The further they ventured into the Silent Labyrinth, the more oppressive the atmosphere became.
The shifting pathways seemed to actively disorient them, corridors twisting into impossible angles, and chambers opening into vast, echoing spaces that felt both empty and somehow filled with unseen presences.
The whispers intensified, sometimes sounding like distant cries, other times like sibilant urgings just at the edge of their awareness.
"Are you still getting a lock on the Void surge, Einar?" Lyra projected, her light form flickering slightly in the uneven illumination.
Einar nodded, his focus unwavering.
"It's deeper now, pulling us downwards. But the Labyrinth is… fighting back. It feels like the very structure is trying to confuse us, to lead us away."
Zephyr, his orange light a steady glow in the oppressive gloom, kept looking around, his head swiveling as if trying to catch a glimpse of the source of the whispers.
"These whispers… they're kinda creepy, right? What are they even saying?"
"Echoes," Lyra replied grimly. "Residual thoughts and emotions trapped within the fabric of the Labyrinth from its long abandonment. Gorok's influence is likely amplifying them, trying to erode our focus, to play on any latent fears or doubts."
As if on cue, the whispers around them intensified, seeming to coalesce into fragmented words and phrases that brushed against Einar's consciousness.
Lost… forever… no escape… the void welcomes… He pushed them away, focusing solely on the pull of the Void surge.
They entered a vast chamber, its ceiling lost in shadow. In the center, a swirling vortex of greyish energy pulsed erratically, casting strange, elongated shadows that danced across the uneven walls.
The air here was significantly colder, a deep, penetrating chill that seeped into Einar's spiritual core.
"This feels… wrong," Zephyr projected, his vibrant orange light dimming slightly in the oppressive atmosphere.
"The energy is more concentrated here,"
Einar confirmed, sensing the strong pull of the Void.
"But…" He paused, a sense of something else, something ancient, underlying the corruption, tickling at his awareness.
Suddenly, the grey vortex pulsed violently, and several figures emerged from its depths. These were unlike the erratic Echoes of Instability they had encountered before.
These were more defined, their forms resembling twisted versions of Soul Society inhabitants, their light corrupted into sickly shades of purple and black.
Their eyes glowed with the same cold, empty light Einar had seen in the Void-Touched Manifestation in the Penumbra Ward.
"Nullsworn," Lyra projected, her tone hardening.
"Lesser spawn, but dangerous nonetheless.
They are guarding something."
The Nullsworn moved with a surprising degree of coordination, their attacks focused and deliberate.
One lunged at Zephyr, its corrupted light leaving trails of dark energy in its wake.
Zephyr reacted instantly, creating a dense shield of Radiant Flow that shimmered defensively against the assault.
Another turned towards Einar, its movements eerily swift. Before it could reach him, Einar instinctively unleashed a focused wave of Void energy.
The corrupted light of the Nullsworn flickered violently, its form momentarily destabilizing.
Lyra moved with swift precision, her energy bladeMaterializing as a shaft of pure white light. She engaged the remaining Nullsworn, her movements fluid and deadly, dispelling their corrupted forms with focused strikes.
As they fought, Einar's Void sense continued to probe the area around the swirling vortex. He sensed not just the raw Void energy of Gorok, but something… older, something that felt like a residue of the Silent Labyrinth's original purpose.
It was faint, almost buried beneath the corruption, but it was there – a whisper of the deep history of this forgotten place.