Elias Varn's boots echoed on the Eternal Tavern's floorboards, the hearth's golden glow dim against the storm in his emerald eyes, where guilt and resolve waged war. The air carried the sharp tang of Mira's cachaça-mango ales and the faint hum of sigils carved into the rafters, but the weight of Shadowveil's twilight clung to him—the boy's collapse as the [Ninth Shard] pushed his corruption to the brink, Kaelith's burned-out light, Veyra's shadow knight warning that the Guardian's choice would seal the Nexus. The boy lay by the fire, his lunar eyes black, the Nexus Crown silent, the silver crack in his aura a void-star pulsing with ruin. Sylva's club rested against her chair, her scarred wrist glinting, her maternal gaze fierce but strained. Kael's spear leaned by the bar, his loyalty a fading ember, his grin gone. Kaelith slumped nearby, her wings ash, her dagger still, her voice a whisper of defiance. The Void Crucible's sigil roared through the Nexus Network, its corrupted core calling, a gate fully open. Elias's charisma burned, his voice raw: "Veyra, I'm coming for you. Kid, we're not losing you."
The boy's fingers twitched on the [Ninth Shard], his voice a faint rasp. "The gate… it's me." His guardianship was a dying spark, the silver crack pulsing, the prophecy's shadow looming: The tavern's light dims when the void's kin rise.
Lirien's orb flickered, its sigils weaving the Crucible's pull, her silver hair dull. "The gate's core is Veyra's corrupted Nexus. Only the Guardian's choice—light or void—can seal it." Her calm was a void's edge, her hands tracing rifts that pulsed like a dying core.
Sylva's club tapped the floor, her voice steady. "We face her together, kid. You're ours." Her maternal vow held the boy, a rock in the chaos.
Kael's spear gleamed faintly, his voice gruff. "Elias, we'll save her. Kid, you're our fight." His bond with his twin was a faint light.
Kaelith lifted her head, her voice faint. "My ritual's gone, but you're still the Guardian, kid. Choose light." Her hand trembled, her sigil ash, yet her defiance lingered.
The captured knight, bound by sigil-chains near the hearth, met Elias's gaze, their silver eyes dim. "Veyra's core activates with the Guardian's soul—light to close, void to unmake. She believes in freedom." Their words stirred a vision: Veyra in the Crucible, her core a void-star, the boy's aura her mirror, her silver eyes pleading.
Mira slid ales across, her grin fierce but strained. "Crucible's tough. Burn bright." Drenvar's scars glowed faintly, his nod firm: "Tavern's with you."
Ping!
The Vitality System's chime rang, its golden screen dim in the hearthlight.
Vitality System: Final Mission Unlocked!
Mission: Seal the Crucible's Gate.
Cost: -70000 Vitality Points.
Reward: +140000 Vitality Points, [Nexus Core].
Corruption Level: 96%.
Current Vitality: 1101500/100000.
New Hint: The Crucible's core pulses with Veyra's will. The Guardian's choice decides.
Elias's heart pounded, the system's call a spark in his veins.
Current Vitality: 1031500/100000.
The [Nexus Beacon] traced the Void Crucible—a realm of shattered sigils and void-stars, its core a corrupted Nexus pulsing with Veyra's will. The [Dusk's Embrace], [Star's Veil], and [Bloom's Guard] hummed in the boy's satchel, their light faint against the gate's taint. The Eternal Tavern was their soul, the Crucible their endgame.
Elias touched the bar's sigil, his voice a rallying cry: "Crew, we close the gate." A portal swirled open, a vortex of void and starlight, and he led, his dagger steady, his plea to Veyra a burning weight.
The Void Crucible was a maelstrom of shadow and shattered light, its core a towering void-star pulsing in a sea of rifts, Veyra's corrupted Nexus radiating ruin. Void-kin swarmed—beasts of shadow and chaos, their silver eyes blazing, their screeches a tide that tore at the crew. Veyra stood at the core, her silver eyes glowing, her staff of void-lightning crackling, her shadow council fallen. The gate, a rift of pure void, pulsed behind her, the boy's aura mirrored in its lock.
Elias's boots hit the shattered ground, his dagger slashing a void-kin, its chaos bursting. "Veyra! Stop this!" he shouted, dodging a rift that tore the air, his charisma blazing.
