Chapter 15: Shadows of the Fallen

The wind was heavier now, carrying in it a smell of imminent rain. On the edge of the training yard, Zephyr stood lost in a horizon that dimmed where the sky met the peaks afar. The weight of the world weighed heavier with each passing day as each whisper of the Abyss inched closer and gnawed at his thoughts.

He had hardly slept since the meeting of the Council, for that was a serious decision they made: to hunt down those probably falling into the Abyss. In a way, this all felt to Zephyr like some sort of betrayal, though they were doing what needed to be done. Zephyr knew what the stakes were: either them or the Abyss. But that line separating the two was getting thinner by the second, and Zephyr wasn't sure how much longer he could walk it without falling himself.

Mira showed up first, her steps light but purposeful. She didn't say anything at first, just stood beside him looking out to the horizon with him. Her presence was reassuring, though Zephyr couldn't help the pang of guilt. She'd have come here because of him, because he pulled her into this, and now they were bound-a mission given, not chosen. Of course, there was the general darkness, called the Abyss, which threatened to engulf in its path all there was, but Zephyr couldn't help thinking it was them too-slowly, whether they knew it or not.

"Have you thought over what Alistair said?" Mira asked softly; her voice was even.

Zephyr nodded. "About the hunt? Yeah. I can't stop thinking about it."

"I know," she replied, her eyes searching his face. "But we can't let this go unchecked. The Guild, the people-we have to protect them."

His fists clenched, and the shadows curled instinctively around his fingers. The power of the Abyss had never felt so real to him-a constant presence at the edge of his consciousness. No longer was it just Kael'thar whispering; the power was pulling itself, testing his resolve.

"We will," Zephyr said-the words came out empty. "But I am not sure how much more I can hold on to."

Mira threw him a sideways glance; she knew that suddenly sober look in his eyes. She knew full well how it felt: the Abyss tugging at the very core of your being and pleading for one to let go. She had felt it through most of their earlier training whenever she used her flame powers, just as Zephyr had felt the pull of his shadows then. Full well, they knew how tenuous was the line which existed between control and chaos.

"We'll do it together," she said, her voice firm. "We won't fall. Not while we have each other."

Zephyr was no longer so sure he thought that anymore. Yet, a part of him admired her grit. It was one of the things that had driven him to her in the first place-just her immovable resolve to do what was right, no matter the cost. It made him want to believe, hold on. Yet, he slowly began to see the cracks in his own resolve, starting to feel maybe he wasn't as strong as he thought.

His reverie was far from reality as the crashing of footsteps on the floor made them both look up to see Kieran walking towards them. His expression was well-concealed behind a mask of stoical calm. He had been silent since the meeting; his presence even more somber than usual. It was Kieran who took Zeph under his wing, put him through training and guidance. And now he was just another man whose chance of falling to the Abyss was higher than ever before. A mentor unto darkness and a friend unto whispers .

"Zephyr," Kieran said, his voice low but with an unusual urgency in it. "We need to talk."

Zephyr glanced over to Mira before he stepped forward. "What is it?

Kieran looked around cautiously, his gaze darting to the other training Conduits nearby. He stepped forward, his voice low before continuing with a tone of fear that someone might overhear him. "There's something you need to know. About Kieran. and the others. There's more to this than just the Abyss."

Zephyr's heart hitched in his chest. Whispers of the Abyss, yes-but this.this was something else. He nodded, his head waving for Kieran to continue.

"The Abyss. It's not about power," Kieran said in an ultra-low tone of voice. "It is about control. There are those within the Guild who have been playing with it, trying to tap into the usage of the Abyss for more. Something which doesn't just draws from its power, but controls it-bends to their will."

Zephyr's hair stood on end on the back of his neck. "Control it? How?

Kieran's face spoke volumes of the battle he was waging between what he was taught to believe and the truth he had dug out for himself. "I'm not sure. But I think-I think a few of the senior Conduits have managed to find some sort of way of tweaking the Abyssal energy-to curve it to serve their own whims. And it's dangerous. They are playing with fire, like it's not going to do anything and it's just a matter of time, before it burns them. And us.".

Zephyr's mind went wild, in circles; it wasn't about defiance to the Abyss anymore-it was a timid attempt at stopping those who would even try to control the former, use it to their advantage. The weight of what actually was going on finally hit him, his grip on the shadow blade tightening.

"You can't trust them, Zephyr," Kieran was adamant, very serious. "They've already begun to do things behind the scenes, infiltrating the Guild and trying to build an army, using the Abyss to build an army of Conduits who cannot resist its call. They're going to try to overthrow the Guild, and if they succeed, the world falls to the Abyss."

Zephyr's chest constricted, and for the first time since he'd started to hear the whispers, he was finally afraid. Afraid not of the Abyss in and of itself, but of what it would turn into at the hands of those who would wield it.

Mira stepped forward, her voice sure but hard. "What do we do? How do we stop them?

Kieran turned to her, his face ashen with worry. "We have to take them down. Before it's too late. We cannot let them win."

Zephyr nodded grimly, and solemn determination had thus fallen over him. This was no longer about survival; this was about the halting of a darkness greater than anything they could have ever imagined.

It was then that, as they had turned to leave, the weight of their mission heavy within their hearts, a thought struck him: that the Abyss wasn't out there, in the shadows waiting for them, but inside. And no matter how hard they fought, it always would be-a constant reminder of the darkness they had embraced.

The hunt had begun.