maintain shape. Its eyes burned like dying embers, empty and hollow.
Then it spoke.
"You carry the blade."
The voice wasn't a whisper this time. It was deep, reverberating through the chamber, ancient and filled with something unknowable.
Aedric swallowed. "Who are you?"
The figure didn't answer. Instead, it moved—a blur of shadow and smoke, closing the distance between them in an instant.
Aedric barely had time to raise the sword before the entity's clawed hand lashed out. The impact sent him staggering, the force like a tidal wave crashing against him.
Seris and Tessa reacted immediately. Tessa's daggers flashed as she darted forward, aiming for the creature's exposed flank. But the moment her blades connected, they passed through it—like striking air.
Seris's spear followed, a precise thrust aimed at its core. But the entity shifted, its form dissolving and reforming before the strike could land.
"This isn't working!" Tessa cursed, leaping back.
Aedric gritted his teeth. He had no time to think, no time to hesitate. Instinct guided him as he raised the dark blade—and the moment he did, something changed.
The sword pulsed, as if coming alive. The runes along its surface ignited, burning with an unnatural glow.
And the entity froze.
Aedric didn't hesitate. He struck, and this time—the blade connected.
The creature let out a guttural hiss as the sword cleaved through it, splitting its form apart. The air shuddered, and for a brief moment, Aedric saw something—a glimpse of the abyss, swirling and endless.
Then, the entity vanished.
Silence followed.
Aedric exhaled heavily, lowering the blade. The glow faded, leaving only the faint echoes of its power behind.
Tessa let out a shaky breath. "I don't like that sword."
Seris didn't speak. She was watching Aedric carefully, her expression unreadable.
Aedric met her gaze. He could see the question in her eyes—the unspoken fear.
What had he just done?
And what had the sword just taken from him in return?