Within minutes of entering, they were attacked.
Shadow creatures emerged from the ground. They had too many limbs, too many teeth, too many eyes.
Raziel fought with raw desperation. Darius moved with wolf pack precision, and Korran's strength crushed anything that came near.
"How much further?" Korran roared, smashing a creature into the ground.
"According to Zephyr's map, another mile!" Darius tore out a shadow creature's neck with his teeth.
They kept fighting as the attacks kept coming constantly.
"There!" Darius pointed ahead.
Through the swirling darkness, ancient ruins glowing in silver light were visible.
They ran, killed the remaining creatures, and stepped through a hidden barrier. Suddenly, the attacks stopped. The shadow creatures hissed and retreated.
"Safe, for now." Korran muttered.
Raziel didn't feel safe. He felt like he'd walked into a trap. The ruins were huge. There were inside the throne room, and in the center stood a portal, swirling with silver light.
"Do we go through?" Darius asked.
"I do." Raziel stepped forward. "You two wait here for us."
"But we…"
"The three of us going together can make things worse and even put Nyx in danger. Just stay here. I can handle it." Razeil cut Korran off.
"Fine. But if we sense anything wrong, we're coming in." Darius said.
Razeil nodded and stepped onto the portal. The portal lit up, and he saw Nyx standing at the other side.
Behind her was the most terrifying being Razeil had ever seen, Umbra, a seven feet shadow with silver eyes carrying three hundred years of rage.
"Hello, descendant of a traitor." Umbra said with a smile. "We've been expecting you."
Raziel's eyes burned with pure gold energy. His claws were out, each as long as a dagger. His entire body was radiating power.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Razeil's roar shook the throne room.
Raziel rushed forward and slammed into Umbra with stone breaking force. They crashed together against a pillar of crystallized shadow.
"Raziel, wait…" Nyx tried to intervene, but they were already lost in fight.
Raziel had shifted partially into his lion form. Golden fur flared along his arms, his back, and his neck.
"You took her!" His voice was full of fury. "You stole her from my protection! From my den! From me!"
Umbra transformed from the shadows to his own human form.
"She doesn't belong to you, Lion King!"
"She's under my claim!" Raziel lunged again, his claws scarping on Umbra's chest.
"Listen to yourself!" Umbra dodged the next strike. "You call her yours like she's your property, like she's a possession to be owned!"
"She's my responsibility!" He attacked again, and a golden light exploded from his body.
This was the ancient magic of his bloodline; the power that made Lion Kings invincible in a fight. His claws caught Umbra's shoulder and tore it open. Dark strange blood spilled out, hissing and steaming on the ground.
Umbra hissed in pain and hit back. Shadow tendrils shot up from the ground and wrapped around Raziel's arms, legs, and neck.
"I should kill you for that." Umbra snarled. "I should snap your neck and end your pathetic bloodline right here."
Raziel grabbed the tendrils with both hands. Golden light poured from his palms, burning through the shadow like paper.
"TRY IT!" He roared.
He freed himself and rushed forward. They collided in the center of the throne room hard enough to crack the floor. Raziel's claws clashed with Umbra's shadow blades.
Behind Raziel, Darius, Korran, Sylthis and Zephyr also emerged from the portal. All five kings were together for the first time in decades.
"We need to stop them!" Korran walked forward.
"Don't." Sylthis grabbed his arm. "Getting between two alpha males fighting over a female is suicide. They'll kill anything that interferes."
"But they'll kill each other!" Zephyr's analytical mind was racing. "And possibly destroy the entire Beastworld."
"Let them." Darius said, watching them. "This has to play out. If we interfere now, it'll only get worse."
Nyx watched as Razeil and Umbra destroyed the throne room. Both were fighting with everything they had.
The realization that they were fighting over her, like she was a prize made her boil with anger. A fury rose in her chest unlike she'd ever felt. It wasn't fear or anger, it was just pure rage.
"ENOUGH!"
Her voice echoed through the throne room like thunder. Both Razeil and Umbra froze mid-strike. Both were breathing hard, and bleeding from dozens of wounds.
"BOTH OF YOU. STOP RIGHT NOW."
Slowly, they pulled apart. But both were still glaring at each other ready to tear the other apart.
Nyx limped forward, ignoring every pain, and stopped between them. The other four kings watched the scene in silence. She looked at Raziel first.
"I am not your property."
Then she turned to Umbra.
"I am not your weapon."
Then, she talked to them both.
"I am a person with the right to make my own goddamn decisions. And neither of you gets to fight over me like I'm a prize to be won or a possession to be claimed. Understood?"
