All Chapters of The Damned Alpha: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Ethan and Selene stood at the threshold of the gigantic chamber, the dividers around them carved with complex carvings that delineated an antiquated ritual. The faint gleam of the runes on the central altar cast ghostly shadows over the room, enlightening the faces of the mages carved into the stone, each one frozen in a moment of strong concentration, as though they were still channeling the powers that once held this fortress together.The air was thick with harsh energy, the remnants of the antiquated enchantment that had been summoned here ages back. The cold that had been their steady companion since entering the Frozen Wastes was now nearly intolerable, but Ethan knew they were near. The storm outside of the fortress had escalated, the crying winds battering the dividers as though the Guardian was attempting to break through and stop them.“This is the heart of the fortress,” Ethan said, his voice resounding off the stone dividers. “The source of the enchantment that binds the s

The stillness within the chamber was ghostly, as though the air had been depleted of life. Ethan and Selene remained on the cold stone floor, breathing intensely, their bodies and minds battered by the fight they had just engaged in. The crystal's once dynamic shine had diminished, casting long shadows over the chamber.Ethan pushed himself to his feet, each muscle in his body challenging. The adrenaline that had fueled him amid the battle was quickly blurring, taking off behind a profound depletion that debilitated to drag him beneath. He stretched his hand to Selene, to get her on her feet.“Are you okay?” he inquired, concern embedded in his voice.Selene gestured, in spite of the fact that her eyes were far off, still preparing what they had just experienced. “I think so. But… that was too close.”Ethan couldn’t argue with that. The power of the crystal had been their salvation, but it had also nearly destroyed them. He could still feel the remnants of its energy coursing through

Ethan's world was a chaotic obscure of shadows and torment as he fell through the collapsing earth. He listened to the cries of Selene and Lena from afar off, but they were suffocated out by the thunder of the chasm that had opened underneath them. His intellect dashed, attempting to understand the sheer scale of what was happening. They plunged into a void, the obscurity around them thick and impervious. His instincts shouted at him to brace up for effect, but the drop was so long, so profound, that he dreaded there could be no foot.And after that with a bone-jarring crash, Ethan hit the ground. The breath was thumped out of him, and he lay still for a minute, battling to recapture his faculties. The torment was sharp and immediate, but he was alive.“Ethan!” Selene's voice was a life saver within the obscurity. He constrained himself to move, to sit up, and come out indiscriminately until he found her hand. She pulled him up, and together they stunned to their feet. “Lena?” Ethan

Ethan's body throbbed with the repercussions of the blast, each breath a reminder of how close they had come to total annihilation. He coughed, attempting to clear the dust from his lungs as he pushed himself up on unstable arms. The chamber was unrecognizable now, the once perfect dividers split and disintegrating, the conduits that had carried the green energy now glinting pitifully and totally dim.“Lena? Selene?” Ethan croaked, his voice dry from the dust and the strain. His heart beat as he filtered the flotsam and jetsam, frantic to find them.“Here…” a frail voice reacted, taken after by a cough. Ethan whipped around to see Selene slowly pulling herself out from beneath a collapsed beam, her face pale but determined.He stumbled over to her, helping to lift the debris off her legs. “Are you okay?”“Yeah, I think so,” she panted, grimacing as she tested her weight on her legs. “Just a bit battered. Where’s Lena?”Ethan’s heart sank. He hadn't seen her however, the thought of her

Ethan's breath came in brief wheezes as he, Lena, and Selene took in their new surroundings. The chamber they had been in minutes before had vanished, supplanted by a tremendous, unending field of bizarre, moving scenes. The sky was a whirl of unnatural colors of purples, reds, and debilitated greens, intermixed with streaks of dark lightning. The ground underneath them was unsteady, as though it couldn't choose whether it needed to be strong shake or fluid tar. Everything appeared to be in a steady state of flux, even the very texture of reality was fraying at the edges.“This… this can't be real,” Lena whispered, her voice filled with admiration and fear. She turned in circles, attempting to locate a few points of reference, but there was none. “Where are we?”Selene bowed her head downwards as she ran her fingers over the ground, feeling the odd, moving surface underneath her fingertips. “This place… it's like nothing I've ever laid eyes on. It's as though we've been pulled into an