Sylva's club smashed a beast, its shadow scattering, her roar fierce: "Kid, hold on!" Her leadership burned, her scars glistening in the void-light.
Kael's spear pierced a void-kin, his strikes swift, his voice raw: "Elias, reach her!" He flanked the boy, his spear a blur of steel and light.
Kaelith staggered forward, her dagger trembling, her voice fierce. "Kid, you're our light!" Her burned-out sigil sparked, a final defiance, but a void-kin's chaos grazed her, drawing a cry.
The boy's aura flared, his lunar eyes black, his voice a desperate cry: "I… choose… light!" His guardianship surged, guiding them to the core, the gate's lock pulsing with his aura.
Veyra's staff unleashed a void-storm, lightning arcing, rifts tearing. "The Nexus binds us, Elias! I'll free us!" she roared, dropping Nexus Stability to 62%.
Ping!
The Vitality System's screen flared.
Vitality System: Optional Mission Available!
Mission: Protect the Guardian.
Objective: Ensure the boy reaches the gate.
Cost: -35000 Vitality Points.
Reward: +70000 Vitality Points, [Light's Resolve].
Accept? [Y/N]
Elias chose Y, the system draining him.
Current Vitality: 996500/100000.
The boy stumbled to the core, Veyra's silver eyes locking on him. "Guardian, your light's mine!" A vision flashed: the gate's lock, his aura the key, light or void.
Elias faced Veyra, his dagger falling, his voice breaking: "Sister, come back to us!" Her staff wavered, her eyes flickering, a memory of their father's tavern surfacing.
Sylva's club met a void-kin, her strength a forge, her roar fierce: "Kid, now!" She shielded the boy, but a void-rift seared her, shaking her.
Kael's spear lanced a beast, his oath blazing. "Elias, hold her!" He flanked Veyra, his spear sparking against her lightning.
Kaelith's spark flared, her hand on the boy's shoulder, her voice faint: "Choose, kid!" She collapsed, her defiance spent, costing 3000 Vitality Points.
Current Vitality: 993500/100000.
The boy reached the gate, his aura a supernova, his cry raw: "Light!" He pressed the [Ninth Shard] to the lock, its light flooding the core, clashing with Veyra's void. The corruption surged, his silver crack shattering.
Corruption Level: 100%.
The gate trembled, light and void colliding, the Nexus Stability dropping to 60%. Veyra's core pulsed, her voice a scream: "Elias, help me!" Her silver eyes flickered, a spark of her old self.
Elias seized her hand, his charisma a blaze, his plea desperate: "Veyra, you're my sister! Come back!" The vision shifted: their father's betrayal, Veyra's exile, her vow to unmake the Nexus.
The boy's aura collapsed, his body falling, but his light surged into the gate, sealing it with a blinding flash. The void-kin dissolved, the core stabilized, Veyra's staff fell, her form fading.
Ping!
The Vitality System's screen glowed.
Vitality System: Final Mission Complete!
Crucible's Gate Sealed.
Rewards: +140000 Vitality Points, [Nexus Core].
Optional Mission Complete! Guardian Protected.
Rewards: +70000 Vitality Points, [Light's Resolve].
Current Vitality: 1203500/100000.
Nexus Stability: 65%.
Corruption Level: 0%.
Sylva caught the boy, his aura clear, his lunar eyes faint but alive. "He did it," she whispered, voice raw. Veyra knelt, her silver eyes dim, her voice soft: "Elias… I'm sorry." She faded, a spark of light returning to the Nexus.
Kael steadied Elias, his grin faint. "You brought her back, brother." Kaelith stirred, her voice weak: "He's our Guardian." The core pulsed, the Crucible's rifts closing.
Lirien's orb glowed: "The Nexus holds. The tavern's light endures." The hearthlight surged, the Eternal Tavern's sigil blazing.
Elias's charisma reignited, his grin sharp. "Crew, we're not done. The tavern's ours." The sigil hummed, the Crucible's core a beacon.
Author's Note
Dear readers,
The War of the Void Kin arc has reached its heart, and the Eternal Tavern's crew has fought for their light! Thank you for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Elias, the boy, and their kin. I'm dropping three chapters per day—morning, afternoon, evening, or sometimes all at a random time. Please drop a comment to keep the tavern's hearth roaring, and don't forget to review the work with your ratings! Your feedback fuels this multiversal saga, and we're forging it together.