MTL NOVEL Chapter 70: chapter 70 ERESH TAL
The old man exhaled slowly, his grip tightening around his staff. His pale silver eyes flickered with something between memory and regret. When he spoke, his voice carried the weight of centuries.
"You do not understand what you have done. You call it the Poison Guardian, but it was never meant to be a foe to slay. It was a ward. A seal. A lock upon something that should never wake."
The air seemed heavier. Even the torches wavered, as if recoiling from his words.
The Abyss Demon's Origins
"Before men carved cities into the land, before kings built their empires, there was the Abyss."
The old man's gaze turned toward the ground, as if seeing something long buried.
"The Abyss is not a place. It is not a creature. It is… hunger. It is the thing beneath all things. The moment light was born, the Abyss was cast aside, but it did not vanish. It waits, ever patient, ever watching. And from it… things emerged. The Abyss Spawn. Monsters that should not be. And at their head, the one we sealed beneath this land."
A chill ran down Raven's spine.
"You call it a demon. But demons have reason. They have will. This… thing… does not seek war. It does not desire power. It exists only to consume. To drag all into the Abyss."
The Battle That Sealed It
Liz frowned. "If it's so dangerous, how did it get sealed?"
The old man let out a slow breath.
"It was never meant to reach this world. But mortals—fools and seekers alike—pried open doors that should have remained closed. The first breach was small. A whisper. A dream. Then, it became a wound upon the land. And from that wound, the demon emerged."
He closed his eyes.
"It took everything to stop it. The strongest warriors, the greatest mages—entire kingdoms burned to keep it at bay. We could not kill it. Only trap it. The poison caves, the serpent dungeons, the ruins beneath this very town… they were all built to hold it in place, to ensure it never crawled back to the surface."
Then his voice darkened.
"But seals weaken. Guardians fall. And now, you have broken the first chain."
The Consequences
Mist Low tilted his head. "So, what happens next?"
The old man's pale silver eyes met Raven's.
"It is not awake. Not yet. But it will wake."
A silence stretched between them.
"The tremor you felt? That was not the demon moving. That was the Abyss… noticing."
Raven's fingers curled instinctively near his dagger. He didn't like where this was going.
"If it breaks free, it will not march like an army. It will not conquer like a warlord. It will spread, like rot. Like hunger. And one by one, this world will vanish into nothing."
His grip on his staff tightened.
"You must reseal it. Before it stirs further. Before it calls to those who would serve it."
The Task: Sealing the Abyss
The old man's voice turned heavy with command.
"Deep within the Serpent Dungeon, past its trials and its horrors, lies the Serpent's Binding Sigil—the only artifact strong enough to reinforce the broken seal."
He turned to the group, gaze lingering on each of them.
"If you would undo what has begun, you must retrieve it. But be warned—Hell Mode is not just a title. It is a graveyard for the reckless. And the Abyss knows you now. It will not sit idly by."
The torches flickered violently.
Raven inhaled slowly.
They had no choice.
The hunt for the sigil had begun.
Mist Low's grin flickered, curiosity sharpening in his golden eyes. "Alright, old man. You're telling us some big, ominous horror story, but you're dodging the real question."
He tilted his head, watching the old man closely. "Which demon is sealed?"
The old man went still.
For a moment, he said nothing. Only the wind moved, carrying the scent of damp earth and something older—something that did not belong in this world.
Then, he spoke.
The Name of the Abyss Demon
"It has no name in mortal tongues. To name it is to invite it. To speak of it is to draw its gaze."
Mist Low raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like an excuse for not knowing."
The old man's pale silver eyes locked onto him.
"I know its name. I have heard it whispered in the echoes of dying worlds. But if you insist…"
A pause. Then, in a voice so low it barely carried through the air—
"Eresh-Tal. The Devouring Shade."
A weight settled over them, thick and suffocating. The torches dimmed, their light straining as if resisting something unseen.
Ana shivered. "That… doesn't sound like a normal demon name."
The old man nodded. "Because it is not."
The Truth About Eresh-Tal
"Eresh-Tal is not like the demons of hell. It was never a fallen angel, never a cursed spirit, never a creature meant to exist in this world. It is… something else. A thing that was never supposed to be."
His fingers tightened around his staff.
"It does not bargain. It does not rule. It does not think as you or I do. It only consumes. And once it sets its gaze upon something, it does not stop until there is nothing left."
Mist Low crossed his arms. "So, it's not a king or a lord. It's a force."
The old man nodded.
"A force that should never have been allowed to touch this world. And yet, mortals—curious, desperate, arrogant—tore open a wound to the Abyss and let it through."
He turned toward the distant cave. "And now, it stirs once more."
A Growing Threat
Liz exhaled. "So, sealing it is a priority."
The old man's expression darkened. "Sealing it was always temporary."
That made Raven pause.
Mist Low narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, 'temporary'?"
"The seal is not a prison. It is a cage made of failing locks. It is not a matter of if it breaks free, but when."
A deep, distant vibration rumbled beneath their feet. A reminder. A warning.
The old man's grip on his staff tightened. "And you have started the countdown."