Light exploded through the chamber, a violent wave of violet energy swallowing the darkness. Kael shielded his eyes as the raw force of the prisoner’s power surged forward, distorting the air like ripples on a stormy sea.

  The Abyssal Herald roared—a guttural, otherworldly sound that sent tremors through the crumbling ruins. It raised its malformed claws, abyssal energy pooling around them like liquid shadow. Then, with terrifying speed, it slashed forward.

  The prisoner didn’t flinch.

  Chains ignited around its arms, glowing sigils burning against the ancient metal of its armor. With a single gesture, the chains shot forward, moving like living serpents. They coiled around the Herald’s arm before tightening with a sharp snap.

  The creature snarled, trying to pull free, but the prisoner twisted its grip—and the limb shattered.

  Black ichor sprayed across the floor, sizzling as it met the remnants of the prisoner’s lingering energy. The Herald stumbled back, its body writhing as new tendrils of abyssal corruption attempted to regenerate the missing limb.

  "Your kind always clings to existence," the prisoner said coldly. "But this is where your path ends."

  The Herald tilted its head, its bone-like mask cracking further. Then it laughed.

  "You think yourself powerful?" its voice echoed, layered with countless whispers. "You are but a fragment of what you once were. And now…"

  The ground beneath them collapsed.

  Kael barely had time to react as the stone floor caved in, pulling him and the others into a free fall. Phantom cursed, trying to stabilize himself mid-air. Lyria twisted her body, throwing a grappling hook toward a ledge—but the stone crumbled in her grasp.

  Darkness swallowed them.

  For a moment, there was only the deafening roar of the abyss.

  Then—impact.

  Kael hit hard, rolling across cold, damp ground. He groaned, pushing himself up, his head spinning from the fall. Around him, the others landed in various states of disarray, their bodies bruised but mostly intact.

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  But something was wrong.

  The chamber they had fallen into pulsed with a sickly glow. The walls twisted unnaturally, as if they weren’t entirely solid. And at the center of the room…

  The Herald stood, completely unharmed.

  It spread its remaining arm wide, the abyss writhing around it like living smoke. "Welcome to my domain."

  The air thickened, pressing against Kael’s skin like an invisible weight. He forced himself to his feet, tightening his grip on his weapon. "Any ideas?"

  Phantom checked his rifle. "Yeah. Don’t die."

  Lyria scoffed. "Not exactly inspiring, Phantom."

  Elysia’s magic flickered around her, the strain of their previous battle still evident. "We need to regroup. We can’t fight it on its own terms."

  The prisoner stepped forward, its chains coiling in anticipation. "There is no retreat. Either it dies, or we do."

  The Herald lunged.

  Kael fired, his bullets sparking against the abyssal energy shielding the creature. Phantom’s rifle barked out controlled bursts, and Lyria’s daggers flashed as they struck weak points. Elysia unleashed waves of arcane light, each blast forcing the darkness back, if only for a moment.

  The Herald endured it all.

  Then it struck back.

  A wave of abyssal energy erupted from its form, sending Kael flying. He crashed into a jagged pillar, pain lancing through his ribs. He barely had time to register the others suffering similar fates—Phantom barely dodging a swipe, Lyria narrowly rolling under an abyssal tendril, Elysia gasping as her magic shields cracked.

  The prisoner, however, remained standing.

  It lifted a single hand.

  "Enough."

  The chains howled.

  The ancient bindings surged forward, wrapping around the Herald’s body, constricting with blinding force. The creature roared in fury, struggling against the sigils burning into its flesh.

  The prisoner took a step closer.

  "You think yourself eternal," it said, voice calm, unwavering. "But even eternity can be bound."

  The chains pulsed.

  The Herald screamed.

  Its body twisted violently, abyssal energy leaking from every crack in its form. The mask crumbled completely, revealing nothing but an endless void beneath. The chamber trembled as the darkness recoiled, its influence breaking apart.

  With one final, shuddering roar—the Herald collapsed.

  A shockwave of violet energy surged outward, obliterating the remaining abyssal corruption in the chamber. The twisted walls solidified. The suffocating presence of the abyss receded.

  Then, silence.

  Kael forced himself up, gripping his side. "Did we… win?"

  The prisoner exhaled slowly, lowering its hands. "For now."

  Elysia wiped sweat from her brow, her voice laced with exhaustion. "Then let’s not stay here any longer."

  Phantom gestured toward a partially intact passage leading upward. "That our exit?"

  The prisoner didn’t answer immediately. It turned its gaze toward the remnants of the Herald, its expression unreadable. Then, without a word, it started walking.

  Kael exchanged glances with the others before following.

  They had survived.

  But the abyss was far from done with them.