The darkness was all-encompassing. It pressed in on Amina from every side, suffocating, crushing, threatening to swallow her whole. Her body felt weightless, yet heavy, as though she were drifting through a void that stretched on forever. Every breath she took was ragged, as though the air itself resisted her existence.
She struggled to open her eyes, but the darkness was too thick, too absolute. It wasn't just a lack of light—it was a presence. A presence that gnawed at her mind, whispering doubts, fears, and regrets she had never known before.
You cannot save him.
The voice came from all directions. It was deep, resonant, a low growl that reverberated through her very soul.
Valec is lost. He is beyond your reach. You are too weak to defeat the Abyssal. You always have been.
Amina's heart stuttered, but she fought to push the voice away. The shadows clawed at her, trying to drag her into the blackness that surrounded her. She had to stay strong.
No, she thought fiercely. I am not weak. I will not be broken.
Her hands, trembling, reached for the fire within her. The flame that had always been there, her constant, her strength. She had always known it, had always relied on it. It was hers. She was its.
But the fire… it felt distant. Faint. Almost like it was being smothered by the overwhelming void around her.
"Valec!" she shouted into the abyss, her voice harsh and desperate. "I'm not giving up on you. I will not let you go!"
For a moment, there was silence. Then, in the distance, something stirred.
A figure. A shadow.
Amina's breath caught.
Valec?
The figure moved closer, but it wasn't the Valec she remembered. His form was ethereal, flickering in and out of existence, like a shadow caught between two worlds. His once vibrant eyes were dim, clouded, and the warmth of his presence had been replaced by an icy void.
"You should not have come here," a voice, his voice, whispered through the blackness.
Amina's chest tightened. She had heard that voice before, but now it was… different. There was no warmth in it, no love. Only hollow emptiness.
"I had to come," Amina replied, her voice steadier than she felt. "You're still in there, Valec. I know you are."
The figure trembled, and for a brief moment, his eyes flickered—just for an instant—revealing the faintest trace of recognition. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
"No. I am not who I was. I am the Abyss now. I am its will." His voice echoed through the void, deepening, twisting, until it was almost unrecognizable.
Amina's heart clenched. "No. You're wrong. The Abyss doesn't control you. You're not its puppet."
Valec's form wavered again. There was a flicker of something beneath the shadow, a spark of humanity, of the person she once knew. It was brief, but Amina clung to it like a lifeline.
"You don't understand," Valec said, his voice softer now, a hint of sorrow creeping in. "The Abyss consumes all. It is not just a force. It is a destiny."
"I won't let you accept that destiny," Amina replied fiercely, her hands clenched into fists. "I will bring you back. No matter what it takes."
For a moment, silence hung in the air. The void seemed to pulse around them, and Amina could feel the weight of the Abyss pressing down, trying to crush her resolve. But she didn't falter.
Then, Valec's form flickered once more.
"You can't save me, Amina. I am already gone." His voice was like a cold gust of wind, pushing her away.
Amina took a step forward, her eyes locked on the figure that was once Valec. "Don't say that! You're still in there, I know you are!"
The shadows around them twisted, almost alive, as if protesting her words. A deep growl rumbled from the Abyss, and the void around her seemed to ripple with malevolent energy.
"You cannot defy me, child," the Abyssal voice thundered. "Valec belongs to me now. As do you."
Amina gasped, the weight of the words pressing into her chest like a vice. The Abyssal was here. It had entered the space between them, surrounding them, an insidious presence that threatened to crush everything.
But Amina's fire flared.
She pushed her will into the flame within her, focusing all her strength into the fire that had always been her strength. She had come this far. She would not falter now. Not when Valec needed her the most.
The flame surged to life, blazing bright against the darkness. It pushed back the shadows that sought to choke her, swirling around her like a storm of heat and light.
The Abyssal hissed, recoiling from the fire. "You think this fire can save you? You think this flame will bring him back? It is nothing. It is a flicker in the vastness of the void."
But Amina stood firm, her heart unwavering. "It's enough."
With a burst of energy, the fire exploded outward, filling the void with blinding light. The Abyssal howled in fury, his form writhing, shifting, but the light consumed him, overwhelming him.
And then, just as suddenly, the light vanished.
Amina's breath hitched. For a moment, everything was still.
Then, in the center of the void, Valec's figure appeared once more. His eyes, dark and distant, were locked on hers.
But now, they were different. The shadows that had consumed him were slowly retreating, dissipating like smoke. And in their place… something familiar.
Amina's heart skipped a beat.
"Valec?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
And for the first time in what felt like forever, Valec's lips parted, and he spoke, his voice a fragile whisper.
"Amina…"