Chapter 2 – The Abyss’s Rules

The Entity in the mirror didn’t stop. Its shadowy form solidified, becoming more distinct, more menacing.

Skritch.

A clawed hand pierced the mirrored surface, scraping against the floor, the sound grating on my nerves.

“What
is
that thing?!” Yuri cried, her voice trembling.

I didn’t answer. There wasn’t time. This was no mere illusion. The mirror wasn’t just an object; it was a window into the Abyss itself.

The Abyss.

I remembered the first time I’d heard the name. Whispers laced with fear.
Dangerous. Forbidden. A place of no return.
Everyone spoke of it, yet no one truly understood it.

It wasn’t simply a bottomless chasm. The Abyss was a crucible, forging and testing those who dared enter. It unearthed hidden fears, dredged up forgotten memories, forcing you to confront the darkest parts of yourself.

“Yuri,” I said, my voice low, “the Abyss isn’t just a place. It’s a reflection of what we hide, what we try to forget. It tests us.”

The Entity in the mirror grew clearer, its features sharpening. My heart pounded against my ribs. Even knowing what to expect, the reality was jarring.

I saw myself reflected in the glass, not as I was now, but as I had been… that day. Surrounded by flames, desperately searching.

“What… is this?” Yuri whispered.

Reflected beside me was
her
past. A younger Yuri, her face streaked with tears, clutching something in her small hand.

“The mirror shows what you’ve lost, or what you’ve tried to forget.”

Yuri stared at her reflection, her fingers trembling. “Why am I crying? When…?”

“I don’t know.” Those memories belonged to her alone.

I turned back to my own reflection, the memory of that day flooding back. The day I’d chosen to enter the Abyss.

“What did
you
see?” Yuri asked.

“Doesn’t matter,” I said, my voice clipped. “Getting out of here is what matters. We have to stop that thing.”

The Entity was emerging from the mirror, its form solidifying—from clawed fingertips to elbow, then shoulder. It was becoming real.

“Noah, we should move—”

“Not yet.” I drew my knife. “The mirror is the heart of this room. We have to break it.”

“Break it? What do you think will happen?”

“I don’t know. But we don’t have a choice. If it breaks free, we’re dead.”

I approached the mirror, knife raised. The Entity waved a hand, as if pleading, as if warning. But surrender wasn’t an option.

“Noah, wait!”Yuri grabbed my arm. “This could make things worse! We need to think!”

“There’s no time. We have to act.”

The tip of my knife touched the glass. The Entity thrashed violently, desperate to escape.

I struck.

The mirror shattered, the room convulsing around us. Walls cracked, the floor buckled.

“Run!”

I grabbed Yuri and lunged away from the collapsing floor, shards of mirror raining down around us, the shimmering walls dissolving into darkness.

We fell.

Down, down, into the Abyss.

[Abyss – 2nd Floor Terminus – 150m Underground]

Have you seen me? The Abyss tests the observed.

Pattern: Eye-shaped.

Description: Resembling a clear eyeball, the center faintly glows.

P.S. I need to start documenting these patterns. The one on the first floor was a simple circle.

I lay there, gasping for breath, the echoes of the collapsing room still ringing in my ears.

“You alive?”I asked, turning to Yuri.

“Barely,”she rasped. “What
was
that place?”

“The Abyss brings our hidden fears to life. And that,” I said grimly, “was just the beginning.”

We sat in silence, the darkness pressing in on us.

“You said you knew about this place,” Yuri said finally, her voice quiet.

“Not everything,” I replied, avoiding her gaze. I couldn’t bear to look at her, not now. “But enough.”

“Then tell me,” she pressed, “what are we up against?”

Her voice was steady, but I heard the tremor of fear beneath the surface.

“Alright. But you might regret asking.”

I sat down, Yuri settling beside me. A single ray of light pierced the darkness, illuminating the space around us.

“The Abyss… it’s an endless labyrinth. The deeper you go, the more it changes. The environment, the rules, the creatures you encounter…”

“Changes? What do you mean?”

“The mirror room… that was just one layer. The Abyss is structured in layers, each with its own unique dangers. Some are frozen wastelands, others filled with toxic air.”

“How many layers are there?”

“No one knows. No one’s ever reached the bottom.”

I held up a hand, ticking off the points on my fingers. “There are three rules for surviving the Abyss.”

