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Bargain Infernal Episode 54: The Despair
The fissure widened with an earsplitting crack, a jagged wound splitting the earth beneath Alex and Mara’s feet. The eerie glow pulsed in time with a rhythmic, almost sentient heartbeat, bathing the chamber in a sickly luminescence. The Sovereign of Despair may have retreated into the shadows, but its presence lingered, thick and oppressive, clinging to the walls like a malevolent specter waiting for the perfect moment to strike once more.Mara gripped Alex’s arm instinctively, her fingers tightening as another tremor shook the ground. The darkness in the fissure roiled and churned, tendrils of mist slithering upward, whispering in tongues too ancient to decipher. Something lurked beyond, something neither of them had yet faced something that watched.Alex managed to even his breathing, though his heart beat in his chest like a war drum. He had battled innumerable demons and gazed into the darkness so many times, counting was pointless, but this… this was different. The Sovereign's pa
Bargain Infernal Episode 55: The Reckoning
The tremors beneath the underground chamber grew stronger; the ground continued to crack wide open beneath Alex and Mara's feet. Eerie light issued from the rift, pulsing in erratic spasms as though something inside were stirring, seeking to break forth. A whirlwind of freezing air shot upwards, screaming up through the battered cathedral above it, bearing whispers inhuman, broken, guttural voices that slithered chillingly down the length of Alex's spine.Mara gripped her spear tightly, its light flashing wildly in the oppressive darkness. "Alex… this isn't over," she whispered, her voice laced with barely contained fear.Alex nodded, moving protectively in front of her. His blade, still wreathed in hellfire, cast ominous shadows against the stone walls, but even its infernal glow seemed diminished against the abyssal radiance seeping from below.The tear widened with a jerky, savage lurch, jagged cracks racing out through the cavern like dark tongues. From deep inside, a pair of elon
Bargain Infernal Episode 56: The Blood Red Sky Awakens
The tremors hadn't stopped.Even after they had escaped the collapsing ruins, even as they now stood on the deserted streets beneath the blood-red sky, the ground beneath Alex's feet still rumbled with an unnatural pulse, like the slow, deliberate heartbeat of something stirring beneath.Something waiting.Something hungry.Mara rested against a rusted lamppost, her breaths sharp, shallow gasps. Her spear, still clutched tightly in her hand, had lost much of its glow; the divine light flickered weakly. Whatever energy she'd poured into their last attack had drained her, and it showed.Alex peered down the path toward the remains of the cathedral, tightening his grip on his sword. The air hung heavy with dust and debris, but even through this miasma, he could feel it the Sovereign's presence had not been snuffed out. If anything, it was stronger, bolder."That thing," Mara said, swallowing hard. "It wasn't the real nightmare, was it?"Alex shook his head, jaw clenched. "No."The memory
Bargain Infernal Episode 57: The Eye
The roar that burst from the abyss was not just sound. It was a force one that rippled through reality itself, warping the air, shattering glass in the buildings around them, and sending Alex and Mara stumbling backward.Alex clenched his jaw against the pain still lancing through his skull, his fingers digging into the hilt of his sword like a lifeline. The visions had faded, but the lingering weight of what he had seen clung to him like a curse.The city was collapsing.Not in that manner of dilapidated structure that crumbles with time but in a more unnatural, eerie way. Streets twisted, darkness deepened even further, and shadows that began to bleed into the abyss extended like a pulsing infection swallowing everything in sight.And a thousand golden eyes stared at him from the abysmal reaches.Come home, child of the fallen.The words caressed his thoughts once more. Chilling shivers ran from his spine.No.He gritted his teeth and forced the voice out. He wouldn't let it control
Bargain Infernal Episode 58: Descent Into Darkness
Tendrils of shadow wrapped themselves around Alex's limbs like living chains, pulling tighter with every desperate struggle. His body was being dragged toward the abyss, toward the gaping maw of darkness that pulsed like a living entity, whispering his name in a voice that made his soul shudder.He dug his fingers into the crumbling concrete beneath him, his nails scraping against the debris, but it was futile. The abyss wanted him. The Harbinger had claimed him.And worst of all some part of him felt like it had always been meant to happen."No no, I won't!" he gritted out, every muscle in his body straining against the pull.The abyss responded.A shockwave of raw, eldritch power erupted from its depths, throwing splintering cracks through the ground. Buildings that barely remained standing crashed down, their ruins tumbling into the void. The air twisted, warping as if reality itself was unraveling at its seams.And the Harbinger? It stood at the edge of the abyss, regarding him th
Bargain Infernal Episode 59: The Harbinger’s Words
Darkness.It wasn't just around him it was inside him, crawling into his lungs, sinking into his veins like an illness. The deeper Alex fell, the more he felt his body come unraveling. His limbs felt weightless, his mind fogged, and his very soul seemed to flicker, like a candle struggling against an unseen wind.He didn't know if he was still falling or if he had already hit the bottom.Maybe there was no bottom.Maybe the abyss had always been inside him, waiting for him to return.No.His fingers curled into fists, his breath ragged. The Harbinger's words echoed in his mind "You are mine now, Alex."The hell he was.His body fought it at first, heavy, slugging with inertia, forcing itself to shift. He bit down on gritted teeth, reaching for what, he could not tell. There was no ground, no walls, no sky. Nothing at all, just dark, endless formlessness.And something shifted.Whispering-quiet but utterly clear, darkness whispered."You fight in futility."That was not the Harbinger's