"Nyx, you don't understand what this creature is…" Raziel said as he walked towards her.
His hybrid form was slowly transforming to human form.
"I understand ." Nyx cut him off. "Umbra is ancient, powerful, and wants my help to destroy the five kings. He has shown me selected visions to make me sympathetic to his cause. He wants to use me as a weapon against you all."
Umbra was surprised.
"And you just burst in here like a territorial beast marking his claim. 'My den, My protection, From me.' Do you even hear yourself?"
Raziel flinched.
"He took you. I thought… you were dead or worse."
"So you immediately tried to murder the first person you saw standing near me?"
"Yes." Razeil admitted without any hesitation and apology.
"That's insane."
"That's how much you matter! That's how important you are!"
The other four kings exchanged glances.
"Well." Sylthis murmured to Zephyr. "The Lion King has feelings. Who knew?"
"Shut up." Raziel growled without looking away from Nyx.
Nyx took a deep breath.
"I have more trials to complete." She said. "Sylthis and Zephyr are waiting. I can't do that if I'm here."
"Then come with me." Raziel extended his hand immediately. "We'll return to the Pride Lands. You'll heal properly, prepare for the next trial, and…"
"And what will happen to Umbra?" Nyx cut him off. "You will kill him? Imprison him? Start a war with the shadow realm?"
"If necessary." Raziel replied.
"It's not necessary." Umbra joined the conversation. "The human and I were just talking. There was no harm intended."
"Talking." Raziel snickered. "You kidnapped her from my den."
"I prefer to think of it as involuntary relocation for important conversation."
"That's literally the definition of kidnapping."
"Semantics."
"ENOUGH!" Nyx shouted. "Both of you stop talking. I'll make this simple."
She turned toward Raziel again.
"I'm coming back with you. I'll finish the trials, not because you want me to, but because I started this and I finish what I start. I won't let fear or ease make me quit. That's not who I am."
Razeil was relieved. Then she turned toward Umbra.
"But I'm coming back here afterward."
"NO." Raziel shouted.
"Excellent." Umbra said at the same time with a a smile.
Nyx ignored them both.
"I need answers. Umbra has them or claims to. I have to survive here, and for that I need to know for what I'm really fighting for and who I can actually trust."
"You can trust me." Raziel said desperately.
"I don't think so. I'm not saying you're lying but I think that maybe you don't know the whole truth and Umbra does."
"Or claims to." Raziel shot back. "Shadow magic can create convincing illusions, false memories. Everything he had shown you could be lies to turn you against us."
"Maybe, which is why I'm not making any decisions until I've heard everything from everyone. So here's what's going to happen."
She looked at both of them.
"I'm finishing the trials. And if I survive, I'll return here but on my terms, timeline and conditions."
"Absolutely not…" Raziel said.
"I'll be waiting…" Umbra said at the same time.
"I'm not finished." Nyx cut them off. "You both need to accept my choice and let me decide what's right for me or we can all kill each other over who gets to control me. Your call."
Raziel wanted to refuse. He wanted to grab Nyx, drag her back through the portal ,and lock her somewhere safe where shadow creatures and trials couldn't reach her.
But when he looked at her and saw the determination on her face, he knew if he forced her, he'd lose her.
"Fine." Razeil said. "You've only three days left to prepare for Sylthis's trial. Then you face them, and if you pass, you'll face Zephyr. If you pass that as well, you'll have to go through my trial. After that you can do whatever you want. Even if that means walking back into danger I can't protect you from."
"You negotiate with kings like equals. It is remarkable." Umbra said. "Complete your trials and prove yourself to these rulers. When you return, I'll tell you everything."
"Why wait?" Raziel asked. "If you're so eager to expose truth, why not tell her now in front of all five of us?"
"Because truth without context is meaningless and she needs to understand what she's fighting for before she can understand what she's fighting against." Umbra looked at Raziel. "And because, you all are not ready to hear what I have to say."
"Try us." Darius growled.
"No." Umbra smiled. "Nyx asked for time and I'm giving it."
"And if we refuse to let her return?" Korran asked.
"Then you prove you're tyrants who cage instead of protect. And she'll also know who you truly are." Umbra looked at Nyx. "Won't you?"
"Yes, I will. Let's stick to the plan. I'll complete the five trails, and if I pass, you kings will set me free like you promised. and then I'm free to do whatever I want. Do you all agree?" She asked as she looked at all five kings.
"Yes. We agree." They all replied in unison.