Fate: Abyss of the Heart

Beneath the Weight of Darkness

Vanitas stood before Artoria, his mind racing in disbelief. How... how the fuck is she still standing? The question echoed in his thoughts like a relentless drumbeat, each pulse accompanied by a swell of anger and hatred. It was unfathomable; after everything he had unleashed upon her, she remained resolute, wielding a sword that shimmered with the combined might of Excalibur and Avalon. The very sight of her defiance stoked the flames of his fury, igniting a darker resolve within him.

He felt his grip on sanity slipping, his vision narrowing into a singular focus on the challenge before him. "I've had enough of you!" he roared, his voice deepening, becoming a resonant echo that reverberated through the air. His golden demonic eyes glowed with a fierce intensity, a prelude to the storm brewing inside him. With each word, he felt the darkness swelling, coiling around him like a serpent ready to strike.

The spear he held trembled in response to his raging emotions, an extension of his very soul. An ominous aura enveloped the weapon, swirling like a tempest, dark and foreboding. It felt alive, pulsating with the raw energy of his hatred and rage, beckoning to the void of despair that lingered just beneath the surface of his being. Artoria, sensing the shift in the air, instinctively tightened her grip on Excalibur Avalon, her heart racing as she wondered what kind of monstrosity this spear truly was.

What is that spear? The thought gnawed at her, a whisper of dread curling around her thoughts. It was no ordinary weapon; she felt it resonate with something primal and ancient, a connection to the very fabric of despair itself. The energy radiating from it was unlike anything she had encountered—a void of pure darkness, deep and insatiable.

With each passing moment, the atmosphere around them thickened, as if the world itself was reacting to the violence brewing between them. The shadows deepened, swallowing the light that clung desperately to the edges of their battlefield. The buildings surrounding them began to tremble, their structures groaning under the weight of Vanitas's dark presence. Cracks splintered across the ground, and dust fell from the crumbling edifices like the ash of forgotten hopes.

Artoria felt the pressure building, an oppressive force that threatened to crush her beneath its weight. It was as if the very air had turned to lead, and with every heartbeat, the realization settled in: Vanitas was growing stronger, feeding off his fury and her fear.

Her instincts screamed at her to retreat, to flee from the impending doom that loomed before her, but she stood her ground, drawing upon the flickering remnants of her hope. The glow of Excalibur Avalon illuminated her features, a beacon of light against the encroaching darkness, but even that felt fragile in the face of the overwhelming force Vanitas unleashed.

As the decay spread through the buildings around them, Artoria clenched her jaw, determination hardening her resolve. She would not allow herself to be consumed by despair; she had fought too hard to reclaim her light. Yet, even as she summoned her inner strength, she could feel the chilling grip of fear clawing at her heart. The darkness that surrounded Vanitas was unlike anything she had ever faced, a harbinger of destruction that whispered promises of oblivion.

With a single motion, Vanitas lunged forward, the spear cutting through the air with a deadly intent, its aura swirling around him like a storm of night. Each step he took sent shockwaves through the ground, shattering the pavement beneath his feet, and the buildings around them groaned as they succumbed to his malevolent power.

Artoria braced herself, summoning the magic within Excalibur Avalon, her heart pounding in rhythm with the chaos around her. She would not yield to despair; she would face this darkness head-on, even if it meant confronting the very depths of her own fears. As she met Vanitas's gaze, she saw not just anger and hatred, but something deeper—a reflection of the void she had fought to escape.

The final clash was imminent, a collision of hope and despair that would determine not just their fates, but the fate of everything they held dear. In that moment, the world around them held its breath, teetering on the edge of oblivion.