"They say the abyss stares back.

  But the real terror is when it doesn’t, because that means you were never worth its gaze."

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  Chapter 6: In the Eye of the Abyss

  ?? Quick Note Before You Read!

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  Moonlit Ruins

  Ryu gazed in awe at the shimmering moonlight reflecting off the hanging flower beds, their soft petals swaying like wisteria curtains. The ruins before him seemed like an entirely different world, untouched by time.

  "What is this place... hidden inside the ruins?" he muttered, his eyes tracing the structure of a small cave-like opening nestled between vines, flowers, and slick, dew-covered bushes. Two tombstones stood solemnly at the entrance like silent sentinels, their ancient carvings shifting subtly as if alive. Ryu leaned in, attempting to decipher the script, but the symbols felt unfamiliar—ancient beyond recognition.

  As he wandered deeper, strange stones surrounded him—some glowing faintly, others polished like steel, reflecting the moon’s ethereal glow. Each step left him breathless with wonder until a sudden sound snapped him out of his reverie.

  A crackling fire.

  The distinct, rhythmic pop of burning wood echoed from within the cave. And yet, despite the unmistakable sound, there was no flickering light, no telltale glow of flames.

  Curiosity gripped him. With cautious steps, he ventured inside.

  The Void’s Embrace

  As soon as he crossed the threshold, the world shifted.

  A thick darkness swallowed everything. The entrance vanished behind him. No moonlight, no reflections, not even the faintest glimmer. Ryu turned sharply, reaching out, but there was no wall, no ground beneath his feet—just the sensation of floating in an abyss.

  Panic surged. His breath quickened.

  "What is this place?! Damn it!" he gasped, spinning wildly in the void. There was no up, no down, only weightless, endless black. He took a tentative step forward—except there was no ground to step on. And yet, somehow, he wasn’t falling.

  Then came the sound.

  A ripple. Gentle, like water disturbed by a light touch. Then silence again. The sound had come from below—or above? He had no way of knowing. He pressed on, his heart pounding so hard that the sheer quietness around him made it unbearable. Each breath echoed like an unnatural storm.

  His legs burned, his chest tightened. He didn’t know how long he had been walking, only that he had to keep moving. Until—

  His knees buckled.

  Desperate and terrified, he made a fatal mistake.

  "HELPPPPP!" he screamed.

  The void roared back. His own voice returned to him, distorted and deafening, an unbearable shriek reverberating through the abyss. The sheer force of the echo sent shockwaves through his skull. His vision blurred, his head spun, and then—

  Everything went black.

  Echoes of a False Reality

  Morning light filtered through the curtains.

  Ryu groggily blinked, the scent of home wrapping around him like a warm embrace. The countryside air, the familiar wooden texture of his room—it all felt... real.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Then a knock.

  "Oi, Ryu! Wake up! Are you going to sleep all day? Mom’s calling you for breakfast!" The voice rang from the other side of the door.

  He sat up, still shaken. His fingers brushed against the edge of his bed, tracing over the smooth fabric of his childhood blanket. The last petal from a wilting flower in his vase drifted to the floor.

  Had it all been... a dream?

  Dazed, he walked downstairs, the sounds of his family filling the house with warmth. His brother smirked at him over breakfast. "You look weird. What’s up?"

  "I had this strange dream... something about a school, a magic academy, a cave trip..." Ryu mumbled, staring blankly at his plate.

  His brother chuckled. "That’s what you get for watching too much anime. You can’t fire magic from your hands, idiot."

  "Stop teasing him! He’s still a kid," their mother scolded, setting down a fresh plate of food. Laughter rippled through the room, but Ryu barely heard it.

  His head lowered, his mind racing. Something was wrong.

  Then, instinctively, he looked up.

  His breath caught in his throat.

  His family sat before him, but something was missing. Their faces—

  Featureless. Blank.

  Like mannequins carved from flesh.

  A sickening static filled his ears. His heartbeat slammed against his ribs. The voices around him melted into an unintelligible blur, repeating the same distorted phrase:

  What happened, Ryu?What happened, Ryu?What happened, Ryu?

  He staggered back, his hand flying to his mouth to stifle a scream. His foot missed the first stair.

  He fell.

  The Descent

  The warmth of home was gone.

  Darkness returned.

