They moved on in silence.
Not because there was nothing to say — but because speaking felt suddenly dangerous. Like words might carry seeds of the Abyss itself, might root somewhere tender and grow into new traps.
Hollowfang padded close on Raen's left, its flank pressing against his thigh every few steps as if to remind him it still breathed. Despair Maw drifted on the other side, vast shape gliding with slow grace, single luminous eye never leaving Raen's back. Ember Vow stayed at his right, her hand still tangled with his, fingers tightening every so often in small, anxious pulses.
Raen squeezed back each time. Memoryweaver was quiet inside him now — spent from tearing through the last trial, but still there, a faint ember of defiance under his ribs.
The path curved, rising slightly. As they climbed, the air changed. It grew warmer, carrying scents that didn't belong in the Abyss — charred wood, wet earth after rain, crushed flowers. Each breath teased at some half-remembered comfort.
Then it opened.
They stood at the edge of a wide plateau. A garden sprawled before them, lush with strange growth. Vines looped across ornate trellises. Blossoms of deep purple and midnight blue drooped under their own heavy perfume. Pale lights bobbed through the air, like fireflies made of breath.
Ember Vow stiffened.
Raen turned sharply. Her face had gone pale, eyes wide and wet. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.
"Ember—"
She let go of his hand and stumbled forward. Not ran. Not even walked with purpose. Just a slow, inexorable drift, as if something in the garden had snagged an invisible thread tied around her heart.
Raen reached for her. Hollowfang lunged too, letting out a sharp bark. But the ground between them cracked open — not a violent split, just a gentle sigh that opened a narrow trench. Not enough to swallow anyone. Just enough to separate.
Ember didn't seem to notice. She stepped over small stones, brushing aside hanging blossoms that left streaks of blue on her skin. Her breath came faster, a tiny sob catching.
Raen gritted his teeth. Memoryweaver flared, sending a dull ache through his chest.The System flickered at the edge of his vision.
[System Notice: Target Under Isolated Influence]
[Trial: Emotional Disjunction — Observing Bond Resilience]
He snarled. "Of course it's you," he growled at the Abyss itself. "Too cowardly to keep trying me, so you try her instead."
He moved to step over the crack. The earth hissed, opening slightly wider. Not enough to drop him, but enough that Hollowfang flinched back with a frustrated whine. Despair Maw's vast shadow loomed beside him, jaws working silently.
Inside the garden, Ember Vow sank to her knees.
Raen's breath caught. He'd seen her bleed, seen her curse herself into spasms of agony. Never had he seen her break like this — shoulders curled in, arms wrapped around her stomach as though to hold herself together.
"Ember!" His voice cracked over the distance. "Look at me."
She didn't. Her head drooped lower, dark hair falling forward to hide her face.
Raen tried to force Memoryweaver out again, to spin lines of light that might hook her back. But it sputtered — not dead, just dulled by the last ordeal.
Instead he shouted again. "Ember Vow! You hear me?"
Her shoulders jerked. Then she looked up.
And Raen's blood turned cold.
Her eyes were wrong. Not Abyssal wrong. Human wrong — soft, terrified, brimming with tears. Her mouth worked before her voice came, a thin, reedy whisper.
"It's showing me…" She shuddered. "A life I could have had. Before the Abyss ever touched me. Before the curses. I'm— I'm just a woman. In a little village. I gather herbs. I sing with children."
Her hands clenched in her hair. "I'm happy there. I'm… free."
"Ember—"
"But you're not there." Her eyes found his, wild and wet. "None of this is. No Hollowfang. No Despair Maw. No you. And I want it, Raen. I want it so badly it's like something's breaking inside me."
The last words came out in a sob. She curled tighter, rocking slightly.
Raen swallowed. Hard. Then forced himself to speak, voice low, steady, the way he'd once spoken to terrified soldiers on the edge of their first charge.
"That's not weakness, Ember. Wanting something soft. Something without teeth. It doesn't make you less."
Her breath hitched. The garden around her seemed to lean in, vines curling like curious hands.
"But it's not real," Raen went on. "Not anymore. If it ever was. The Abyss is feeding you that life to tear you from this one. From us."
She shook her head. Tears spilled freely now. "It feels so kind. Like nothing here ever has. Like it's mercy."
"It's not mercy." His voice dropped to a near growl. "It's theft. It would steal every scar you earned, every laugh you forced out after pain. It would strip you down to something easy to break."
Hollowfang let out a low, mournful yowl, clawing at the crack that still barred its path. Despair Maw rumbled deep in its chest, eyes flaring.
Raen sucked in a long breath. Then stepped forward again.
The earth cracked wider — but he didn't stop. Memoryweaver flickered, spat a single spark that ran up his spine. The ground shivered under him, confused, unsure.
Another step.A foot more of stone gave way, a shallow trench that should have yawned into a pit. But it didn't. The Abyss was distracted, pouring all its cunning into Ember's private torment.
Raen dropped to his knees in front of her. Reached out. His hand hovered just before her face.
"Ember Vow. You once dragged me from illusions worse than death. You stayed when it would've been easier to slit my throat and move on. Now it's my turn."
Her breath caught. The garden seemed to hesitate, a collective sigh moving through its leaves.
"Look at me," he rasped. "Not the dream. Not the perfect lie. Me."
Slowly, painfully, she raised her gaze. Her pupils were blown wide, unfocused — but then they narrowed, finding him. Remembering.
Raen's hand cupped her cheek. His thumb swept under her eye, catching hot tears.
"This life we've built — with beasts that bleed, curses that ache, you and me with more regrets than sense — it's ours. And it's worth more than any gentle lie."
A sob broke from her throat. Then she surged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck so hard it almost strangled. Her face buried against his shoulder. Her body shook.
Raen held her as tightly as he dared, pressing his cheek to her hair. "Good," he whispered. "You're still here."
The garden shuddered. Vines retracted. Flowers withered, curling into brittle husks. The sweet air turned sour, then emptied out entirely.
A heartbeat later they were back on plain Abyssal stone, smooth and cold. Ember Vow clung to him still, Hollowfang pressed its broad head against her back, Despair Maw's tail wound around them in a protective half-loop.
[System Notice: Trial Failed — Emotional Extraction Aborted]
[Bond Sovereignty Strengthened]
Ember Vow pulled back just enough to look at him. Her eyes were raw, rimmed in red, but clear. "Thank you," she rasped.
"For what?"
"For not letting me take the easy escape."
Raen's answering smile was tired, strained — but real. "You'd have done the same. In fact, you already did. More than once."
They rose together, Ember's hand finding his without hesitation. The Abyss ahead looked no different. But it felt different.
It was learning them. Testing every edge. And failing, slowly but surely.
Raen squeezed her hand. "Come on. Let's keep teaching it why it can't win."
And together, beasts at their side, they walked deeper — into whatever dark corners the Abyss still thought could break them.