The Beginning Of An End

Chapter 32

Time seemed to stretch endlessly as we navigated the labyrinthine hallways of the cave. Each turn felt like a step deeper into an abyss. It was as if we were wandering in circles, with no clear destination in sight. Yet, in the Astral realm, every place had its significance, its beginning and an end. So, we were certainly going somewhere but we were very unsure of where.

Turning back was far from an option. Neither of us felt like dying in such a way. So, wherever we were going with these tunnels seemed like a better option than whatever waited for us out there. Or so we hoped.

As the darkness thickened, I found myself reflecting on the choices that had led us here. Each decision, each alliance, had brought us to this point, and I wondered how much longer we could hold on.

I knew that Loki would manage to escape this somehow; Belial as well. But as for me - I wasn't sure. My future looked very up in the air. Loki had said that I should keep going because I was a king of demons. However, I didn't feel like much of anything at this point.

However, I decided to break the familiar self-pity and self-hatred creeping into my brain. I turned towards Belial who had a very focused look on his face but as soon as his eyes met mine, the expression softened and I sent him a smile.

"Are you sure this isn't the way to the Abyss?" I inquired jokingly even though the possibility of it being true wasn't very funny to me. Not at this rate anyway.

"I don't remember it looking like this," Belial answered. "Matter of fact, it doesn't even look anything close to this." His response was sort of relieving but the uncertainty was still looming over us and it made me feel very uneasy.

"This area feels very... hollow," Loki suddenly commented in front of us and I raised an eyebrow at him even though he couldn't see me.

"What do you mean by this?" I asked.

"I tried to feel the energy of this place but..." he trailed off as if trying to find the words to describe it. "It's like there is no energy to be felt." His words made my heart drop. No such places in the whole vast Astral were good. They weren't necessarily bad but, at the same time, it's not ideal being trapped in one of them. Not knowing what you were going to find was always worse than knowing.

"Great," I mumbled, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I sighed out in annoyance. "So we really have to choose between getting fucked for sure outside and probably getting fucked in here?"

Loki snorted, "yup. Don't worry, Asmo, you're safe with me." His reassurance provided little comfort but there was a certain warmth spreading through my body.

"Thank you, my brave knight," I laughed and suddenly the grimness of the situation we were in got lifted if only for a millimeter.

As the tension slightly lifted, the cave still loomed around us with a foreboding silence. The air felt heavy, like we were being watched by unseen eyes, and I couldn't shake the eerie sensation of being in a place so devoid of life. My steps faltered for a moment, but Loki's presence kept me grounded.

Belial remained quiet, his eyes scanning every corner, every shadow. His unease was palpable, and I could tell he wasn't entirely sure what we had stumbled into either.

Then, he finally broke his silence, his voice low. "This place... it's like a void. I've heard stories about places like this in the Astral. Dead zones where even magic struggles to exist." He hesitated. "If we're in one of those zones, it means we're either on the edge of something dangerous, or we're in the middle of something we don't understand yet."

"Fantastic," I muttered, trying to swallow down the growing anxiety gnawing at my insides. "So, what do we do now? We can't exactly turn back."

Loki stopped abruptly, holding out his hand. "Wait." His voice was barely above a whisper.