Bargain Infernal Episode 60: The Abyss Hungers
The darkness was infinite, crushing.Alex continued to fall.The throne was beneath him, its jagged edges rising from the void like the bones of some ancient beast. The whispering voices had grown louder, insidious, wrapping around his mind like chains."Sit upon the throne, and all shall be yours."He gritted his teeth, fighting against the pull. Every instinct screamed at him do not sit.But the throne wasn't waiting on him. It called, its presence curling around his limbs like an invisible force.And then.A hand grabbed his wrist.A sharp pull yanked him to one side, ripping him from the free fall. He gasped as his body jerked violently and his momentum crashed into a solid form."Mara?!"She held onto him tight, her fingers digging into his arm with desperation.You think I'd let you fall alone?"She snapped, her voice shaking.Alex barely had time to process what was happening before the abyss reacted.The shadows roared.The throne below them trembled, and the darkness twisted i
Bargain Infernal Episode 61: The Abyss Within
Darkness still clung to Alex's skin.The earth beneath him felt too solid too real after the weightless void of the abyss. He staggered, his breath coming in sharp gasps, his fingers still coated in shifting black tendrils that pulsed with unnatural energy.Something inside him had changed.No something inside him had awakened.Mara eyed him warily, holding her broken spear in a defensive stance. Her eyes, however those sharp, storm-gray eyes held something else. Not just fear.Doubt."Alex," she said cautiously. "What happened back there?"Alex clenched his fists. The abyss was still inside him, lurking beneath his skin like a parasite. He could feel it twisting through his veins, coiling around his soul. His own reflection had warned him.Or maybe it had taunted him."I don't know," he admitted, voice hoarse.Mara took a slow step forward. "Then why do your eyes look like that?"Alex stiffened. He hadn't dared to look again. He didn't need to. He could feel the change. The way his v
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Episode 200: The Day of Redemption
The earth had been rent asunder. The heavens had cracked open. But now, in the aftermath of the battle, there was a stillness. A calm that seemed almost unnatural, as though the world itself had been holding its breath, waiting for this moment.Helena stood alone at the edge of the ruins, her hand pressed to the cool stone of what had once been a great wall, now reduced to rubble. Her fingers traced the cracks, as if seeking some sign that the world she once knew was still there, beneath the destruction. She closed her eyes, taking a slow, deep breath, and the weight of everything they had lost pressed down on her chest.She thought of the faces they had seen fall, the countless souls who had given their lives to this war. Friends. Strangers. Heroes. She thought of the world that had been swallowed by darkness, of the innocence that had been torn away. The battle had taken everything. And yet…A whisper of wind brushed her cheek, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she s
Episode 199: Final Descent
The fight had been on for hours, but Alex and Helena were not done. They were drained of their last drops of energy; every punch was a swat of finishing blows. The sky above was split apart by the crash of calamity, the earth below their feet cracked and blood-soaked, the battleground. They were a relentless force of abyssal creatures, clawing their way up from the very depths of hell itself. And above them, the dark creature they had been battling the twisted, monstrous being of molten rock and shadow—did not back down.Alex's eyes were wild with fury, his entire being charged with the hellfire he had summoned. Every breath burned like the underworld's flames. His body had become a vessel of destruction, and he was fighting this battle for what seemed like a lifetime. It was not just the creature in front of him but the darkness within himself, the abyssal power that threatened to consume him with every passing moment.Helena fought at his side, her blade slicing through dark creatur
Episode 198: The Horizon
The light had changed the battle scene, returning what was lost. The earth cracks had closed, and the lifeless land was now dotted with the first green shoots. Yet with all this peace, Alex couldn't shake the unease growing in his chest. The light was pure, potent, and alive, and it had pushed the void back. However, with its presence came something darker, something ancient, which had awakened from its slumber. The battle was far from over.As the warmth of the sphere ebbed away, the air shifted around them. The air, once still and inert, had become dense and heavy; it seemed almost as though it were waiting to break into the daylight, out of the shadows. There was a humming, pulsating vibration through the ground that lay in the pit of Alex's stomach. Like a heartbeat almost, but life's not this: that was deeper, much, much older.Alex: (on point, grave) "It's coming now."Helena: (eyes scanning the horizon) “What is it? The darkness… It’s not gone, is it?”Alex: (tightening his gri
Episode 197: The Spark of Hope
