Shadows of Despair
Days drifted by like forgotten whispers in the wind, each day a relentless march across the desolate expanse of the desert. The old man remained a silent enigma at my side, his presence a looming shadow that cast a pall over our journey. I found myself drawn to him, a silent yearning stirring within me to unlock the mysteries that shrouded his past.
As days turned into weeks, I could no longer contain my curiosity. I asked the old man to train me, pleading for him to share his wisdom with me. But my pleas fell upon deaf ears, his silence a barrier that seemed impenetrable.
Our journey continued unabated, the vast expanse of the desert stretching endlessly before us. Yet, our solitude was shattered one day when we stumbled upon a group of sinners—outcasts condemned to wander the desolate wastelands.
In a blur of motion, the old man dispatched our attackers with ease, his movements fluid and precise. But in my haste, I left myself vulnerable, a blade finding its mark as pain erupted within me.
"If you had FUCKING taught me," I cried out, my voice tinged with bitterness and regret, "I could have defended myself!"
In that chilling moment, the old man's features twisted into a visage of terror, his eyes gleaming with an otherworldly intensity that seemed to pierce through the darkness itself. His fingers, like talons of steel, clamped down on my throat, sending shockwaves of pain coursing through my body.
As his grip tightened, the air around us grew heavy with a suffocating presence, as if the very fabric of reality strained under the weight of his wrath. Shadows danced ominously around him, their tendrils reaching out hungrily as if eager to consume all who dared to defy him.
"You dare to blame others for your weakness," sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "Look at you, a pathetic cry baby, whining about your troubles like a lost child in the dark. You think you deserve my training? You're worthless, nothing but a weak spoiled brat in the vast expanse of these desolate lands."
His words hung in the air like a dark omen, a chilling reminder of the depths of his power and the futility of resistance. At the time i realized, i stood before not just a man, but a force of nature—a harbinger of death and despair, whose very presence sent shivers down the spine and whose gaze pierced the soul like a dagger of ice.
With a swift and merciless blow, my once savior struck me down, darkness enveloping my senses as unconsciousness claimed me. When I regained awareness, I found myself in a place beyond the horrors of the exiled lands—a place known only as the Abyss.
It was a place of unfathomable darkness, where the very air seemed to thicken with malevolence. No monster dared approach, and even the sinners shunned its terrifying depths. The Abyss stretched out before me like a gaping maw, its depths impenetrable to the eye, swallowing all light and hope.
As the old man threw me into the chasm, I felt a primal terror grip my soul. The darkness swallowed me whole, consuming me in its suffocating embrace. With every passing moment, the void seemed to grow deeper and deeper, its tendrils reaching out to drag me into oblivion.
"If you have even a shred of worth within you," he said, his tone laced with a cold determination, "then prove it to me. Survive the depths of the Abyss, and I shall take you as my disciple. But know this, the path ahead is fraught with peril, and few who venture into its depths ever return. If you fail, you shall be consumed by the darkness, lost to oblivion for all eternity."
His words hung in the air like a haunting melody, a solemn vow that echoed through the emptiness of the abyss. With a final glance, he turned away, leaving me to face the horrors of the abyss alone, with only his promise to train me if i ever survive this hell.