Chapter 1: The Last Stand
I couldn't stop laughing.
My body was barely hanging together, blood soaking through my torn armor as the final battle drew to a close. My vision was blurry, and I could barely feel my legs beneath me, but I couldn't help myself. I had been a fool.
"Pathetic," I muttered to myself, choking on a laugh. "All this, for nothing."
The Warden of the Abyss, Ignil towered over me, his massive black claws gleaming in the dim, flickering light of the chamber. He looked down at me like an insect caught beneath his boot, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I could see a flicker of amusement in his fiery red eyes.
"You thought you could defeat me, human? The one who rules the dark expanse?" The Warden's voice rumbled like thunder, sending chills down my spine. "What a pitiful attempt."
I had failed. The power I'd been granted, the promises made to me — it all led to this. A miserable death. My allies, those who had stood by me through countless battles, were already dead, their bodies scattered like broken toys across the chamber.
I could feel my last breath creeping in. The Abyssal Spear — a weapon capable of erasing existence itself — had pierced through my chest. There would be no coming back from this. But in my final moments, a single thought burned in my mind.
What the hell was the point?
I had reached the final floor of the tower, had gotten so close to victory. And yet, here I was , a broken shell of the hero I once believed I could be. The three gods who had guided me, had told me I was the one to save the world — had given me nothing but tools for failure.
For all the sacrifices, for all the blood spilled, the Warden was still standing. His laugh echoed in my ears as I slipped into unconsciousness.
I didn't even get to use the damn relic.