The Abyss. The word echoed in my mind, resonating with an ancient power that stirred something deep within me. As Logan and I moved through the forest, the wind whipping through the trees, I could feel the weight of the symbols on my skin, like they were leading me toward something inevitable.
Logan stayed close, his sharp eyes scanning the darkness around us. I could tell he was on edge-every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig had him ready to pounce. The beast was out there somewhere, lurking in the shadows, but it wasn’t our immediate concern.
We had to find the Abyss. And we had to do it fast.
“What do you think the Abyss is?” Logan asked, his voice low, cautious.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, clutching my arms where the markings still faintly glowed beneath my skin. “But whatever it is, it’s connected to the Eternity Book. Sabrina didn’t give us much to go on, but I feel like I’m being pulled toward it.”
Logan glanced at me, his brow furrowed. “Pulled how?”
I hesitated, trying to put the sensation into words. “It’s like… the symbols on my skin, they’re alive somehow. They’re not just a clue, they’re a guide. I can feel them reacting to the forest, like they’re connected to something deeper. I think they’ll show us the way.”
Logan’s expression was a mix of disbelief and concern, but he nodded. “Then we’ll trust the markings. But if anything feels off, you let me know. We don’t know what we’re walking into.”
I nodded in agreement, my mind racing with questions. The Abyss. The Eternity Book. My father’s bargain with Sabrina. It was all tangled together in a web I didn’t fully understand yet, but I knew one thing: the answers lay ahead, waiting for me in whatever this Abyss was.
As we pressed deeper into the forest, the air around us grew colder, the trees taller and denser. The path we followed wasn’t one marked on any map-it was as if the forest itself was shifting, leading us into its heart. And with every step, the markings on my skin burned brighter.
Logan’s jaw tightened. “We’re getting close.”
I could feel it too. The air was thick with tension, like the forest was holding its breath, waiting for us to uncover its secret. And then, just ahead, the trees parted, revealing a clearing unlike anything I’d ever seen.
At the center of the clearing was a chasm-a black void that seemed to swallow the light around it. The ground sloped downward toward the opening, and the air near the edge of the chasm pulsed with an unnatural energy. This had to be the Abyss.
Logan and I exchanged a look. “This is it,” I whispered, the words almost drowned out by the oppressive silence around us.
Logan stepped forward cautiously, his eyes fixed on the dark void ahead. “What now?”
I moved toward the edge of the Abyss, my heart pounding. The markings on my skin glowed brighter, reacting to the chasm as if they recognized it. And in that moment, I knew-the Eternity Book was down there. Deep within the darkness.
“I have to go in,” I said, my voice steady despite the fear curling in my chest.
Logan’s hand shot out, grabbing my arm. “No way. You can’t just walk into that thing. We don’t even know what it is.”
“I have to,” I insisted, meeting his gaze. “The book is down there. I can feel it. This is what all of this has been leading to.”
Logan’s eyes darkened, torn between his protective instinct and the reality of the situation. “I’m coming with you.”
I shook my head. “You can’t. This is something I have to face alone. Sabrina said as much. The clue is inside me, and whatever’s down there is tied to my father, to the deal he made. I have to confront it on my own.”
His grip tightened, frustration and worry flickering across his face. “Audrey, I don’t care what Sabrina said. I’m not letting you go in there by yourself.”
I softened, placing my hand over his. “I know you want to protect me, Logan. But this is bigger than either of us. If I don’t do this, we’ll never find the book. We’ll never be safe.”
Logan’s jaw clenched, his eyes filled with conflict. Finally, he released me, though the tension in his body remained. “If anything goes wrong, you call for me. I’ll be right here.”
I nodded, giving him a small, grateful smile. “I will,” I promised, though I wasn’t entirely sure what would happen once I entered the Abyss.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped closer to the edge of the chasm. The darkness below seemed infinite, an inky void that swallowed everything. A part of me was terrified-terrified of the unknown, of what might lie within-but another part of me, the wolf inside, felt a strange sense of calm. As if this was where I was meant to go, where everything I had been running from would finally be faced.
The markings on my skin flared brightly now, casting a faint light around me. The closer I got to the Abyss, the stronger the pull became, like it was calling to me. I glanced back at Logan one last time. His eyes were filled with fear and determination, but he gave me a nod, silently telling me to be careful.
