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Aetheris Chapter 7
Chapter 7: The Abyss Beneath Havenmoore
The moment Elara and Rhyke stepped through the portal, darkness swallowed them whole.
There was no light.
No air.
Just silence and an endless void.
Elara barely had a second to register what was happening before the ground vanished beneath them—
And they fell.
"Ah—!" Elara gasped, her stomach twisting as gravity yanked her down into the abyss.
Her mind raced, grappling for a spell—any spell—that could slow their descent.
But before she could even utter an incantation, she heard—
Laughter.
Hysterical, reckless laughter.
She turned her head to see Rhyke, grinning like a madman, arms outstretched as if he was enjoying the freefall.
"Hah! Haven’t had a drop like this in years!" he bellowed, his voice lost in the wind.
Even their horses were falling, hooves flailing, eyes wild with panic.
"Idiot! Stop laughing and brace yourself!" Elara snapped.
She forced herself to focus, chanting rapidly, her voice barely heard over the howling winds.
A faint glow surrounded them, slowing their descent just enough—
But then—
Something appeared.
Something massive.
Something that made Elara’s eyes go wide and her mind go completely blank.
For the first time in her life, she couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing.
It was—
A kingdom.
A vast, ancient kingdom, suspended in the abyss as if frozen in time.
Rhyke’s laughter died instantly, his expression shifting from exhilaration to pure disbelief.
Elara barely registered when they finally landed, her spell softening the impact.
Their horses screamed, their instincts sensing something unnatural.
They turned to flee—
But Elara quickly cast a calming spell, wrapping them in a veil that dulled their senses.
She exhaled sharply, then turned back to the sight before them.
The kingdom floated, its enormous stone towers and bridges crumbling slowly, yet never fully falling.
It was as if gravity had no true hold here.
The walls, the houses, the streets—
They drifted in suspended animation, fragments hovering in midair, like a shattered mirror refusing to collapse.
Above the kingdom, lightning cracked through the darkness, illuminating the abyss in flashes of eerie blue light.
And below—
An endless body of water.
Still. Black. Reflecting the floating ruins like a distorted dream.
Rhyke stumbled backward, his legs giving out as he dropped onto the cold, floating stone beneath him.
His voice came out...
The moment Elara and Rhyke stepped through the portal, darkness swallowed them whole.
There was no light.
No air.
Just silence and an endless void.
Elara barely had a second to register what was happening before the ground vanished beneath them—
And they fell.
"Ah—!" Elara gasped, her stomach twisting as gravity yanked her down into the abyss.
Her mind raced, grappling for a spell—any spell—that could slow their descent.
But before she could even utter an incantation, she heard—
Laughter.
Hysterical, reckless laughter.
She turned her head to see Rhyke, grinning like a madman, arms outstretched as if he was enjoying the freefall.
"Hah! Haven’t had a drop like this in years!" he bellowed, his voice lost in the wind.
Even their horses were falling, hooves flailing, eyes wild with panic.
"Idiot! Stop laughing and brace yourself!" Elara snapped.
She forced herself to focus, chanting rapidly, her voice barely heard over the howling winds.
A faint glow surrounded them, slowing their descent just enough—
But then—
Something appeared.
Something massive.
Something that made Elara’s eyes go wide and her mind go completely blank.
For the first time in her life, she couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing.
It was—
A kingdom.
A vast, ancient kingdom, suspended in the abyss as if frozen in time.
Rhyke’s laughter died instantly, his expression shifting from exhilaration to pure disbelief.
Elara barely registered when they finally landed, her spell softening the impact.
Their horses screamed, their instincts sensing something unnatural.
They turned to flee—
But Elara quickly cast a calming spell, wrapping them in a veil that dulled their senses.
She exhaled sharply, then turned back to the sight before them.
The kingdom floated, its enormous stone towers and bridges crumbling slowly, yet never fully falling.
It was as if gravity had no true hold here.
The walls, the houses, the streets—
They drifted in suspended animation, fragments hovering in midair, like a shattered mirror refusing to collapse.
Above the kingdom, lightning cracked through the darkness, illuminating the abyss in flashes of eerie blue light.
And below—
An endless body of water.
Still. Black. Reflecting the floating ruins like a distorted dream.
Rhyke stumbled backward, his legs giving out as he dropped onto the cold, floating stone beneath him.
His voice came out...
