Cosmic Ruler - Chapter 416

Chapter 416: Abyssal IV

Later that night, as Aiden sat near one of the campfires, Rick joined him, a bottle of ale in hand. “You know,” Rick began, handing Aiden a drink, “when I first joined this resistance, I didn’t think we had a chance. But now? Watching what you did to Vassago? I believe.”

Aiden took the drink, swirling it in the bottle. “Belief is a double-edged sword,” he said quietly. “It can push you to achieve the impossible… or blind you to the truth.”

Rick raised an eyebrow. “And what truth is that?”

“That I’m still figuring this out as I go,” Aiden admitted. “The seal… it’s like holding a wildfire in my hands. I can use it to protect everyone, but if I lose control, it could destroy everything.”

Rick was silent for a moment before clapping Aiden on the back. “That’s what makes you human, mate. You’re not some all-powerful savior—you’re one of us. And that’s why we follow you. Because you care.”

The words struck a chord in Aiden, easing some of the tension that had coiled around his heart. He offered Rick a faint smile. “Thanks. I needed that.”

The next morning brought an unexpected visitor. A scout rushed into the camp, his face pale and his voice trembling. “A messenger from the Abyss has arrived! They claim to want… parley.”

Aiden and the other leaders gathered quickly. At the edge of the camp, a solitary figure waited. Cloaked in shadows that seemed to writhe like living things, the figure stood motionless. Its voice, when it spoke, was cold and hollow.

“We come not to fight, but to offer terms,” the figure intoned. “Your resistance is admirable, but futile. Surrender now, and your lives will be spared. Refuse… and the Abyss will consume you utterly.”

Aiden stepped forward, his gaze steady. “We don’t make deals with the Abyss.”

The figure’s hood tilted slightly, as if amused. “You misunderstand. This is not a deal. It is inevitability. The Abyss is eternal. You are but a fleeting spark. Why prolong your suffering?”

The leaders behind Aiden murmured uneasily, but he held his ground. “A fleeting spark is all it takes to ignite a fire. If the Abyss wants to consume us, it’ll choke on the ashes.”

The figure’s shadows rippled, an ominous energy crackling in the air. “So be it,” it said, its voice laced with menace. “When the tide returns, you will drown.”

With that, the figure dissolved into darkness, leaving the camp in an uneasy silence.

That night, Aiden gathered the leaders in the command tent. “We need to prepare for the Abyss’s counterattack,” he said. “But we also need to find a way to sever its connection to this world.”

Lila, who had been studying the seal, spoke up. “There might be a way. I’ve been researching ancient texts about dimensional anchors—devices or artifacts that tether entities like the Abyss to our plane. If we can find and destroy their anchor, it could weaken their hold.”

“Do we have any idea where it might be?” Rick asked.

Lila hesitated. “Not yet. But there’s a place we can start looking—a ruin called the Shattered Spire. It’s said to be connected to the Abyss’s first incursion into this world.”

Aiden nodded. “Then that’s where we’ll go. Gather a team. We leave at first light.”

As the leaders dispersed, Myne lingered. “You really think this Spire will have the answers?”

“It’s the best lead we’ve got,” Aiden replied.

Myne’s expression was unreadable as she studied him. “Just don’t lose yourself chasing answers, Aiden. The Abyss may be a threat, but so is that seal. Promise me you won’t push yourself too far.”

“I promise,” Aiden said, though the weight of his words felt heavier than he intended.

As the camp settled into uneasy sleep, Aiden stared at the seal, its faint glow pulsing like a heartbeat. The path ahead was shrouded in uncertainty, but one thing was clear: the fight was far from over. And the Shattered Spire awaited.

As the first light of dawn stretched across the camp, the resistance stirred to life. Aiden stood near the edge of the perimeter, gazing into the horizon where the Shattered Spire supposedly lay. The team he’d assembled for the mission was ready: Myne, Lila, Rick, and two additional fighters—a seasoned swordsman named Garrick and a quiet archer named Alina. Each carried a grim determination, their resolve hardened by the looming threat of the Abyss.

Lila unfolded an old map she had pieced together from fragments in the archives. “The Shattered Spire is located deep in the Shadowed Wastes,” she explained, tracing a path with her finger. “It’s treacherous terrain—unstable magic, corrupted creatures, and remnants of past battles. It’s not a place many come back from.”

“Sounds like a vacation,” Rick quipped, trying to lighten the mood. No one laughed.

Aiden adjusted the straps of his gear. “We’ve faced worse. Stay sharp and stick together. Whatever we find there, we face it as one.”

With that, they set out, leaving behind the safety of the camp and plunging into the unknown.

The journey to the Shadowed Wastes was grueling. The land became more hostile with every step—gnarled trees oozed with dark ichor, the air grew heavy with the stench of decay, and the faint whispers of unseen entities echoed in the distance. The closer they got to the Spire, the more oppressive the atmosphere became, as if the Abyss itself was aware of their approach.

It wasn’t long before they encountered the first of the corrupted creatures: hulking monstrosities with jagged limbs and glowing eyes, their forms twisted beyond recognition. Garrick and Alina proved their worth, the former cleaving through the beasts with brutal efficiency while the latter’s arrows found their marks with uncanny precision. Myne’s explosive magic lit up the battlefield, while Lila’s protective barriers shielded the group from harm.

Aiden, however, was a force of nature. The seal’s power flared around him, his strikes imbued with raw energy that disintegrated anything in his path. Yet, each time he drew upon the seal, he felt the strain—a subtle tug on his mind, a whisper in the back of his thoughts urging him to let go, to give in.

After one particularly fierce battle, Myne grabbed his arm as they regrouped. “You’re pushing too hard,” she said, her voice low but firm. “I can see it, Aiden. The seal is taking its toll.”

“I’m fine,” he replied curtly, though the tightness in his voice betrayed him.

“No, you’re not,” Myne shot back. “You think you can carry all of this on your own, but you can’t. If you lose control out here, we’re all dead.”

Aiden met her gaze, the fire in her eyes a mirror of her unwavering loyalty. “I won’t lose control,” he said, softer this time. “I can’t.”

Myne didn’t look convinced, but she let the matter drop—for now.