A Broken Oath [1]
Chris Harrison slowly regained consciousness, his body aching from the fall.
The world around him was different, far colder, and far more unsettling than the cave he had been in.
As he blinked his eyes open, the darkness gave way to a grim landscape.
Shadows twisted and writhed, revealing jagged cliffs and an endless abyss that stretched into the unknown.
He wasn't in the cave anymore.
No, this place felt older, far more ancient, like a place where time and light no longer held sway.
Groaning, Chris staggered to his feet.
The air was thick and oppressive, and a cold that cut to the bone surrounded him.
The ground beneath his feet was not earth but something else—smooth, polished, and black, as if carved from obsidian.
In the distance, faint sounds of agony reached his ears.
He turned toward the source and saw them: souls, or perhaps once-living beings, writhing in torment.