The scream ripped from Cassia's throat, a raw, pained sound that felt alien, muffled by a buzzing in her ears. She tried to push herself up from the cold, unyielding ground, but her limbs felt like leaden anchors, unresponsive and numb. A groan tore through her, a guttural rasp of agony as she forced her right arm to scrape across the floor, her eyes straining to make sense of the blurred, shifting shapes before her.
Then she saw it. Whispering tendrils of obsidian purple light, half-solid, half-mist, writhed around her, latching onto her very essence. A cold, siphoning dread settled deep in her core as they pulled, tugging at something vital within her. Her psionic energy, the very core of who she was, was being leached away, leaving her hollow and weak. She thrashed, trying to swat at the encroaching tendrils, but her hands passed through them as if they were smoke. Despair bloomed in her chest as her body, impossibly light, began to drift upwards from the floor.
Her gaze darted desperately around the cavernous chamber. Sprawled a few feet away, Lorian was a twisted heap, his head unnaturally tilted towards her. His lips moved, a frantic, soundless plea, but the buzzing in her ears drowned out his words. He weakly raised a hand, and a faint, golden light pulsed from his outstretched palm—a beacon, a reminder of their shared power, a desperate command.
Cassia closed her eyes, forcing her scattered mind to focus. The siphon tightened, but within its crushing grasp, a defiant spark ignited. She could feel the relentless pull on her psionic core, but now, she also felt the energy itself, a turbulent river threatening to burst its banks. She concentrated, battling the outward flow, willing it to stop, to reverse. The energy built, surging and coiling within her, not a trickle, but a surging tide. It was new, terrifying. She didn't know what to do with it, how to control it. It was like trying to contain a supernova in a teacup, the raw power making her thoughts fragmented and chaotic.
Her terror for her friends was a catalyst. Izari, floating still and lifeless above, Rona, pinned by those… things. With one last, desperate look at Lorian, still shouting in silent agony, Cassia surrendered control. A searing, blinding flash of violet light erupted from her.
The air shrieked, thick with crackling energy. Psionic waves, violent and untamed, swept through the chamber like a hurricane. Lorian was thrown back several feet, slammed against a jagged rock formation, a purple haze obscuring his vision as purple lightning cracked within the swirling maelstrom of raw power. He scrambled to his feet, groaning, but his vision cleared, the ringing in his ears fading to a manageable hum. His voice, now clear and raw with fear, sliced through the dissipating hum, "CASSIA! CAS!"
There was no response, only the lingering static of discharged energy. Then, as suddenly as it had erupted, the violet cloud subsided, and Cassia fell, a limp heap, back to the stone floor.
Lorian moved like a shot, reaching her in three bounding strides. He knelt, shaking her gently. "Hey Cas! Cas, we need to get the others and get out of here!"
Cassia stirred, a weak groan escaping her lips as she managed a slight nod. Lorian helped her up, her legs still unsteady, swaying like saplings in a gale. He held her upright for a moment, then pointed. "Izari. Get her down from there!" His gaze flickered to the grotesque tableau across the chamber. "I'll deal with those mutts."
His eyes narrowed on the three towering, feathered figures—the Sleeper Choir—pinning Rona beneath their clawed feet, their blank faces fixed on the shimmering hum of the Splitting Monolith machine. Before Cassia could fully comprehend, Lorian launched himself forward. A blur of kinetic energy, he closed the distance in a single, earth-shaking stride. His first strike, a kinetic-charged fist aimed at the back of the creature on the far right, was devastating. A sickening crack echoed through the chamber, but before the sound fully registered, a clawed hand, impossibly fast, caught his arm mid-swing. He was a crumpled, groaning impact crater, slammed into the unforgiving metal wall. The wall buckled, groaning under the force, as Lorian crumpled through it.
Pain lashed through him, searing and bright, but Lorian roared, adrenaline surging. He scrambled up, shaking off the daze, his gaze fixed on the menacing figures. He snatched a broken slab of stone from the wreckage, already glowing faintly with his kinetic charge, and launched himself back into the fray.
