The gates to Abyss Layer 3 – Veiled Hollow pulsed with malevolent rhythm. Black smoke coiled from the massive obsidian arch, the air thick with dark intent. Every breath the party took near the entrance tasted of ash and secrets.
Caius stood at the threshold, Abyssal Blade strapped to his back, clad in a newly forged mantle that shimmered with volcanic thread and voidsteel plates—crafted by Fyrm himself the night before.
[Abyssal Mantle – Grade: Epic]
+45% Fire Resistance
+30% Spell Nullification (Shadow Element)
+5% Charisma when commanding Abyssal creatures
Fyrm loomed behind him, still part-machine, part-forge. "Layer Three feeds on deception and regret. Tread lightly."
Elira adjusted the bracers on her wrists, which now glowed with purple venom sigils. "Finally—my kind of battlefield. Lies and shadows? I'll feel right at home."
Selena placed a palm on the massive door, reading the intricate runes. "The Veiled Hollow doesn't test strength. It tests conviction."
Caius stepped forward. "Then we show it ours can't be broken."
As the gate opened, the light behind them vanished entirely.
The world beyond was suffocating. A labyrinthine city stretched endlessly, towers twisted like broken bones reaching into an obsidian sky. Fog coiled at their feet, and whispers slithered in the air.
[Zone Entered: Veiled Hollow – Forgotten Dominion]
[System Notice: Perception Stability Reduced by 35% | Chance of Illusion Events Increased]
Almost immediately, the group felt its effects.
"Did you see that?" Elira spun, blades drawn.
"There's nothing there," Selena replied, narrowing her eyes.
"No… there was," Caius muttered. "I saw it too."
[New Quest: Reveal the Hollow's Heart]
Objective: Locate the Illusory Core
Reward: Hollow Sovereign Sigil | Increased Territory Limit
They ventured deeper into the forgotten city. Unlike the previous layers, this place felt… intelligent. Like it was watching. Shifting.
Buildings realigned when no one looked. Paths repeated themselves. Time lost meaning.
Selena lit a guiding flame—but it floated sideways and dimmed. "Even light betrays us here."
After what felt like hours of careful navigation, they found a stone obelisk. Etched in abyssal script, it told of a being sealed beneath the Hollow. A primordial entity called:
The Whispering Queen
"She rules this domain… or is imprisoned by it," Caius guessed.
Suddenly, a shriek pierced the veil. Shadowy beasts emerged—distorted humanoids with empty faces and twisted limbs. Their forms flickered, impossible to pin down.
[Enemy Detected: Veilspawn – Tier: Rare]
[Special Trait: Immune to Normal Perception | Must Be Targeted Through Willpower]
The battle was chaos.
Caius activated Void Perception, a skill earned in Layer 2. Through it, he could see the flickers where the creatures truly were.
"Strike where your instincts guide you!" he roared.
Elira closed her eyes and moved like a dancer, blades finding purchase in phantom flesh. Selena cast radiant bursts that burned away the illusions momentarily.
But for each slain Veilspawn, more rose.
Caius called upon the Abyss.
[Summon Skill: Abyssal Chainguard]
Ten spectral warriors burst from the earth, shackling the enemies in place.
Then, he strode through them, blade singing. With a final upward slash, the last beast dissolved into dark mist.
The fog retreated slightly. A tower materialized ahead—its base guarded by hooded sentinels carved from obsidian.
[Location Discovered: Tower of Mirrors]
[Objective Updated: Face the Mirror Trial | Confront Your Past]
Caius exhaled. "This is the core trial."
Elira hesitated. "And if we fail?"
"We won't," Selena said firmly. She took Caius's hand. "We've already passed the Abyss's flames. Shadows can't stop us."
Inside the tower, a single mirror stood. The frame was silver-black, and the glass shimmered like water.
[Mirror Trial Initiated]
[Warning: Facing Inner Demons May Cause System Skill Lockout]
One by one, they approached.
Elira saw herself, bloody and chained in the dungeon of a king she once served—and betrayed. Her real self trembled. "I… I was just a tool."
"You were never just that," Caius said, voice low. "You survived. You chose to live."
She nodded, stepping through the image. The mirror shimmered—and allowed her passage.
Selena stood next. Her mirror showed her abandoning her former coven. The screams of her sisters echoed as her younger self fled.
"I had to escape," she whispered.
"You also saved the only one who made it out," Caius reminded her. "You carry their memory in your magic."
The mirror accepted her too.
Then came Caius.
His reflection revealed a burning field. Villagers dead. A younger Caius, bloodied and staggering away. His family—slaughtered.
"I couldn't save them," he said. "Not then."
The voice from the mirror twisted. "And you never will. No matter how much power you gain."
Caius stepped forward, unshaken. "But I'll save everyone I meet now. And I'll burn down the world to protect what's mine."
He punched through the mirror.
[Trial Completed – All Members Passed]
[Bonus Reward: Hollow Sovereign Sigil – Claimed]
[Unique Trait Acquired: Clarity of Will]
Negates 25% illusion effects and boosts charisma against abyssal entities
After the trial, they rested atop the tower.
The fog had retreated further, and the citadel shimmered in the distance. Caius gathered his harem around the map.
"Tomorrow, we split into three teams. Selena and I will investigate the Heart Vault. Elira will recon the Obsidian Maze with Fyrm."
"Alone?" Elira smirked, arching a brow.
Caius smiled. "We'll rotate. We cover more ground that way."
That night, he spent quiet hours with Elira again. Their bond deepened—not just in the body, but the trust that bloomed between them in every whispered promise. For her, the shadows weren't lonely anymore.
Morning came with tremors.
[System Alert: Abyssal Mutation Event Beginning – Layer 3 Disturbance]
[Mutation Surge in 4 Hours]
Selena turned to Caius, urgent. "We have to reach the Heart Vault before the surge. If we don't, the entire layer could collapse into Layer Four!"
Caius clenched his fists. "Then we move now."
The Hollow had one last secret. And to conquer it, they'd have to race the unraveling Abyss itself.