  He crashed onto an unseen floor, a sharp pain jolting through his body. His limbs trembled as he pulled himself up, breath ragged, mind reeling. His surroundings were nothing but an abyss. Again.

  Then, his hand met something solid. A wall. He pressed against it, but the moment he did—

  The ground beneath him vanished.

  Weightlessness seized him, and he plummeted. Again. Deeper. Spiraling into something far worse.

  Torches flared to life, one by one, casting a ghastly blue glow onto the vast chamber that revealed itself beneath him. A grand, decayed chandelier loomed overhead, its candles flickering with dark, unnatural flames.

  Bones crunched beneath him as he landed.

  The Chamber of the Unknown

  Ryu groaned, his forehead slick with blood. A sharp sting flared as his trembling fingers brushed against the wound. The metallic tang of blood lingered in his mouth, his breath ragged as he struggled to his feet. The cold stone beneath him felt damp, almost alive, pulsating with an unseen energy.

  Then, he saw them—bones.

  Scattered remnants of the long perished—some unmistakably human, others grotesquely alien—lay twisted in grotesque contortions, their bones frozen mid-thrash, as if caught in an endless struggle against an unseen horror. The flickering blue flames along the walls carved shifting silhouettes from their remains, the wavering light giving the illusion that they still twitched, their suffering not yet over.

  Ryu swallowed hard, his throat dry. The walls surrounding him weren’t just old; they were ancient, carved with symbols that pulsed faintly, shifting as though they could breathe. He couldn’t read them, but the very sight of those inscriptions sent a crawling unease down his spine.

  Something was off.

  He felt watched.

  A presence lurked beyond his field of vision—silent, heavy, suffocating. The air itself resisted movement, thick like tar, clinging to his skin. Every breath he took felt invasive, as if something unseen seeped into his lungs with each inhale.

  Then—from above, a glow.

  Soft at first, like the flicker of a dying ember. Then, steadily, it grew. The stillness thickened. The atmosphere shifted.

  A weight, invisible but undeniable, pressed against his shoulders.

  His heartbeat quickened. The crunch of bones beneath his feet echoed through the vast chamber, sending whispers through the cold, damp air. The chamber no longer felt like mere stone and shadow—it breathed. The darkness wasn’t empty; it had depth, stretching endlessly, writhing with unseen horrors just beyond the veil of sight.

  Then, a blinding radiance.

  It pierced through the abyss, slashing the void with an unnatural brilliance, a light so sharp it felt like a blade against his skin.

  Ryu instinctively threw an arm over his face, his pupils constricting painfully. His mind reeled from the sudden shift, a violent contrast to the crushing darkness that had surrounded him moments before.

  As the glow dimmed slightly, his vision cleared

  .

  Peering through his fingers, he saw a faint wisp of smoke coiling in the air.

  The mist thickened, swirling and shifting before dispersing softly.

  And then—amidst the fading haze—a figure began to take shape.

  His breath hitched.

  For the first time since his descent into this forsaken abyss, he froze.

  It was not human. It was not beast. It was something else.

  The air around the entity warped violently, bending space itself like rippling water. The glow emanating from it wasn’t just light—it was pressure, an overwhelming force that sank its claws into his very soul.

  Ryu could not move.

  His body screamed to flee, to act, but his limbs refused. Every cell in his body recoiled, but no matter how much he willed himself to run, he was locked in place. The sheer weight of its presence crushed him like an insect trapped under the heel of a god.

  His ears rang, his vision blurred at the edges. He felt his own consciousness slipping, dragged down by something far beyond human comprehension.

  He could do nothing but stare, his mind caught in a vacant seizure, trapped between awareness and oblivion.

  And then-

  Chapter End

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  End-of-Chapter Note

  If you enjoyed this chapter or have any thoughts, I’d love to hear them! Whether it’s something you liked, something that felt off, or any suggestions, feel free to share. I’m always open to feedback, criticism, and discussions to make the story even better.

  I’m also experimenting with my update schedule! If you’d like to see more frequent updates or have any input, drop a comment or leave a review. Your support truly makes a difference!

  If you're enjoying the journey so far, please consider leaving a review and rating—it helps a ton and keeps this story going strong. Your feedback and encouragement mean the world to me!

  Thanks for reading, and see you in the next one! ????

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