The Forsaken Heir's Ascension
Chapter 64: Abyss Below, Eyes Above

Chapter 64: Abyss Below, Eyes Above

Lyra nodded, then said with a smirk, "That’s a valid point. But you ran away when the monsters attacked, so I don’t think you’ll be a good leader this time either."

Rina gave an awkward smile and scratched her head—she had run away too.

Lyra continued thoughtfully, "Let’s vote. Whoever supports Meika as leader, please raise your hand."

She raised her hand first. Rina followed, then Alex shrugged and raised his as well. Hati lifted its paw.

Lyra grinned. "Four votes for Meika. I think that makes her our leader."

Meika smiled and clapped her hands. "My first order: let’s move in formation. Kaelan and Rina in the front, Lyra and I in the middle, and Alex and the wolf in the rear."

She gave a humble smile and added, "I don’t know much about your powers yet, but Kaelan and Rina both have explosive strength, so they should take the lead. Lyra and I both use daggers, so the middle suits us. And Mr. Alexander has a beast with him and, I think, uses a spear—perfect to guard the rear."

Everyone nodded, impressed by Meika’s logic. They moved into formation and set off.

Kaelan grumbled but obeyed.

They approached a tall building, about twenty meters high, completely overgrown with dense plants. Rina slashed through the vines with her sword while Kaelan burned them away. Once the entrance was clear, they stepped inside.

The Interior walls were stone and concrete. The paint had long peeled off, and the walls were riddled with cracks and holes. As they moved toward another hall, they found the same crumbling condition.

Alex stepped forward, the plants beneath his boots crunching softly. Hati sniffed the air, ears twitching, and veered to the side. In a corner near a collapsed wall buried in rubble and vines, Hati stopped and barked sharply.

"What did you find?" Alex asked, turning to the wolf.

He used his shadow dagger to clear away the debris and uncovered a hidden, circular stone door embedded in the ground. Its rusted handle crumbled to powder as he tried to pull it.

With a frown, Alex gripped his shadow dagger and thrust it into the stone. The blade pierced through, and with a strong pull, he tore the slab loose. A wave of foul, rotting air washed over him through the newly opened gap.

He placed the slab to the side and peered into the darkness below—pitch black, with no sound or sign of life.

Crouching beside the hole, Alex asked, "Should we go down or wait for the others?"

Hati barked and pointed with its snout toward the opening.

Alex chuckled. "Then let’s go."

And with that, he leapt into the darkness.

Splash.

Alex landed in shallow water, staggering slightly as his boots sank into the mossy surface. A chill crept up his spine as cold water soaked his legs up to the knees.

Splash.

Hati dropped down after him, sending another wave of water splashing onto Alex’s face.

Wiping it off, Alex blinked as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. The air was damp and smelled of rot and wet stone. Faint illumination came from the moss clinging to the pillars — soft, greenish light that gave the hall an eerie glow.

He turned slowly, taking in the massive stone pillars, their surfaces slick and overgrown with glowing moss. The walls were lined with faint carvings, symbols, and a language he couldn’t quite decipher, all half-consumed by nature.

Hati padded beside him, ears alert, nose twitching. They moved across the hall, water sloshing with every step, toward a slightly raised platform ahead. As they stepped up onto it, the water now barely covered their ankles.

At the far end of the platform stood what looked like a door — no, more like a wall etched with concentric circular patterns. Strange writings filled the circles like cryptic spells etched into the stone. The atmosphere was heavy here, as if the place held its breath.

As they walked along the raised path, they entered a circular chamber. Dim blue stones embedded in the walls provided an ethereal glow. Moss and shallow water still lingered, but the center of the room was different — dry, elevated, and ominous.

At its heart stood a massive statue.

It was an eagle — majestic, terrifying, almost divine in its design.

Its eyes, made of the same blue stones as the wall, glowed with unsettling intensity.

Its sharp beak seemed to cut the very air, and its talons pierced the stone pedestal beneath it as if crushing its prey.

The bird wasn’t just watching; it was judging.

Alex stumbled back until his back hit the damp stone wall behind him.

Hati whimpered and stepped backward tugging his tail between legs.

Alex took a shaky breath, exhaling slowly. "Don’t worry, Hati... it’s just a statue."

He glanced back at the eagle. "But why does it feel... alive?"

Trying to shake off the unease, Alex walked around the room, studying the wall behind the statue. There, a vertical cylinder-like structure was carved from floor to ceiling, segmented into horizontal plates.

On the first plate, he saw a city — towering buildings, intricate roads, everything captured in perfect detail.

There were six plates, similar to this one, but stones were broken above them, it looked somethings were made on it like the first one but weren’t clear enough.

Alex muttered to Hati, "Let’s get out of here. That eagle’s gaze... it’s giving me chills."

They turned and retraced their steps. The shallow water sloshed beneath their feet, echoing off the stone walls.

Alex glanced around. "How do we even get out of here?"

Hati gave a soft whine and shook his head, equally lost.

"Let’s just start moving. Maybe we’ll find a way," Alex sighed, and they pressed forward.

After what felt like half an hour of searching dim corridors and water-filled paths, Alex spotted something — a moss-covered staircase half-hidden in a dark corner. The stone steps were slick, crumbling at the edges.

"Hey, Hati. Over here," Alex called. "Let’s try our luck with these."

Carefully, they climbed. Moss squished underfoot, making the steps treacherously slippery. At the top, a decaying wooden door stood in their way. Alex touched it gently, and it disintegrated into a puff of dust.