With one final breath, I stepped off the edge.
The fall wasn’t what I expected. Instead of plummeting into the dark void, I felt weightless, suspended as the darkness enveloped me. My vision blurred, and for a moment, I felt like I was floating in a vast, endless sea of black. The only thing grounding me was the steady glow of the symbols on my skin, their warmth keeping me tethered to reality.
Then, suddenly, my feet touched solid ground. The darkness around me began to recede, revealing a vast underground cavern. The walls were jagged, ancient, and pulsed with a faint, eerie glow that mirrored the symbols on my skin. In the distance, a faint light flickered, drawing me forward.
I walked cautiously, the weight of the place pressing down on me. There was something alive here, something old and powerful. The air buzzed with energy, and the deeper I ventured, the more I felt like I was stepping into a place where time itself didn’t exist.
At the far end of the cavern, I saw it-the Eternity Book. It rested on a stone pedestal, its surface shimmering with a soft, otherworldly light. The markings on its cover matched the symbols etched into my skin, and as I approached, they seemed to hum in recognition.
I reached out, my fingers trembling as I touched the surface of the book. The moment my skin made contact, a surge of energy shot through me, lighting up every nerve in my body. Images flashed through my mind-my father, Sabrina, the deal that had been made, the darkness I had to face. It was all connected to this book, to the power it held.
But before I could fully process what was happening, a voice echoed through the cavern, cold and sharp.
“You’ve come far, Audrey.”
I spun around, my heart racing. From the shadows, a figure emerged. It wasn’t the beast that had been hunting us-it was something far worse.
A man, tall and cloaked in darkness, his eyes glowing with an unnatural light. There was a cruel smile on his face as he stepped closer, and I could feel the power radiating off him. He wasn’t human, that much was clear. He was something else-something ancient.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said, his voice sending a shiver down my spine.
“Who are you?” I demanded, taking a step back toward the book.
He chuckled darkly. “I am the guardian of the Abyss. The one who holds the final key to the Eternity Book. And if you want its power, you’ll have to go through me.”
My heart pounded in my chest, but I stood my ground. I wasn’t the same scared girl who had been running from the truth. I had faced the wolf within me, and now I had to face this.
The man’s smile widened as if sensing my resolve. “Very well,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “Let’s see if you’re truly ready for the darkness you claim to embrace.”
And with that, the cavern erupted into chaos.
Dark tendrils shot out from the ground, swirling around the man as he advanced on me. I barely had time to react before the first one lashed out, aiming straight for my chest. I dodged, narrowly avoiding the strike, but more were coming, faster and more relentless.
I shifted, feeling the wolf take over, my body changing in a heartbeat. The strength surged through me, and I fought back, tearing through the dark tendrils with claws and teeth. But the man wasn’t just standing by-he moved with the shadows, attacking with a speed and power that left me struggling to keep up.
The fight felt endless, a brutal back and forth as I tried to hold my ground. But the longer it went on, the more I realized something-this wasn’t a battle I could win through strength alone. This was a test, just like Sabrina had warned me. A test of whether I could truly embrace the darkness within me.
I had to stop fighting it.
With a deep breath, I stopped resisting. I let the tendrils wrap around me, let the darkness pull me in. And in that moment, something shifted. The power within me, the power tied to my father’s bargain, surged to life. The markings on my skin flared brighter than ever, and I felt the darkness inside me respond-not with fear, but with understanding.
The man’s eyes widened in surprise as I stepped forward, unharmed by the shadows. “Impossible,” he hissed.
But it wasn’t impossible. It was exactly what I was meant to do.
With one final surge of power, I reached out and touched the book. The cavern shook, the darkness recoiling as the power of the Eternity Book flooded into me. And in that moment, I knew-I had passed the test.
The man’s figure dissolved into the shadows, his voice echoing one last time. “You may have won this round, Audrey, but the real battle has only just begun.”
As the cavern fell silent, I clutched the book to my chest, feeling its weight, its power. This was only the beginning, and I had no idea what lay ahead. But I was ready.
I had to be.
When I emerged from the Abyss, Logan was there, his face filled with relief and worry. “You did it,” he whispered, pulling me into a tight embrace.
I nodded, holding the Eternity Book close. “But it’s not over yet.”