He spun into a blistering series of high kicks, each aimed at the lead creature's exposed neck joints. Its movements were chillingly precise, bones cracking into new alignments as it effortlessly dodged, angling its head back with a sharp, avian snap. It was already catching his leg, its taloned grip like steel clamps, slamming him to the ground. Lorian landed hard, rolling for several feet before surging back to his feet, a sharp pain in his ankle making him wince.
The Sleeper Choir creature seemed to consider him, its movements almost robotic as its remaining bones cracked and shifted, turning it fully to face him. It released Rona, who slumped to the ground in a unconscious heap. In one instant, the creature was next to Rona, its elongated shadow stretching across her prone form. In the next, it was directly in front of Lorian, impossibly fast, its multi-jointed arms thrown back, preparing a brutal, raking slash.
Lorian ducked, the first attack, aimed at his neck, whistling harmlessly over his head. But he wasn't fast enough for the follow-up. The second raked across his left shoulder, a searing line appearing on his skin. He stumbled, falling onto his back, then remembered the kinetic-charged stone fragment in his hand. A sneer twisted his lips. He twisted, slamming the glowing, unstable fragment into the ground at the creature's feet. A flicker of surprise, a flash of dull obsidian eyes, was all the creature registered before the resulting explosion nearly shredded its leg. It reeled back, a gurgling shriek tearing from its throat, trying to stand on its mangled limb, only to realize Lorian was already in front of it. He tackled the creature, driving it to the ground with a raw burst of power, then vaulted away. The section of the floor where the creature lay erupted, a concussive blast shaking the entire chamber, leaving a smoking crater and a mangled heap of feathers and bone.
Lorian was already a blur, hurtling towards the remaining two creatures. Rona lay slumped and still. The two remaining members of the Sleeper Choir turned, their blank faces registering his approach. They lunged, their multi-jointed arms carving arcs of death. Lorian dropped into a low slide, scything between their legs, dodging their desperate slashes. Before they could recalibrate, he ignited the ground he'd just traversed, sending another concussive blast outward. The floor glowed blindingly for a nanosecond before blowing up, sending the creatures flying, screeching, into the far wall.
But before Lorian could press his advantage, a low, grating hum began to vibrate through the very air, a dissonant chord that clawed at the mind. The Anti-Hymn. It wasn't just sound; it was a psychic assault, dulling every sense, blurring reality, pulling consciousness into a suffocating void. Lorian felt his own thoughts turn to soup, his limbs growing heavy, his very awareness threatening to unravel.
Without breaking stride, Lorian clenched his fist and slammed his knuckles against his own temple, a single, brutal blow. The world tilted, pain exploded behind his eyes, a symphony of agony, but the mind-numbing hum vanished, replaced by a deafening roar of his own making. His knees buckled, his balance shot, a wave of vertigo threatening to send him to the floor. His head throbbed, his eardrums shattered, but the risk was worth it. His friends.
The creatures, however, were no longer focused on him. Their focus had shifted, their remaining target clear. One, limping badly, the other scrambling on all fours, veered towards Cassia, who was still struggling to pull the floating Izari down.
Despite the vertigo, Lorian launched himself at the crawling creature, a desperate, kinetic-charged kick slamming into its ribs. It went flying, a broken bird, slamming into the wall with a sickening crunch. Its gurgling song ceased as it crumpled to the floor. The second creature, closer now, lunged at Cassia, talons outstretched, its blank eyes fixed on her.
Lorian, a hurricane of pain and fury, snatched its leg mid-air, spinning it, and slamming it to the ground. He didn't hesitate, picking up another kinetic-charged stone shard from the floor and driving it, with a furious cry, deep into its maw, muffling its dying shriek. A final, violent thump tore through its body. A geyser of viscous, green ichor erupted, painting the wall behind it in gruesome streaks of gore.
