Shadows of our end - KDA x Male Reader (Original)

Act 2 - 037

(Undead Burg art)

I lead the two of us up some decrepit and broken stone stairs across the side of the mountain leading up to a pathway covered with what looks like zombies wielding short broken swords. There are almost a dozen of them, are these the hollows?

"I can't sense them." Memory sides next to me. "Hollow. Empty. There's nothing, not a shred of what they were before but rather fragments of a soul clinging together. A curse of undeath? Or something else entirely?"

What would they be in comparison to the void? A spiderling or a void mite? Both aren't strong but could prove to be problematic if unseen... maybe in a horde.

Upon approach, the hollows on the bridge toss what looks like flasks towards us.  Landing short of us they explode into fire. I retaliate with an attack of my own as I hurl a bolt of shadow at the wall that spreads out to each other and impales them with shadowy spears. Their bodies fall with a trail of white flowing towards me. 

I ignore it for the moment. Pushing forward to face them, they are fragile and slow. Memory dispatches them the same way you'd expect a knight would cleave through a bush to make his way through the forest. His weapon destroys their bodies and the darkness swallows them whole and their darkened bodies evaporate into the smokey dust.

"Souls?" I ask.

"Does it feel different?" Memory asks me.

I shake my head. "I don't think so..."

"Then for now we bear in mind that with each death you collect something from them involuntarily."

Up the steps, we reach an opening in the wall that leads to a sewage system with something rushing closer. Its quick approach reveals a giant rat stinking of mold that lunges at the sight of me. I push a shadow barrier towards it knocking it back. It cries out with a squeak that is interrupted by its body crashing against the grate behind it.

"Curious. Even the rats seem to possess this essence," I mutter to myself before moving on.

Another stairway leads up.

Reaching a rooftop with even more Undead in front of us is ragged clothing - not too many of them. I then walk past them with their slow and heavy overhead attacks lunging at me. Memory easily parries their attacks and counterattacks with a slice that cuts them all down.

Then over a wooden walkway, I launch a shadowy spear through it and send the undead falling off the edge.  Towards my right, I spot a doorway shrouded in white mist.

I then tilt my head, "Do you suppose that is where we should go?"  I step not expecting an answer into another room. There are firebombs on the floor among the shattered wood.

Then finding ourselves on a long pathway along what looks like the ramparts of the city's walls. Reaching far enough I spot a tower in the distance with undead archers and stronger-looking undead guarding the place. I walk forward as I feel something in the air, I then leap backward to see a Dragon landing on the ramparts roaring at us before it flies further up.

"It's gotten interesting now."

"Another prize for the taking?" Memory asks.

"We'll have to see."

We push forward into another group charging us with fuller shields and faster movements - they get stronger the more we go forward but they are still undead wearing rags and broken equipment. The only thing I've seen capable of putting up a fight is that dragon that just flew past. I was beginning to think we were exploring an already broken world.

We cut them down only to find something strange. A soul, a small one that has taken shape as a small twinling light in the palm of my hand.

"What do you suppose I am to do with this, Memory?"

"Crush it between your fingers, perhaps. Maybe you destroy it, maybe you consume it."

I crush it between my fingers to see it travel and disappear into my body - I feel an odd sensation travel through my body but nothing changes. The same as earlier. We've yet to get an answer but in time I believe I'll find my answer.

We reach another bonfire. I activate it and rest at it for a brief moment, the hollows have all returned to life but they feel different... more lost, more hollow.

"In this death each death chips away at you. There is eternal life at the cost of losing yourself more and more with each passing life," I step out of the tower bonfire to see them all charging me again. I flick my wrist at them to blast a wave of black that pushes them off of the rooftops.

"A strange world. I suspect that alone must be the reason why Despair thought this place already lost to the Abyss—though regardless of that we should do well to learn more about this place and make our verdict when we've seen more."

"I agree... maybe tomorrow." I open up a rift and take us both back to the place where I last talked with Akali. "Some time has passed. We should prepare for Azrael's mission," I breathe out.

I have no idea what to expect from this venture, but I can already tell that I am not in the mood.