Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 277: The abyss

The others stood frozen, watching the painful scene unfold. The figure in the mist had begun to shift, its face contorting as it turned toward them. The faint whisper of Mirielle’s name escaped its lips...but it was warped, twisted into something unholy. Then, the sound became a roar of fury, and the entire boundary trembled in answer.

Mirielle fell to her knees, her sobs breaking the heavy silence. "He was a good man," she whispered between gasps. "He didn’t deserve this. He tried to protect everyone when the corruption came. How could it... how could it turn him into this?"

The Empress approached slowly, she placed a hand on Mirielle’s shoulder, her touch both firm and compassionate. "The darkness consumes all it touches," she said softly. "Even the purest hearts can be twisted beyond recognition. Your father’s soul is lost, but his love for you is not. You must hold onto that, or the same darkness will claim you too."

Mirielle nodded weakly, her shoulders shaking as she buried her face in her hands. The Empress turned her gaze toward the boundary once more, her eyes hardening as the screams of countless souls rose from within like a storm of anguish.

Captain Varran clenched his fists, staring into the mist. "If this is what lies beyond, then no mortal should have created it. This isn’t a barrier...it’s a graveyard of the damned."

Selene stepped closer to him, her face pale but resolute. "Then we have to cross it quickly. Every moment we linger here, it’s trying to pull us in."

Theron still knelt beside Mirielle, his tone low but steady. "Get up, Mirielle. You can mourn later, but if we stay here any longer, your father won’t be the only one lost to this curse."

The sound of distant thunder rolled through the sky again, shaking the very air around them. The boundary pulsed like a living thing, as if angered by their defiance. Shadows began to twist and dance, forming faces that screamed before melting back into the mist.

The Empress took a deep breath, summoning the faint glow of divine energy that lingered within her. "Stay together," she commanded. "No one moves without my word. The darkness wants to separate us, but it cannot claim what stands united."

Lucas’s unconscious body was carefully lowered to the ground, right at the center of the gathered group. Around him, everyone drew closer, forming a circle. Their eyes darted between the black storm that loomed ahead and the faint, almost lifeless stillness of the man who had carried them this far.

The Ice Belle rested quietly on his chest, her small translucent body glowing with a soft bluish hue. She refused to move an inch from him. Even when Lira tried to gently lift her aside so they could check Lucas’s pulse, she only puffed her cheeks in protest and clutched at his clothes with her tiny hands. The others watched in silence...no one dared disturb the creature.

The Empress stepped forward slowly, her expression composed but her eyes shadowed by exhaustion. When she knelt beside Lucas, the others instinctively gave her space.

Her gaze lingered on his face for a moment, a mixture of admiration and concern flickering in her eyes. She had seen courage in many forms, but the way this young man had risked his life for them...that was something else entirely.

The Ice Belle tilted her head when the Empress reached toward her. The little creature made a faint chirping sound, uncertain but not fearful. The Empress smiled softly and rubbed her head with gentle fingers, feeling the chill of pure divine essence radiating from her skin. "You’ve done well, little one," she murmured. "Now let’s finish what he began."

She placed her index and middle fingers lightly on the Ice Belle’s chest. A pulse of celestial energy coursed through her fingertips...gentle, precise, filled with intent. The Ice Belle blinked, her large crystalline eyes widening as she felt the warmth. Then, something extraordinary happened.

The divine energy that lay dormant inside her began to stir, answering the Empress’s silent call. It shimmered faintly, then grew brighter, spreading outward in soft waves that rippled through the air. The Empress exhaled slowly, amplifying the energy with her own. The aura expanded, threads of radiant blue intertwining with streaks of silver light, spinning until it formed a dome around them.

It was magnificent...a protective barrier of divine purity, humming softly like a sacred hymn. The moment it solidified, the black mist around them shrieked and recoiled, sizzling as if it had touched holy flame. The hiss echoed across the desolate field, a sound like dying serpents retreating into the shadows.

Within the dome, the oppressive weight of the darkness vanished. The cold that had gnawed at their bones was gone, replaced by a serene stillness.

Selene let out a shaky breath. "It’s... quiet," she whispered. "I don’t hear them anymore."

Nyx’s sharp eyes softened as she glanced at the Empress. "You did it."

The Empress shook her head slightly, her fingers still on the Ice Belle’s chest. "No," she said softly. "She did."

The little creature blinked up at her, then at the others who surrounded her in awe. She tilted her head and let out a soft, curious hum, entirely unbothered by the chaos that had once raged around them. Her large eyes sparkled like ice under sunlight, innocent and calm, she didn’t understand the miracle she had just performed.

Mirielle knelt beside her, her voice trembling with a half-laugh, half-sob. "She doesn’t even know what she’s done," she said. "She’s just... being herself."

Theron crossed his arms, his voice rough with disbelief. "That tiny thing just purified a whole storm of darkness... without even trying."

The Empress finally lifted her hand away and stood. "Divine beings are born from the essence of the heavens," she said. "They act on instinct, not thought. She only followed the bond she shares with him." Her gaze fell once more on Lucas’s motionless form. "And that bond may have just saved us all."

The Ice Belle blinked again, then let out a tiny yawn. Curling herself into a ball atop Lucas’s chest, she nestled there peacefully, as if nothing at all had happened.

They gathered their strength once more, the brief calm within the divine dome giving them a moment of respite before the next ordeal. The Empress gave a single nod, and two guards immediately moved forward to lift Lucas.

They handled him with great care, wrapping his cloak tighter around him so the cold wouldn’t bite through. The Ice Belle, sensing the motion, stirred faintly and blinked, then climbed back into the folds of his cloak where she had always felt safest. Her small form shimmered faintly beneath the fabric, the glow of her divine essence visible even through the heavy cloth.

Everyone stood still for a while, staring at the black wall that loomed before them. It wasn’t mist anymore...it was a living, raging storm. Lightning flashed within it, violent and chaotic, and each bolt tore open brief glimpses of the horrors that swirled beyond. The air near the boundary was thick with corruption, and the sound it made was not of wind but of whispers and screams intertwined. It was as if a thousand lost souls were clawing at the edges, desperate to be heard.

The Empress stepped forward first, her expression calm but her grip firm on the staff she carried. "Stay within the dome," she said, her voice steady though her tone left no room for hesitation. "No matter what you see, no matter what you hear, do not break formation. The divine energy will hold as long as we move together."

Varran cleared his throat. "Let’s move before the storm grows worse," he said, his voice low but resolute.

Mirielle wiped the last trace of tears from her cheeks and took her place near the rear, glancing once more at the souls trapped within the storm. She could still see faint outlines...faces twisted in fury and sorrow...but she turned her eyes away. "They’re gone," she whispered to herself. "They’re not the people we remember."