He spun, grabbing Rona's arm, already stirring back to a groggy consciousness, and dragged her away from the malevolent thrum of the Monolith, towards Cassia and the still-floating Izari.
Then there was an abrupt scream. Jagged fissures, glowing with an internal, sickly violet light, spiderwebbed across its obsidian-like shell. Each new rupture tore through the air with a sound like rending metal and splintering bone, a shrill, discordant shriek that vibrated in Cassia's very teeth. The grotesque faces on the monolith's surface, now twisted in an agony that amplified the machine's death a thousandfold. The air tasted of ozone and impending destruction.
"It's going to blow, Cassia!" Lorian roared, his voice raw, struggling to be heard over the cacophony. He pressed a hand to his temple, as if to ward off the psychic assault. Rona tried his best to cover his ears but with only one good arm all he could do was lessen the torment.
Cassia, her arm clamped tightly around the waist of the still-floating, unconscious Izari, felt the machine's agony resonate through her boots. She could hold him no longer without risking them both. "Hold on, Izari," she muttered, her voice barely a whisper, before reluctantly releasing her grip. His slight form, still encased in a faint aura of stasis, drifted lazily toward the roiling abyss. A silent prayer left her lips.
Then, with an abruptness that made their hearts lurch, everything went silent. The machine's guttural screams vanished. The tormented faces on its surface froze in a rictus of horror. The very air seemed to thicken, holding its breath. Lorian and Rona, their eyes wide, stared into the silent, gaping hole – a portal to an unknown terror. A single heartbeat stretched into an eternity.
From the heart of the void, an impossible light erupted. Not a gentle glow, but a violent, concussive burst of pure, blinding white and searing emerald green energy. It annihilated the silence. The force of it was a physical blow, throwing Lorian and Rona backwards, sending Cassia sprawling across the quaking floor. The monolithic machine, caught in the eye of the storm, didn't merely crack – it vaporized. Shards of black, screaming obsidian exploded outwards, each piece carrying a dying shriek that tore at the fabric of reality. Cables, thick as pythons, writhed and snapped, raining down like deadly serpents. Tubes, filled with incandescent plasma, ruptured, spraying liquid light across the floor.
The ground beneath them didn't just ripple; it heaved, distorting like a funhouse mirror. Izari, still unconscious, was caught in the chaotic currents, spinning helplessly towards the expanding vortex where the machine once stood. The rip was no longer contained. It was a gaping maw, wider and more terrifying than before, leading to an unknown depth.
"Izari!" Cassia screamed, scrambling to her feet, her gaze fixed on her friend. The true nightmare had just begun.
A screech, high-pitched and deafening, that ripped through the air. The sound was so intense it vibrated through Izari's very bones, causing him to lose his grip on the dream transmission that was holding him captive. Without a second thought, he shifted his density, making himself heavier allowing him to tumble to the ground. He instinctively clamped his hands over his ears, desperate to block the disturbing screech from further damaging his senses.
Izari, equally disoriented, instinctively whirled around, searching for the source of the agonizing noise. His eyes landed on it: the remaining shards of the monolithic machine. They were swirling around the small, circular breach in reality, a gaping maw leading to an endless abyss. The faces etched onto the shards seemed to be singing, but the song was a chorus of agony. Their features contorted in silent screams, reflecting the torment they were enduring.
Lorian, cradling a screaming Cassia, mirrored Rona's actions, pressing his hands against her ears and his own. Cassia, like Rona, was visibly suffering, her face pale and contorted. Lorian, however, managed to wrench his attention away from their shared pain. He pointed first at Cassia, then towards the swirling shards, his expression grim. Izari understood instantly. Cassia's connection, her psionic sensitivity, was likely the reason they were being subjected to this torture.
Without hesitation, both men charged towards the swirling vortex of shards. Izari reached them first. He focused, deliberately desensitizing himself, pushing his body to the absolute limit. He channeled every ounce of strength, durability, and sheer determination he possessed. He would escape this altar chamber, but not before reducing it to rubble.
