The Reincarnated Overlord: Vengeance in the Eternal Abyss

Chapter 9: The Shadows Stir

Chapter 9: The Shadows Stir

The Hollow Oak became suddenly lethargic. All eyes turned towards the poor, motionless figure lying on the floor with neglible rise and fall of the chest, which gives resounding indication of shallow breaths. The loathsome black tendrils of corruption seeped out from the wounds like living things writhing, to dissipate into the wooden floor, leaving behind only faint scorch marks and a hint of burnt smell.

Crouching beside the man, jaw tight, Kael tensed. He recognized this darkness. The familiar enemy he had fought with before- an extension of the Abyss, the same corruption that had whispered to him in the depths.

Patrons of the tavern began murmuring among themselves in hushed, fearful tones. A few distance themselves from the table and begin to shuffle toward the door as if to leave without being seen. 

"Sit down," was Kael's order but as cold as the steel blade.

The nearest patron, a wiry-looking man with sunken eyes, froze in his tracks as his lips parted in protest only to change his mind and sank back into his seat with a darting gaze to the unconscious person on the ground. 

Kael turned to the barkeep and asked, "Who is he?" 

The clumsy bartender wiped his clammy hands on his apron. "Joren," he muttered. "A hunter. He went into the forest two days ago... never came back. We thought he was dead."

"He appears to be," Malek had said and poked the blackened wound with his staff. The old hermit's face darkened,- "This isn't just any corruption. It's spreading."

Kael could also sense that residual Abyss-like presence, which dangled around the air like smoke after a fire. It was subtle, but it was there, and it was increasing.

He studied Joren’s pale face. If the corruption had reached this far, then it was already too late for caution. The village was in danger.  

“What happened to him?” Kael asked, his tone sharp.  

The bartender hesitated, then lowered his voice. “People have been vanishing in the woods. The ones that come back…” He gestured toward Joren, swallowing hard. “They don’t come back the same.”  

Kael exchanged a glance with Malek. The old man nodded grimly.

"Whatever's out there," said Malek, "the forest wasn't all of it." 

A cold dread twisted in Kael's gut. He stood, his crimson eyes surveying the room. "I've got urgent, immediate questions." 

The bartender swallowed anxiously. "Look, stranger, we—" 

"So fight me then, You fancy a face off?" Kael screamed banging his hand on the top of the counter making empty mugs rattle in their slots. 

The bartender shook like a kitty before an angry bull but did not contest the moment. He looked at the unconscious hunter, so many different emotions were passing on his face before he finally said, "There's this ancient shrine." 

"It is deep in the woods, no one would go close to it. Word is, it's cursed." 

Those sharp, cat-like eyes leveled on him with specific intensity. "Where?"

But at last, the barkeep he took a breath and said it. "An hour's walk, follow the river, then, you'll know it when you see." 

"Good." Kael nodded and turned to Malek. "We leave now." 

Malek grumbled but pushed himself up to his feet. "I knew you would say that," he quipped. 

The wind howled through the trees as Kael and Malek ventured deeper into the forest. The once-familiar scent of damp earth and pine had turned sour, tainted by something darker, something wrong.

Kael moved with purpose, his steps silent and steady, his senses sharp. The sigil on his chest pulsed in sync with the unnatural energy in the air, guiding him toward the source like a beacon.  

Malek followed behind, his staff tapping lightly against the ground. “You feel it, don’t you?” he asked.

Kael nodded. “It’s stronger here.”  

“The Abyss doesn’t just linger,” Malek said. “It infects.”  

Kael’s grip tightened around the hilt of his dagger. He knew that better than anyone. The Abyss wasn’t a mere force—it was an insidious parasite, seeping into cracks and weaknesses, feeding on fear and ambition.  

They pressed on, following the river’s winding path. The further they went, the darker the forest became. The trees seemed taller, their trunks gnarled and twisted. Shadows pooled unnaturally, stretching and shifting in ways that defied logic.  

Then they saw it.  

The shrine stood in the clearing, a crumbling ruin of weathered stone covered in thick, black vines that pulsed with a sickly glow. The air around it was heavy, thick with an oppressive presence that pressed against Kael’s chest like a weight.  

"Nice spot," was the muttering remark from Malek.

Kael did not even bother with Malek as he got nearer. The sigil flared white-hot along his skin, reacting to the raw energy emanating from the shrine. He could feel it- something lurked within, eyes fixed on him. 

He touched the stone without a second's hesitation.

Energy went blasting through him, and suddenly, the world appeared to shift. 

Kael now stood in a dark void; to him, the shrine was just a memory. Shadows seemed to writhe around him and whisper voices he had once known but which did not seem to belong to the same world anymore. Images began flickering past him, his throne room, the betrayal; the faces of those who had turned against him. 

"You crave power." 

The voice snaked through the darkness, ancient and cold. 

His ire set the jaw of Kael. "I seek what is naturally mine." 

There were low mocking laughter all around him. "And what price will you pay, little king?" 

Kael's crimson eyes burned with a brighter flame now. "Whatever it takes." 

The shadows then twirled and revolved to form a tall figure with glowing red eyes. "Then step forward. Claim it." 

Kael took a step, where it was dark opened before him like a curtain. The sign on his chest flared painfully, but he pressed on. 

Power hung in the air like a promise, waiting to be seized.

Kael's eyes opened suddenly, then he stumbled back from the shrine, heart pounding in his chest. Malek's arm caught him and steadied him.  

"What happened?" Malek asked.  

Kael let out a long breath. "It's here. And it's waiting."  

Malek's face darkened. "Then we won't have much time."  

Kael wiped the sweat from his brow, his gaze affixed to the shrine. Whatever was inside it, whatever force of the Abyss had taken root here—it wasn’t just spreading. It was growing. 

He straightened, his resolve hardening. “Then we deal with it.”  

Malek sighed, muttering under his breath. “Of course we do.”  

Kael’s smirk returned, though it didn’t reach his eyes. The path ahead was clear now, and there was no turning back. Whatever darkness lurked in Blackmere, he would face it head-on.  

The Eternal Overlord was not done yet.