THE HEIRESS VOW - Chapter 189

Chapter 189: The Edge of Despair
Ava stood, her sword lifted high, its sharp edge glistening with the faint glow of a dying flame. Her fingers trembled on the hilt, her heart faltered, and the weight of the darkness pressed on her chest like an iron fist. Before her, the twisted entity—her own reflection—hovered, sneering with cold contempt, its eyes alight with malevolent glee. Shadows danced around it, thick and suffocating, threatening to swallow her whole.

“You can’t escape me,” the entity’s voice slithered through the air, wrapping itself around Ava’s resolve, crushing it with each venomous word. “You never could. You never will.”

Ava’s grip tightened, her knuckles white against the handle of the sword. But as the sneering figure circled her, she felt it—the undeniable truth in those words. Her reflection’s cruel grin widened, the shadows coiling closer, thicker, as if they were alive, feeding off her weakness, her doubts. Each taunt landed like a dagger, aimed with perfect precision.

“You are alone, Ava.” The entity’s voice was soft now, almost sympathetic, but laced with a sharpness that made Ava’s stomach twist. “Always alone. No one to save you. No one who ever cared.”

Ava’s throat tightened. Alone. The word echoed in her mind, a familiar refrain she had spent years trying to drown out, to deny. But here, in the heart of the Abyss, she couldn’t escape it. It was everywhere—woven into the very fabric of this nightmare. And the more she resisted, the more suffocating it became. The ground beneath her feet began to tremble, cracks forming as if even the earth beneath her rejected her.

The entity laughed, a chilling sound that seemed to reverberate from every shadow. “Do you feel it, Ava? The weight of your failures? Every person you’ve ever tried to save… gone. The child… him. You couldn’t save them then, and you can’t save yourself now.”

Ava’s heart clenched painfully, her chest heaving as memories flashed before her eyes. The child’s face—pale, terrified, slipping from her grasp. The male lead, his face twisted in anguish, disappearing into the darkness. She wasn’t fast enough. She wasn’t strong enough.

“I… tried…” Ava whispered, her voice weak, faltering. But even as she said it, she felt the hollowness of the words. Her attempts had been futile. Her efforts had led only to more pain, more loss.

“You failed,” the entity hissed, stepping closer, its mocking grin stretching impossibly wide. “You failed them all. And now, you’re going to fail again.”

The words were like poison, sinking deep into her skin, spreading through her veins. Ava’s legs buckled under the weight of it all. Her sword, once held with such determination, now felt impossibly heavy. The darkness pressed closer, tighter, wrapping around her like chains, dragging her down.

“You are weak,” the entity continued, its voice like a whip, cracking against the fragile remains of her willpower. “Weak, worthless, broken.”

Ava’s body trembled. Her hands, once steady, now shook uncontrollably. She was unraveling. Every accusation, every cruel word chipped away at her, pulling her deeper into the abyss of her own despair. The ground cracked beneath her, the world threatening to shatter. The Abyss was closing in, devouring her, feeding off her misery, her pain. She could feel it now, in every breath, in every beat of her heart.

The entity circled her slowly, its steps deliberate, savoring her torment. “You’ve always known, haven’t you?” it whispered, leaning closer, its breath cold against her skin. “That no matter how hard you fight, no matter how strong you try to be, you will always fail. You will always fall.”

Ava’s throat burned with unshed tears, her vision blurring as the truth of those words gnawed at her. She had failed. Over and over again. She had tried so hard, fought so fiercely, but it was never enough. She had never been enough.

“You couldn’t save her,” the entity said, its voice a venomous caress, each word sharper than the last. “You couldn’t save him. And now, Ava, who will save you?”

Ava’s breath hitched. Her pulse raced, the darkness around her thickening, suffocating her, clawing at her soul. Her own reflection, her own twisted, broken self, had become the voice of every insecurity she had ever buried. Every fear she had tried to forget. Every failure she had ever endured. And the weight of it all was too much.