Lorian, meanwhile, targeted a different shard, his arms crackling with explosive energy. He was fueled by the same desperate desire for survival as Izari, but something more also drove him. He was convinced that whatever lurked within that breach was what the Seer worshipped, the entity responsible for Solomon's death. He silently vowed that if he could destroy this breach, these shards, everything connected to this infernal place, he would at least have avenged Solomon, finding some small measure of peace.
Izari and Lorian landed their blows almost simultaneously, shattering two of the shards into dust. But before they could strike again, an energy ripple erupted from the breach, a wave of raw, chaotic power that sent them flying backwards.
Abruptly, the screaming ceased. The remaining shards stopped swirling and began to float, drawn inexorably towards the breach. Then, from the inky blackness, two long, pale arms emerged, fused together at the elbow. They snatched at one of the floating shards, attempting to drag it back into the abyss, but the small size of the breach prevented it.
The silence was shattered once more as two more arms, equally grotesque and fused, reached out. All four grasped the edges of the breach, pushing outwards, widening the tear in reality. As the opening grew larger, more arms, each more disfigured than the last, slithered out from the darkness, joining the effort. They forced the edges apart, their movements jerky and unnatural. Finally, the hands stilled and, as quickly as they appeared, retreated back into the darkness. Silence descended upon the chamber, thick and heavy.
Izari and Lorian, bruised and battered, slowly sat up. Rona, dazed and unsteady, stumbled towards them.
"What the hell was that?" Lorian asked, his voice hoarse.
"Don't know," Izari replied, his eyes hard, "and I don't intend to find out."
He rose to his feet and charged towards one of the chamber walls, slamming into it with all his might. The impact only left a slight dent. Fury welled up within him. He focused again, shifting his density, making himself heavier, harder. He began to pound at the wall, each blow delivered with savage force.
"I am not going to die here!" he roared, his voice echoing in the silence.
Finally, one of his blows connected, shattering the stone and metal creating a hole in the wall. He peered through, his face softening with relief as he spotted the staircase they had used to enter this infernal chamber.
"Come on, help me with this!" he shouted to the others, and began tearing at the weakened wall.
Cassia and Rona scrambled to their feet and rushed to his side, adding their strength to the effort. Lorian, however, remained where he was, his gaze fixed on the gaping breach. Something felt terribly wrong. An unnerving premonition settled in his gut.
Suddenly, a large shard, the size of a small car, shot out of the breach. It moved with incredible speed, hurtling directly towards the trio struggling to create an escape route. It happened so fast, Lorian couldn't even register the danger until it whizzed past him.
It was in an instant, almost an impulse far faster than the speed of thought, that Cassia sensed the projectile. Her psionic shield flared to life, a shimmering barrier of energy that enveloped her, Izari, and Rona. The shard crashed into the shield with a thunderous roar, sending them flying through the wall and out into the corridor in front of the staircase.
Loud, guttural screams filled the air. Rona, groggy and disoriented, blinked his eyes open. He looked around, seeing Izari struggling to sit up. He scrambled to his feet and helped Izari to his.
"Go get Lorian," Rona urged, "we need to get out of this god-damned place."
They both turned as Cassia started calling them urgently. Her arm was outstretched, her face a mask of terror as she pointed back into the chamber.
Standing before the breach, bathed in its unholy light, was an abomination. It stood at least ten feet tall, a grotesque parody of life. Attached to its body were the remaining three shards, one fused where its face should have been. A dozen groaning mouths moved haphazardly across its form. Twenty arms, each splitting into two at the elbow, sprouted from its torso, flailing in the air. Its legs were a chaotic blend of limbs, seemingly an amalgamation of dozens of other legs.
The creature turned its gaze upon Cassia, and in that instant, she felt its hunger, a primal, insatiable craving. In its hands, it held Lorian, injured and limp.