Chapter 29 — Whispers Beneath the Abyss
---
The crimson-blue sword rested firmly at Cyrus' side now, humming softly — as if alive.
The punctures on his hand had closed, but the mark remained faintly visible.
A small reminder: this weapon was bound by blood.
Cyrus (low whisper, focused tone):
"One step at a time. Control the unknown. Own the unknown."
---
As he moved deeper, the environment subtly changed.
The air grew denser.
A faint vibration ran through the ground beneath his feet — like distant heartbeats.
The walls around him were no longer simple stone.
They pulsed faintly, as if veins beneath the surface carried something not entirely natural.
His boots stepped carefully over small, fleshy growths that occasionally twitched.
His instincts screamed caution, but his discipline held him steady.
Cyrus (murmuring):
"This dungeon is alive..."
---
Hours passed as he mapped each corridor mentally.
He left hidden markers along his path — a habit drilled into him from years of operating alone.
But then—
Something shifted.
A soft whisper brushed against his ears.
> "You shouldn't have come here..."
"He waits below..."
"All paths lead to hunger..."
"You bleed well, child..."
The whispers weren't voices from around him.
They were inside his mind.
The moment he realized this, his psychic defenses flared up automatically — layers of mental barriers constructed over years of training.
Cyrus (calm but sharp):
"Psychic intrusion detected. Trying to probe for weakness."
He walked more deep then
He halted.
Slowly, he scanned the surroundings.
The passage ahead opened into a wide chamber — far wider than anything before.
Massive bone structures spiraled up toward an unseen ceiling.
Dark liquid — possibly blood — pooled around their bases, reflecting faint glows of red light from somewhere above.
But the true horror was what floated gently in the center.
---
A massive eye.
Larger than any creature he had seen so far.
Its iris was slit-like, almost reptilian — but the sclera shifted between red, black, and a faint violet glow.
It slowly rotated, observing, but seemingly not yet noticing him.
Surrounding the eye were hundreds of mouths.
Some whispered, some screeched silently, and others simply drooled thick black ichor.
From there mouth a black acid like saliva was coming out.
The saliva was thick with blood and body parts.
Cyrus (low whisper, controlling his heartbeat):
"High-level aberration. Greater entity class..."
---
Suddenly—
The eye twitched.
The massive pupil snapped directly toward him.
Cyrus (calm but serious):
"So... it noticed."
The entire chamber began vibrating violently.
Small stones lifted into the air from sheer pressure alone.
The whispers became screams now, trying to crush his mental defenses.
For a brief moment, Cyrus felt his mind being pulled — but his years of control kicked in.
He pulled out one of his buffing potions instantly and drank it, fortifying both body and mind.
Cyrus (cold tone, stabilizing breath):
"You'll have to try harder."
---
Then the creature shifted.
Several long, thin tendrils extended from beneath it, slamming into the ground like spears, each creating craters upon impact.
Cyrus swiftly dodged, reading the trajectory before they even landed.
His eyes remained calm.
His breathing controlled.
> "Observe. Analyze. Counter."
---
But even with the danger rising—
Something inside him stirred.
A strange excitement.
Not fear.
Not panic.
But... a hunger for mastery over this unknown.
Cyrus (slightly smiling):
"Now we play."
---
Chapter 29 End