The roar tore through the tower like thunder. The force of it sent dust and shards of stone raining from above.
The creature rose from the chasm—its shape unclear, its body flickering between shadow and flesh. Rows of crimson eyes glowed from within the smoke, each one focused on them.
Kaelen raised his staff, runes spinning in the air. "It's not whole yet! The seal's still binding parts of it—"
Before he could finish, Vael leapt.
The floor cracked under his feet as he launched forward, blade trailing a streak of black light. He dove straight into the smoke, ignoring Kaelen's shout behind him.
"Vael! Wait—!"
The creature moved faster than something that size should. Its claw swung upward, slamming into Vael midair. He twisted, blocking the strike, the impact rattling his arms and sending him crashing through a pillar.
Stone exploded around him.
Nyra cursed and pulled back her bowstring. "Cover him!"
Arrows of pale blue light burst from her bow, raining down on the creature. They struck true, each shot leaving a glowing mark across its hide—but the wounds closed instantly, the darkness swallowing the light.
Elira stepped forward, hands trembling as she drew a sigil in the air. The ground beneath the beast cracked, chains of light shooting up and wrapping around its limbs. "That's all I can hold!" she shouted.
Kaelen's voice echoed beside her. "Hold it as long as you can!" He slammed his staff down, a ring of flame forming around the base of the stairs. "We'll bind it completely when it stabilizes!"
Vael pushed himself out of the rubble. His vision swam, but his body moved on instinct. The crown pulsed against his skull, whispering like a second heartbeat."Don't fight its shadow. Consume it."
He gritted his teeth, eyes narrowing. "Then I'll take everything."
Dark energy burst from his back, tendrils of shadow snapping like whips. He charged again—faster this time, the ground breaking under his steps.
The creature tried to swat him away again, but Vael ducked low, sliding under its arm. His blade flared with black light as he slashed upward, cutting deep into its chest.
The creature screamed, its body splitting open—only for the wound to heal a moment later.
"Damn it!"
Kaelen called out, "It's feeding on the tower! You need to sever its link!"
"How?" Vael shouted, blocking another strike.
"The core!" Elira pointed to the glowing mass at the creature's center—half-heart, half-crystal—pulsing with crimson light. "Destroy that!"
Vael nodded once. "Then cover me."
He sprinted up a broken column, leaping toward the creature's chest. Nyra's arrows flew past him, striking the monster's eyes. Elira's chains tightened, forcing its body lower.
Kaelen's runes expanded across the floor, locking into place. "Now, Vael!"
Vael landed near the core, the heat and darkness nearly suffocating. His blade quivered in his hand, hungry. The crown burned against his skin, its whisper growing louder—no longer words, but a voice screaming to be unleashed.
He drove the sword forward.
The impact erupted in a burst of black light. The creature convulsed, its roar shaking the entire tower. Shadows poured from the wound, twisting upward like smoke trying to escape.
The chains holding it snapped one by one.
"Vael, get back!" Elira screamed.
But he didn't move. His blade was still buried in the creature's chest, the darkness crawling up his arm like vines.
Reylen charged forward, slamming his blade into the creature's leg to draw its attention. "Move, damn it!"
Kaelen shouted something—his voice drowned by the monster's roar.
Then the floor gave way completely.
Vael and the creature fell together into the burning red abyss below.
The others rushed to the edge, the light from the chasm painting their faces crimson.
Nyra whispered, her voice shaking. "He jumped with it…"
Kaelen's grip on his staff tightened. "No. He's dragging it down."
And beneath the tower, the world shook again—as Vael and the monster vanished into the dark.