Whispers of Astoria

Chapter Twenty: The Keeper's Claim

The world around Florence seemed to slow, the storm freezing in place as the Keeper's words echoed in his mind. Vessel? What did that mean?

"I don't understand," he said, his voice barely audible.

The Keeper stepped closer, her dark cloak swirling around her like smoke. "You are the key to the Void's awakening, Florence. The storm within you is merely a fragment of the power that lies dormant inside. Once you fully embrace it, you will become one with the Void."

"No," Florence shook his head, backing away. "I don't want this."

The Keeper's eyes gleamed with an unsettling light. "You don't have a choice. This is your destiny."

Florence's heart pounded in his chest, the weight of her words pressing down on him. He had spent so long running from his fate, denying the power inside him. But now, standing on the edge of the Void, he couldn't escape it any longer.

"You've already started the process," the Keeper said, her voice soft but commanding. "The storm is a part of you, Florence. It always has been. But soon, you will awaken the true power within."

Florence clenched his fists, his mind racing. He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't become a vessel for the Void.

But what could he do? How could he fight against something that was already a part of him?

"Florence!" Andre's voice cut through the haze of his thoughts, grounding him. He turned to see Andre standing a few feet away, his eyes filled with determination.

"You don't have to do this," Andre said, his voice firm. "We'll find another way."

Florence's chest tightened. He wanted to believe Andre, to believe that there was another way out of this. But deep down, he knew the truth.

The storm was too powerful. The Void too vast.

Before he could respond, the ground beneath them rumbled, and the tear in the sky widened. The Shattered One reappeared, its form more twisted and monstrous than before.

"The time is near," it growled, its voice like thunder. "The Void will consume all."

The Keeper smiled. "You see, Florence? It's already begun."

Florence's heart raced, panic rising in his chest. He couldn't let this happen. He had to stop it, but how?

And then, in the distance, he saw them—figures emerging from the shadows, cloaked in darkness but radiating a strange, otherworldly light. Reinforcements? Enemies?

It didn't matter. Whatever was coming, Florence knew one thing for sure:

The real battle was only just beginning.