“You think you’re strong?” the entity scoffed, its voice rising in pitch, the mockery dripping from its every word. “You think you can fight me? Look at you! You’re nothing but a scared little girl. Weak. Pathetic.”

“I…” Ava tried to speak, but her voice cracked, the words catching in her throat. She wanted to fight back, wanted to scream that she wasn’t weak, that she wasn’t broken. But the words felt empty. She felt empty.

“You can’t even protect yourself, let alone anyone else,” the entity sneered, its form flickering as it loomed closer, its eyes gleaming with malicious delight. “And now, Ava, you will lose everything. You will lose yourself.”

Ava’s knees hit the ground, her sword slipping from her grasp, clattering uselessly to the floor. She could feel the darkness pressing in on her from all sides, her vision narrowing, her heart pounding in her chest. The weight of her failures bore down on her, crushing her beneath the weight of her own guilt.

“I’m not…” she whispered, her voice barely audible, her breath shaky. “I’m not… alone.”

The entity’s laughter echoed through the abyss, a cruel, mocking sound that sent shivers down Ava’s spine. “You are alone, Ava. You’ve always been alone.”

The male lead’s voice—distant, faint—echoed in her mind, like a thread of light in the overwhelming darkness. “You are not alone, Ava. You never were.”

For a moment, she could hear him, feel him, as if he were standing right beside her, his presence a lifeline in the midst of the storm. But as quickly as the thought came, it faded, drowned out by the laughter, the mocking taunts that tore at her resolve.

“You think he can save you?” the entity spat, its voice rising in fury. “He couldn’t even save himself. And now you cling to that pathetic hope?”

Ava’s chest tightened. Her heart pounded in her ears, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She could feel the darkness pulling her under, deeper and deeper into the void.

But then… the flicker.

A faint glimmer of light. A distant, echoing voice.

His voice.

“Ava.”

It was a whisper, barely audible, but it was there. And in that moment, something inside her shifted. The ground beneath her feet, once crumbling and unstable, seemed to solidify ever so slightly. She wasn’t done. Not yet.

The entity hissed, its form flickering, as if disturbed by the sudden change in Ava’s resolve. “You think you can fight me?” it snarled, its voice sharp and jagged like broken glass. “You think you can defeat me?”

Ava’s hands clenched into fists, her fingers digging into her palms. The pain was sharp, grounding her in the present. The darkness still swirled around her, thick and suffocating, but somewhere, deep inside, that flicker of light grew. His voice, his presence, was a lifeline, pulling her back from the edge.

“I may have failed,” Ava said, her voice shaking but growing stronger with each word. “But I’m not done.”

The entity’s face twisted in fury, its eyes blazing with rage. “You are nothing!” it screamed, lunging forward, its form shifting and distorting as it bore down on her. “You will always be nothing!”

Ava’s heart raced, her pulse thundering in her ears, but she didn’t flinch. She didn’t waver. She raised her head, her eyes locking with the entity’s twisted reflection.

“You’re wrong,” she said, her voice steady now, firm. “I’m not alone.”

The entity screeched, its form rippling, flickering like a dying flame as Ava’s words cut through the suffocating darkness. “You cannot defeat me!” it howled, its voice frantic, desperate. “You cannot escape!”

But Ava didn’t falter. She wasn’t afraid anymore.

“You’re not me,” she said, her voice calm, resolute. “You’re just the part of me I need to leave behind.”

For a moment, the abyss stilled, the shadows pausing, as if the entire void held its breath. The entity’s form flickered one last time, its twisted features contorting in a final, furious scream.

And with a swift, decisive motion, Ava brought her sword down, the blade slicing through the air, cutting through the darkness.

The entity shattered.

The shadows exploded, disintegrating into nothingness, the oppressive weight lifting from Ava’s chest. The Abyss recoiled, retreating in the wake of her strike, leaving her standing alone in the silence.

For the first time, there was peace.

But then she heard it—his voice.

Louder now, clearer, calling to her from the distance.

“Ava!”

Her heart raced. He was still out there. Still searching for her.

And this time, she wasn’t going to fail.