Chapter 274: Into The Abyss
The darkness dissipated slowly, revealing Snow standing amidst the ruins of the cavern. Debris littered the ground, candles extinguished, and the air reeked of burned magic. Arachne was gone, Kyle nowhere in sight.
Snow’s chest heaved, her mind racing. What happened? Where was Kyle?
A low, mocking laugh echoed through the cavern, Arachne’s voice dripping with amusement. "Snow, so predictable."
Snow’s sword was up, her eyes scanning the shadows. "Where’s Kyle?"
Arachne stepped from the darkness, her eyes gleaming with triumph. "With the Shadow King, Snow. The game’s begun."
Snow’s grip on her sword tightened, anger and fear warring within her. "You’ll pay for this, Arachne."
Arachne’s smile was cold. "You’ll need more than anger, Snow. The Shadow Realm’s rules...are not yours."
Suddenly, the cavern dissolved, Snow plunging into a vortex of darkness. The last thing she heard was Arachne’s whisper...
"Welcome to the game, Snow..."
Snow’s world went black, her fate unknown.
The darkness was a living thing, swirling around Snow like a vortex of black ink. She spun, disoriented, as the world around her fragmented into shards of shadow and light. Arachne’s whisper echoed in her mind, a taunting refrain: "Welcome to the game, Snow..."
Snow’s instincts kicked in, her sword flashing as she struck at the void. But her blade sliced through nothing, the darkness absorbing the blow like a sponge. She was a tiny, insignificant speck in an infinite expanse of shadow.