The light ahead flickered like a dying ember, casting a pale glow over the shattered landscape. It was faint, but there was a small, stubborn defiance against the darkness that had nearly consumed the world. Alex and Helena moved toward it, their footsteps echoing in the hollow silence left behind by the chaos.The air was still, heavy with the remnants of the abyss. Each breath felt weighted, as though even the atmosphere had been scarred by what had passed. The ground beneath them was cracked and barren, but there was something about the way the light shone through the haze that made Alex believe just for a moment that there was still something worth saving.Helena: (quietly, observing) "It feels like, like everything is waiting. Like the world is holding its breath."Alex: (gravelly, focused) "It’s not over yet. Not by a long shot."They pressed on, the journey heavy with the weight of the battle they had just fought. The path was uncertain, littered with debris, but Alex’s eyes we
Episode 196: Aftermath
The explosion had stopped. The sound was deafeningly silent. Helena's ground crumbled as the remnants of the abyss dissipated, but it wasn't a relief. There was no victory. Just emptiness that engulfed her.Helena: (whispering frantically) "Alex. Alex, where are you?"She scanned the devastation around her, her heart pounding in her chest. The rift was gone, its tendrils retracting into the ground like the remnants of some nightmarish creature. The air was still thick with the lingering residue of darkness, and yet, there was no sign of Alex.The sky above them, once twisted with shadow, was now eerily calm, the storm having passed. But this calm felt wrong like the world was holding its breath, waiting for something more.Helena: (shaking, speaking to herself) "He has to be here. He can’t be. gone."She ran through the rubble, calling out his name, but only the wind answered. Her hand tightened around the hilt of her blade, the weight of the weapon a hollow comfort in her grasp. She
Episode 195: The Final Hour
The air stank of smoke and rot, heavy with an acrid flavor. What used to be a city lay strewn before Alex and Helena as if it were a graveyard: buildings shattered, broken, rising like tombstones in the deserted land, all skeletal and speaking of the desperate fight they went through. Now, the world felt colder—as if the air had been hollowed out.Helena: (soft, grim) "How much longer can this go on, Alex?"Alex: (determined) "As long as it takes. The abyss isn’t done with us yet. And we won’t stop until it is."They had just finished dealing with the last of the creature's tendrils. The rift had closed, but there was no peace. The storm had calmed, but the tension was palpable, as if the calm before the storm held something far worse yet to come. It was clear now: the abyss had a plan. It wasn’t merely an enemy to be defeated. It was a force, a presence, an ancient evil that had only begun to reveal its true form.Helena: (with a sigh) "This place. It's like nothing is real anymore.
Episode 194: Descent Into Madness
The world had become a battleground. The city lay in ruins behind them, a monument to the chaos that had overtaken their lives. Alex and Helena, standing amidst the devastation, could feel the weight of what they had just accomplished. The creature, an embodiment of the abyss, was gone, but its shadow still lingered in the air. The ground was cracked, the sky darkened, and the very fabric of reality seemed to pulse in unnatural rhythms.Helena: (low, somber) "What are we even fighting for now? This place. It's a graveyard."Alex: (gritting his teeth) "We're fighting for the world that's left. We don't stop until it's all gone, until it's finished."Alex's voice was heavy with the weight of their struggle, hours of fighting, endless battles, and the constant, gnawing pressure of the abyss clawing at his mind. They had come so far, yet there was still so much to do. The world, what was left of it, was a fractured reflection of its former self. And Alex knew that, deep down, the abyss wa
Episode 193: The Reaper’s Reckoning
The remnants of the city loomed behind them, twisted steel and concrete jutting out of the ground like skeletal remains. The air still smelled of charred flesh, burnt remnants of a world that had nearly been consumed. Alex and Helena stood in the shadow of the destruction, their faces grim as they stared into the horizon, where the first signs of the coming storm appeared dark clouds swirling ominously in the distance.Alex: (gritting his teeth) “I thought we had more time. I thought we could end this.”Helena: (softly) “We can still try. But whatever we’re facing, it’s not just demons or the abyss anymore. We’re up against something older, something more dangerous than we can even comprehend.”The ground beneath them trembled ever so slightly, sending a shiver down Alex’s spine. He could feel it the pull of the abyss, as if it had sensed their uncertainty. The darkness was alive. It responded to their fears, feeding on it, growing stronger.Alex glanced at Helena, her sword still gri
Episode 192: The Storm of Violence
The air was heavy with the acrid scent of burnt flesh and smoke, and hellfire still hung faintly in the air. Alex and Helena stood together amidst the ruins of what had once been a city. The battle was over, but its aftermath clung to every corner: destruction, chaos, and the silence that follows the storm of violence.Their breaths were heavy, the adrenaline of the fight still coursing through their veins. Helena wiped the blood from her face, her sword still in hand, its edge now darkened with the stain of the battle. Alex could feel the weight of the abyssal energy within him, like a constant hum in the back of his mind, a reminder that the war was far from over.He looked over at Helena. Her eyes, which had been bright with determination, were dulled now with fatigue. She was standing yet still fighting, but Alex could see the cost of the fight, endless as it was. To both of them.Alex: (softly) "We did it… but it's not over, is it?"Helena: (shaking her head) "No. It's only just