"Defend!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the empty space. "Those are parasitic chains! They'll corrupt your soul if they touch you!"

Without wasting another second, I spun my staff in my hands. Essence surged through my channels, roaring out like a storm. I slammed the staff's tip down on the floating fragment beneath my feet, and a sphere of violet Essence spread outward, wrapping around the four of us.

The first wave of chains slammed into the shield. The impact sent a tremor through my arms. The violet barrier rippled like water, bending but not breaking. The second wave hit even harder, shaking the whole sphere. I gritted my teeth.

"Too strong," I said, feeling the pressure build as cracks began to form in the barrier. "It won't hold more than two more attacks."

"Let me help," Primus said, his voice calm. He brought his hands together as if in prayer, his fingers trembling slightly. "Flame Dominion."

The words carried power. In the next instant, flames erupted around us, forming a blazing red shield that wrapped over my violet one. Heat flooded the air, but it felt controlled, steady.

The chains struck again. BOOM.

The outer flame barrier rippled and cracked under the force, glowing brighter with each impact. But it held. Just barely. I could feel Primus's Essence burning fast; his face was tight with strain, his shoulders trembling.

Then, suddenly, everything got worse.

More red dots appeared, dozens, then hundreds. The number of chains doubled, maybe tripled. They moved like living things, drawn by the scent of Essence.

"Brace yourselves!" I shouted.

The next strike came like a storm. The flame shield shattered with a loud crack, sparks scattering into the darkness. The violet shield underneath flared bright as the chains slammed into it from every side. I poured more Essence into it, holding it together with sheer will.

A scream tore through the air. We turned as one.

Two Ferans on another fragment weren't as lucky. The chains had caught them, wrapping tightly around their bodies. The ends of the chains pierced their spines, glowing red as they drained something from inside them. Their roars turned to gurgles, their bodies shaking violently as black veins spread across their skin.

I forced myself to look away and found Vaelix in the distance. He stood perfectly still, surrounded by a golden shield that shimmered faintly. The unconscious princess was in his arms, untouched.

He didn't move. Didn't even flinch. He just watched as his own kind were dragged down by the parasitic chains, his expression completely blank, as if it didn't matter at all.

I took a deep breath and reached inward, trying to tap into my laws. This time, they answered me instantly, alive and sharp, like old friends returning.

"Finally," I muttered with a grin. Essence rushed through my channels as I focused on the law of polarity.

The violet shield around us shimmered brighter, its surface twisting with a faint spiral pattern. I wove a reflective force into it, reversing some of the incoming pressure.

The next wave of parasitic chains slammed into the barrier, but instead of piercing through, they slowed midair, their speed dropping almost to a crawl before bouncing back. I exhaled in relief. For the first time since this started, I felt some control returning to me.

Around us, the chaos continued.

Every Feran who hadn't been under Vaelix's protection was gone, dragged screaming into the abyss below. Only six of us were left—me, Steve, North, Primus, Vaelix, and the unconscious princess.

The air was filled with the metallic hum of the surviving chains slamming against our shields, each strike heavier than the last.

Seconds turned into minutes. The attacks didn't stop, but gradually their rhythm began to fade. One by one, the chains slowed and then froze completely, suspended in the void.

No sound remained except for our breathing.

Then, the stillness broke. The floating fragments beneath our feet began to tremble again, drifting downward. Gravity or something like it, was pulling us deeper.

"What now?" I muttered, keeping my grip tight on the staff as the violet light pulsed faintly.

"Is this some kind of trial?" Steve asked, glancing into the endless dark around us.

"Trial to death," Primus grumbled.

I remembered Dante's words, the way out of this place was below. I looked into the abyss and felt it calling. Maybe he was right. Maybe the only path forward was straight down.

The fragments kept drifting downward, slowly at first, then faster, as if something below was pulling us in. I kept my shield active, ready for whatever came next. Then, without warning, everything stopped.

The pieces of the shattered bridge froze midair around us. For a heartbeat, there was silence, no movement, no sound, just a strange, tense stillness. Then the fragments began to break apart. Not like before, not from pressure or impact, but gently, disintegrating into tiny red particles that floated upward like glowing dust.

They surrounded us, shimmering softly in the darkness. The light from them grew brighter until it filled the entire space. I felt the pull of gravity shift again, and before I could react, the ground rose up beneath my feet.

I blinked and looked around. The abyss was gone. The chains were gone. We were standing on solid ground, smooth and black like polished stone. It stretched far in every direction.

Then, one by one, lamps along the walls flickered to life. Their pale orange glow spread across the space, pushing back the shadows. I turned slowly, realizing we were no longer in open void. Enormous walls surrounded us, tall, seamless, carved with faint, ancient symbols that pulsed softly with Essence.

Steve stepped closer to one of the walls, his hand raised. "Where are we?" he whispered.

Before I could answer, more lamps lit up ahead of us, revealing a narrow path stretching forward. It looked almost like a hallway, long and straight, disappearing into the distance.

Primus stared down the path, his voice low and uneasy. "Looks like the abyss wasn't the end after all."

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