Beyond it, vines covered the entrance. Faint light seeped through cracks in the vines. Drawing one of his shadow daggers, Alex sliced through the vines, and the two stepped into a hall long claimed by nature.

The walls were lined with ancient carvings—worshippers kneeling before a towering eagle perched atop a jagged cliff. Lightning crackled behind it, frozen mid-strike in the stone. Its head tilted back in regal defiance, eyes proud, divine.

Alex stared at the wall and whispered, "Isn’t that the same eagle we saw down there?"

Hati whimpered and stepped closer to him, ears flattened.

Alex’s voice dropped to a near-whisper. "Is that... some kind of mythical creature?"

There was no answer. Just an eerie silence that seemed to breathe around them.

A sudden wave of unease rippled through both of them. Neither said a word—they simply turned and sprinted through the hall, dodging roots and debris, until daylight poured in through a cracked stone ceiling.

They burst outside, collapsing onto the ground beneath the sky, breathing heavily.

Alex wiped sweat from his brow, still shaken. "Why did that place feel so wrong?"

Hati barked twice, softly.

"Yeah," Alex said, eyes fixed on the clouds above. "We’re not going back there again."

He pulled himself up and scanned the area. The house they had originally entered was just ahead. Rina and Meika were searching nearby, their expressions tense. The other two waited outside, unaware of what had just happened beneath their feet.

As soon as Alex appeared, Rina rushed forward, worry plain on her face. "Where were you guys?"

Meika exhaled deeply and stepped beside her. "Thank goodness. We were starting to think—"

Alex raised a hand, weary. "We found a way underground. Trust me... it wasn’t pleasant."

"Did you find anything?" Rina asked.

Alex shook his head. "Just... more questions."

The others shook their heads as well.

"Let’s rest," Meika suggested, glancing at the still-bright sky. "It doesn’t get dark here"

Outside the Portal...

Under the shade of a lone tree, the Vice Principal leaned back with his eyes closed. Suddenly, he opened them, a wicked smile curling across his face.

"Is it time?" he whispered.

From his robes, he pulled out a small, sleek black tower—windowless and sharp, narrowing to a tapered point. As he injected his elemental power into it, a glowing tattoo in the same shape as the tower flared to life across his shiny scalp, splitting it in half with glowing lines.

His smile deepened. His eyes turned cold and cruel.

"Let’s give them a little adventure," he muttered, "before they vanish from this world."

The tower began to vibrate as he poured more power into it. The earth trembled.

BOOM.

BOOM.

Panic erupted. Hunters outside the city walls scattered, shouting in fear.

"What’s happening?!"

"Earthquake?"

"LOOK! The portal!"

They all turned to see it—the portal was collapsing.

With a final rumble, the glowing gateway flickered... then vanished.

The world went silent.

The Vice Principal stood, dusted off his clothes, and sighed with mock sadness. "Well... my work here is done. Let’s go inform the academy. I can’t keep up this ’sad face’ act forever—let them handle that part."

Inside the Portal...

Alex and the others sat in a circle, sharing the food they’d brought. The girls whispered and laughed among themselves, lighthearted despite the strange place.

Kaelan ate in silence, a sour look on his face as if the food offended him.

Alex and Hati sat peacefully apart, quietly enjoying their meal, ignoring everyone else as usual.

Then—

RUMBLE.

The ground trembled violently.

A low BOOM echoed through the chamber. Houses split apart. Cracks snaked across the land.

And then... the ground began to split.

From beneath their feet, the earth tore open, revealing an endless, dark abyss.

Screams erupted as hunters lost their footing and tumbled into the void. Their cries were quickly drowned by the roaring of crumbling stone.

Alex grabbed Hati tightly as the earth beneath them began to collapse. They held each other to stay balanced on the shrinking platform of solid ground.

Kaelan noticed too late.

"Wha—"

He stumbled, flailing, and fell screaming into the chasm. His voice faded into the darkness below.

The patch of ground beneath Alex and Hati continued to shrink, inch by inch.

They stood, trembling, each on one foot. Sweat dripped from Alex’s brow. Hati had stopped breathing entirely, trying not to shift his weight even slightly.

The three girls clung to each other, screaming, as the abyss crept closer and closer.

Rina lost her balance first.

"AH—!"

Her hand shot out and latched onto Meika’s leather-clad thigh, just barely.

"RINA!" Meika screamed.

Rina’s tears fell into the darkness.

Then the ground beneath Meika gave way—she screamed as she plunged into the abyss, Rina falling before her.

Their cries echoed... then faded into the void.

Only Lyra remained, trembling. She clenched her fists and forced herself to stop shaking, channeling elemental power through her body. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears—but a fiery resolve blazed beneath them.

Alex swayed, barely balanced on a sliver of earth. Then Hati—a massive wolf—climbed onto his shoulders to keep from falling.

Alex chuckled bitterly.

"Hey, Hati... I don’t think we’re getting out of this."

There was a pause. Then he asked, "Should we just go in ourselves?"

Hati barked once.

"Woof."

He shook his head.

As the ground beneath Lyra’s feet gave way, a single face flashed in her mind — Riven.

"I want to see your face one more time," she whispered.

Then, the earth vanished beneath her. She fell into the darkness, a tear-filled smile on her lips and a scream of desperate longing tearing through the silence.

Alex watched it happen. He closed his eyes, took a steadying breath, and said to Hati, "Brother... I’m glad we’re dying together. Maybe in the next life, we’ll both get what we’ve been chasing."