Undying Light (MHA x Dark Souls)

Chapter 14 - Firelight

I opened my eyes. Not that it made much of a difference. I can't see a thing down here, but well, what did I expect? I'm still in the abyss, of course it's gonna be dark.

It's hard to breathe. I'm buried under who knows how much rock, thanks to the burning watcher. It's so heavy that I can barely lift it, and whenever I move a piece of the rock, another falls in place. Digging my way out of here isn't going to be fun...

After a bit of digging, I reached my hand out and couldn't feel any more rocks. I must be at the edge of the pile. I pushed the rocks out of my way and crawled out, into the open cave. I still can't see a thing, but at least I can move. Wait... There's something. In the rubble, there's a faint orange light... My sword!

I pushed away some more rocks, and sure enough, my sword was lying there, burning as bright as always. I picked it up and raised it over my head, illuminating the cave around me. In one direction, there was the rock pile, and in the other, the cave extended far beyond what the fire could light up. I was about to start walking, when I heard a muffled groan.

"Mmf."

I looked down to see the abyss watcher. His sword was no longer burning, and he was half-buried under the rock. Unlike me, he couldn't move at all. I stared into his eyes, and without a sound from either of us, I knew what to do. I lowered my sword, and held it above the watcher's chest. I held it there for a second, closed my eyes, and thrust it downwards. I hated the squelching sound it made, but I ignored it and held the sword there. I opened my eyes just in time to see his fade, the burning crimson now the same black as the air around us.

He didn't come back. I don't know why, but he didn't come back. I felt his soul merge with mine, the darkness once present burned away by the ever-burning embers that resided within him. He was all of the watchers, and now they could all be put to rest for the last time.

His body began to glow, and he was envelopes in a bright white light, before fading away entirely, leaving only his sword behind. Just as Artorias was, the watchers were corrupted against their will. In their honor, I picked up the greatsword and put it on my back, before setting off deeper into the cave.

I've never really been claustrophobic, but I just can't help but feel cramped down here. Even though the walls of the cave are rather wide, the darkness still feels like it's crushing me from all around. Thank god I have the sword, its light is all that's keeping the darkness away.

Tiny pairs of white eyes dance across the darkness, just at the edge of my view. The giant humanity sprites from before. Whenever the light reaches them, they move away just enough that they can't be seen. The way they sway around is almost mesmerizing, like a gentle breeze is rocking them back and forth. It's calming, almost like the bonfire was. It's peaceful... How is this the same thing we've been fighting so hard against? The same thing that's killed hundreds of people?

I shake my head. I can't stop and think, I have to keep going. Either to escape, or to find the source. The source... It should be deep down. The deepest chasm of the cave. Yeah, that seems about right. Just head deeper... Into the endless darkness. What a great idea.

This cave feels like it just goes on forever. At this point, I'm actually beginning to wonder if there's a bottom. With how the abyss has corrupted the earth, extending the cave forever doesn't seem like it's too far-fetched. But the seemingly endless depths definitely aren't the weirdest things I've seen so far. There are ruins down here. Stone walls and walkways show up every once in a while, half-corrupted and broken beyond repair. But the fact that any ruins are down here at all... I don't even know what to say. They definitely couldn't have been down here when this was a normal cave, so they must've been brought here by the abyss.