Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 28: Chapter 28 — The Abyss

Chapter 28 — The Abyss

Victor and Jacob fell.

For several seconds, there was no world beyond the waterfall. There was only the violent roar of rushing water, the freezing spray striking Victor’s face, and the sensation of weightlessness as gravity dragged them deeper into the darkness beneath Region G. Victor’s right arm remained locked around Jacob, his fingers gripping his clothes with everything he had left. Jacob’s body hung limp against him, completely unresponsive, while Victor’s own body twisted helplessly through the air.

The waterfall seemed endless. Victor looked down, but there was nothing beneath them. Only an enormous darkness that seemed to swallow everything it touched. The cavern walls had already disappeared into the distance, and even the faint glow from the crystals above had become little more than scattered points of light.

For a moment, Victor could do nothing but fall.

Strangely, that gave him time to think.

The last twenty-four hours replayed through his mind in fragments. A new assignment with Jacob. Basement Level Five. Team Fifteen. Leo. Alex. The assassination attempt.

And now this.

Victor almost laughed.

It was almost ridiculous. Less than a day ago, he had been walking through the market. Now he was falling through an underground abyss with Jacob hanging from his arm, his body barely holding together.

The thought disappeared as the wind suddenly changed.

Victor heard something beneath him.

At first, it was faint.

A distant rumble.

Then it grew louder.

And louder.

Water.

Victor lowered his head.

Something was glowing far below.

His vision was blurry, but the light gradually became clearer as they fell. The darkness beneath them wasn’t completely empty after all. A massive body of water waited at the bottom of the waterfall, its surface reflecting the faint glow of luminescent stone scattered throughout the cavern.

Victor stared at it.

For the first time since they had jumped, a small amount of relief entered his mind.

At least there’s water.

Victor shifted his body in midair. The hole in his stomach screamed with pain as he moved, but he ignored it. He pulled Jacob closer and positioned himself beneath him.

The water rushed closer.

Victor tightened his grip.

SPLASH!

The impact was brutal.

Victor struck the surface first. His body plunged beneath the water, and his left arm was violently thrown backward. Something inside his shoulder shifted with a sickening jolt.

Pain exploded through him as his shoulder dislocated.

Victor’s mouth opened in a scream, but the water swallowed the sound immediately. Everything became dark. Cold water surrounded him from every direction as his body tumbled through the depths. His clothes dragged heavily against him, and Jacob’s weight pulled at his right arm.

For a moment, Victor couldn’t tell which direction was up.

His lungs began burning.

His vision darkened.

Then he saw light.

Above him.

Victor kicked.

His legs barely responded.

He kicked again.

His chest felt like it was about to split open.

Finally, his head broke through the surface.

Victor gasped violently as air flooded his lungs. He immediately reached for Jacob and dragged him toward the surface, then began pulling him toward the nearby bank. The waterfall continued crashing down behind them, filling the cavern with a deafening roar.

Victor finally managed to drag Jacob onto the stone.

His knees hit the ground.

For several seconds, he simply knelt there, breathing. His entire body was shaking, and the adrenaline that had kept him moving was rapidly disappearing. The Black Phoenix Form was gone, leaving behind an exhaustion deeper than anything Victor had ever experienced.

His Core felt completely drained.

Like something had reached inside him and scooped out everything that had been there.

Victor didn’t have the strength to wonder what that meant.

He only knew that he couldn’t stay there.

His eyes slowly moved across the cavern.

Then he saw it.

Behind the waterfall was a narrow opening.

A passage.

The falling water partially concealed it, but there was enough space for someone to squeeze through. Victor stared at it for several seconds.

He didn’t know where it led. It could have been a dead end. There could have been monsters inside.

He didn’t care.

Victor could feel whatever reaction was about to take effect from the black Phoenix form. would leave him vulnerable.

Victor grabbed Jacob again.

His right arm tightened around him as he forced himself upright. His legs immediately trembled, and he nearly fell, but he steadied himself against the wall before taking another step.

Jacob’s body dragged across the wet stone behind him.

Every movement felt heavier than the last. Victor’s left arm hung uselessly at his side, his dislocated shoulder throbbing with every heartbeat. His breathing became increasingly ragged, but he refused to stop.

Finally, he reached the waterfall.

The torrent crashed down directly beside him, sending freezing water across his body. Victor pushed through it.

For one brief moment, the world became nothing but water and noise.

Then he stumbled through the other side.

The passage was quiet.

Almost unnaturally quiet.

Soft light came from strange stones embedded throughout the walls. Their pale glow illuminated the narrow passage, revealing smooth stone beneath his feet and walls that disappeared farther into the darkness.

Victor slowly looked around. The cave looked completely empty.

He didn’t know if that meant the passage was safe.

He didn’t care.

Good enough.

Victor dragged Jacob farther inside.

Only a few dozen steps.

Then his legs finally gave out.

He dropped to his knees.

Jacob collapsed beside him.

Victor lowered his head.

For the first time since the Black Phoenix Form appeared, there was nothing left distracting him from what had happened to his body.

And then his Core moved.

Victor froze.

Something inside him twisted.

Pain exploded through his body.

His back arched violently, and his fingers dug into the stone.

It felt as though something had reached directly into his chest and grabbed his soul.

Victor’s eyes widened.

Then the pain became worse.

It spread through every part of him at once. Muscles. Bones. Organs. Nerves. Everything. It was as if thousands of invisible blades were being driven through his body simultaneously, twisting and tearing without ever finding an end.

Victor’s mouth opened.

A scream ripped from his throat.

”AAAAAAAHHHHH!”

The sound echoed through the passage.

Victor collapsed onto his side. His body began writhing uncontrollably, his fingers clawing against the stone as his muscles contracted violently. His legs kicked against the ground, and his teeth clenched so tightly that his jaw began to bleed.

He couldn’t understand what was happening.

He couldn’t think.

There was no room for thought.

There was only pain.

His Core felt like it was being torn apart and rebuilt at the same time. The energy the Black Phoenix Flame had consumed seemed to have left behind a void, and that void was now tearing through him from the inside.

Victor’s consciousness began slipping away.

The world became distant.

The glowing stones blurred.

The sound of the waterfall faded.

Everything disappeared.

For a moment, there was darkness.

Then the pain dragged him back.

Victor’s eyes snapped open.

Another scream escaped him.

”AAAGHHHH!”

His hands slammed against the stone. He couldn’t escape. There was nowhere to run.

Only his own body that felt like it was eating them from the inside out.

The pain continued.

Minutes passed.

Victor couldn’t tell anymore.

The passage became a prison of stone and light, and his screams were the only sign that anything was alive within it. His voice eventually became hoarse, but whenever another wave of pain struck, his body would convulse again and another broken cry would echo through the tunnel.

His entire world had narrowed to the agony inside his body.

Five minutes passed.

Then six.

Seven.

The pain continued.

Eventually, after nearly ten minutes, the waves began to weaken.

The terrible pressure inside Victor’s Core slowly settled. His muscles stopped contracting, and his fingers slowly loosened against the stone.

Victor lay motionless.

For several seconds, his eyes remained open, staring blankly at the floor.

Then even that last bit of awareness disappeared.

His eyes closed.

His body went limp.

He didn’t move.

The faint luminescent stones continued to cast their pale light across the passage, illuminating Victor’s battered body and Jacob lying nearby.

Beyond the passage, the waterfall continued its endless descent.

For now, Victor and Jacob were alive.

But neither of them knew how long they had left.