The Winds of the New World-Chapter 48 - 45: The Awakening of the Abyss

The hall trembled as if it were alive, pulsing with the energy of something that should not exist. The crack in the door widened, releasing a putrid stench of death and ancient magic. The air grew heavy, laden with a distant whisper that seemed to come from all directions at once, incomprehensible words merging into a chorus of agony and madness.

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Then, from the darkness beyond the fissure, an indescribable presence emerged.

First came a hand—skeletal and misshapen, covered in remnants of desiccated flesh and black claws like obsidian. The fingers writhed as if trying to remember what it was like to touch the world once more. Then, a slender arm followed, its skin branded with arcane symbols glowing faintly in a dying shade of red.

Edmund felt his breath catch in his throat as the creature pulled the rest of its body through. Its torso was elongated and draped in tattered robes, remnants of ancient garments that had long lost their splendor. Where eyes should have been, there were only two black voids, emptiness that devoured the light around them. The creature did not walk like a living being; it floated, its feet never touching the ground, swaying erratically as if pulled by invisible forces.

The captain instinctively stepped back, his heart pounding like the war drums of his past.

— Weapons ready! — he commanded, his voice cutting through the haze of fear.

The sound echoed through the chamber, snapping Voss and the others back to reality. The warrior tightened his grip on his blade with both hands, his knuckles whitening from the strain. Kieza held his spear firmly, eyes locked on the creature, his body poised to react at the slightest sign of attack.

The air grew denser, suffocating, as if something was draining the very essence of the room.

Then, the creature opened its mouth.

It was not a roar. It was not a scream.

It was a sound that should not exist—a deep, primordial wail, a cacophony of overlapping voices that made Edmund's bones vibrate. It was an echo of forgotten ages, of horrors buried in time, and every fiber of his being screamed for him to flee.

The torches flickered violently, and for an instant, the entire hall seemed to bend. The shadows stretched unnaturally, writhing like living entities, forming grotesque shapes along the walls.

Edmund clenched his teeth, resisting the primal urge to surrender to despair.

— This is no ordinary enemy — Kieza murmured, his eyes wide, his hands trembling slightly around the shaft of his weapon. — This is something that was never meant to be awakened!

The creature moved suddenly, far too fast for its size. Its presence brought a searing cold, as if all warmth in the chamber was being drawn into its profane form.

And then, the battle began.