Four minutes.
That was all they had.
Evans ran through the mountain pass, his Shadow Cloak trailing behind him.
Olivia was beside him.
Leon followed, still struggling to recover from his last attack.
Aria and Kael moved behind them.
The Shadow Sovereign remained at the rear.
He was watching the enemy.
The Void King was coming.
Every step it took shook the mountain.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Leon glanced backward.
"It's getting closer!"
Evans didn't stop.
"How long?"
"Less than a minute!"
Kael pointed ahead.
"There!"
Between two enormous cliffs stood an ancient stone structure.
The second seal.
But something was wrong.
The entire structure was covered in black cracks.
Olivia slowed.
"It's already breaking."
The Shadow Sovereign looked at the seal.
"We're too late."
Evans shook his head.
"No."
He stepped forward.
"We're not."
Suddenly—
CRASH!
A massive object landed in front of them.
The Void King.
The entire path disappeared beneath a cloud of dust.
Evans stopped.
Leon raised his hands.
"You've got to be kidding me."
The Void King slowly lifted its head.
Its glowing eyes fixed on Evans.
Then it roared.
The mountain shook.
Olivia raised a Light Barrier.
"Everyone, get behind me!"
The Void King charged.
BOOM!
Olivia's barrier shattered instantly.
She was thrown backward.
"OLIVIA!"
Evans Shadow Stepped toward her and caught her before she hit the ground.
She winced.
"I'm okay."
Evans looked at the Void King.
His Shadow began spreading across the ground.
"No more running."
Leon stepped beside him.
"You sure?"
Evans nodded.
"We only need to hold it for a few seconds."
Aria understood.
"The seal."
Kael nodded.
"If someone can reach the seal, we might still save it."
The Shadow Sovereign stepped forward.
"Then I will hold the Void King."
Evans shook his head.
"No. We'll do it together."
The Sovereign looked at him.
Then nodded.
"Very well."
---
The Last Three Minutes
The Void King attacked.
The Shadow Sovereign met it head-on.
BOOM!
Shadow collided with Void energy.
The impact sent a shockwave across the valley.
Kael shouted:
"GO!"
Evans, Olivia, Leon and Aria sprinted toward the seal.
Behind them, the Sovereign battled the enormous creature.
Evans could hear the impacts.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
But the Void King wasn't slowing down.
A dark blast suddenly shot past the Sovereign.
It struck the ground in front of Evans.
The path exploded.
Evans jumped backward.
Leon grabbed his arm.
"Keep moving!"
Aria fired an arrow into the darkness.
The explosion created an opening.
"NOW!"
They ran through.
The seal was only a few hundred meters away.
Then Evans saw something.
A figure standing beside it.
Silver mask.
Dark cloak.
Darius.
Evans stopped.
"Darius."
Darius turned.
"You're late."
Olivia stepped forward.
"What are you doing?"
Darius placed his hand against the seal.
Black energy spread across the ancient structure.
"Finishing what I started."
The seal cracked.
CRACK.
Evans's eyes widened.
"Stop!"
Darius smiled.
"You still don't understand."
He looked at Evans.
"The seals aren't simply protecting Aurelia."
Another crack appeared.
"They are protecting something inside."
Kael's voice came from behind them.
"Darius!"
Darius looked over.
Kael's face had gone pale.
"You don't know what you're releasing."
Darius laughed.
"That's exactly why I'm doing it."
He pressed his hand harder against the seal.
CRACK!
A large section of the ancient stone broke.
Olivia's Lumina Mark suddenly flared.
Evans's Shadow reacted at the same time.
Their powers pulled toward the seal.
Evans struggled to resist.
"Olivia!"
"I feel it!"
The seal began glowing.
Light.
Shadow.
Then something else.
A third energy appeared between them.
The same mysterious energy they had never seen before.
The Shadow Sovereign suddenly shouted from across the battlefield:
"DO NOT BREAK THE SEAL!"
Everyone froze.
Darius smiled.
"Too late."
The seal exploded with light.
BOOOOOOM!
Evans was thrown backward.
Olivia landed beside him.
Leon and Aria were knocked to the ground.
The mountain fell silent.
Then—
a voice emerged from beneath the seal.
Not the Shadow Sovereign.
Not the Herald.
Not the Void King.
Something older.
Something unfamiliar.
"WHO HAS AWAKENED ME?"
Evans slowly stood.
His Shadow was moving uncontrollably.
Olivia's Light was shining brighter than ever.
Darius stared at the broken seal.
For the first time, his confidence disappeared.
"What…"
A massive eye opened beneath the ancient stone.
Kael whispered:
"That isn't the Void."
The Shadow Sovereign appeared beside them.
His face was pale.
"No."
Evans looked at him.
"Then what is it?"
The Sovereign stared into the darkness.
"The thing the first Lumina was trying to protect us from."
The eye opened completely.
The mountain began collapsing.
The Shadow Sovereign shouted:
"RUN!"
But Evans didn't move.
He was staring into the enormous eye.
And then the creature spoke directly to him.
"Shadow Heir…"
Evans's heart stopped.
"…I have been waiting for you."
Three minutes remained.
To be continued…