“First, never travel alone. Down here, anything can happen. If we get separated, we’ll never find each other again.”

“What’s the second?”

“Don’t trust your surroundings. The Abyss is a master of illusion. Sounds, lights, even what you
think
you see… it could all be a lie. Like the mirror.”

She bit her lip, silent, unwilling to accept the truth.

“And the third…” I sighed, folding my last finger. “Remember that the Abyss is testing you. It preys on your deepest fears, your hidden regrets. If you can’t confront them, you won’t survive.”

“And can
you
confront them?” she asked quietly.

I hesitated. Could I? Could I truly face my past and emerge unscathed?

“I don’t know,” I admitted honestly. “But that’s why I’m here.”

She tilted her head, confusion clouding her features. But she didn’t press further.

“The stairs… they’re not just connecting the layers,” I continued, eager to change the subject. “They’re transitions. And each transition can change you, physically, mentally…”

“Change us? How?”

“I don’t know for sure. But they say the Abyss… it leaves its mark on you. The longer you stay, the more you change.”

“Do you know anyone who’s… changed?”

I fell silent. Her question struck too close to home. I couldn’t answer. Didn’t
want
to answer.

“Just remember,”I said finally, “this isn’t a game. This is life or death. The Abyss can break you. But if you endure…”I trailed off, unable to voice the thought that haunted me.

Yuri searched my face, her gaze unwavering. “What are you looking for down here, Noah?”

Her voice was soft, but the question held a weight that I couldn’t ignore.

I looked away. I couldn’t tell her. Not yet.

After a moment of silence, Yuri spoke again. “If what you say is true… what are the chances we get out of this alive?”

“The real question isn’t whether we’ll escape, but how much we can endure before the Abyss claims us.”

“Fine, Noah. I’ll trust you. But what does it mean… the Abyss testing us?”

I hesitated. It was hard to explain, something I hadn’t fully grasped myself.

“The Abyss forces you to confront the things you’d rather forget. It presents you with impossible choices,” I said softly. “And depending on the choices you make… it either breaks you, or lets you pass.”

“And you? What’s
your
test?”

“I think… I have an idea.”

She seemed dissatisfied, but she let it drop.

“We need to keep moving,” I said, pushing myself to my feet.

The ground was damp, the air thick with the metallic scent of blood. The darkness pulsed with a hidden life, a sense of something watching, waiting.

A faint light glimmered ahead, reflecting off shimmering walls. Beautiful, yet ominous.

“There’s something here.”I stopped, raising a hand to halt Yuri.

On the wall, a faint pattern glowed in the dim light. I recognized it instantly.

“This…”

“What? What is it? Some kind of drawing?”Yuri peered over my shoulder.

I reached out, tracing the lines with my fingertips. Thin, intricate lines interwoven, forming a shape that resembled an eye. It was the symbol I’d been searching for.

“Noah, what is it?”

I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. This symbol… I’d seen it before, in an old, forgotten book. The very reason I’d come to this cursed place.

“There’s something here,”I murmured, my voice hushed with a mixture of fear and excitement. “Something we might be able to find.”

“Find? Find what?”

“I don’t know yet. But let’s keep going. This… this will lead us to it.”

As we moved past the symbol, the wall resonated with a low hum. The ground trembled beneath our feet. Movement in the darkness.

“Noah? What was that?”

“Careful. Something’s here.”

The light flickered and dimmed. A hulking shape emerged from the shadows, different from the Entity in the mirror. This one was massive, with a long, segmented body and razor-sharp legs. Its eyes fixed on us, glowing with predatory hunger.

“Back away. Slowly.”

The creature shrieked, the sound piercing, disorienting.

“Run!”

We fled, the creature’s heavy footfalls pounding behind us. The ground grew slick beneath our feet, making it hard to maintain our balance.

“Noah! There’s nowhere to go!” Yuri cried, her voice filled with panic.

Ahead, the ground vanished into a seemingly bottomless chasm. We were trapped.

I glanced back. The creature was closing in.

“Jump!”

I pulled Yuri towards the edge. She hesitated, but there was no other choice.

We leaped into the void.

The wind roared past us as we plummeted into the darkness.

A disembodied voice echoed around us.

“Entering the next layer.”

Then, everything went black.