The Hollow Core fell into a tense silence, the air heavy with the scent of scorched earth and fading shadow. Elyndra knelt beside Tavion, her hands trembling as she pressed her starlight into his chest, the faint glow seeping into the wound where the tendril had struck. His golden hair was matted with blood, his blue eyes closed, and his breath shallow—a fragile thread of life. Tears streaked her face, her love for him a desperate chant in her heart. "Stay with me," she whispered, her voice cracking. The green flame from the Earth's Heart flickered, casting a weak light over the cavern, while the shattered black crystal lay in ruins, its dark energy dissipating.
The allies gathered, their faces etched with exhaustion and hope. Sylvara's silver light dimmed as she supported Veyra, whose chants had faded to a whisper. Taryn, bruised from the fallen beam, limped to Lirien, whose leg bled anew despite her resolve. Eldrin, his broken staff a mere crutch, scanned the cavern, his white eyes narrowing at the new chasm. Ryn helped Asha to her feet, her vines limp but her green magic stirring. "He's alive," Ryn said, his voice rough, "but barely." Asha nodded, her hands glowing as she joined Elyndra, their magics blending to stabilize Tavion.
The chasm below pulsed, its edges glowing with a sinister red, and a low growl rumbled, the red eyes from before glinting like embers. Lira's spirit flickered, her form barely holding. "The Depths of Dawn," she whispered. "The curse's final root lies there—a guardian older than the Betrayer. Your love must face it, or the Hollow will rise again." Elyndra's heart clenched, her love for Tavion warring with the need to act. "I won't leave him," she said, her voice firm. Sylvara stepped forward, her silver hair shimmering. "We'll guard him. Go, Princess—the Spire's collapse depends on this."
The Spire's core chamber was a ruin, its walls crumbling as the last shard's light died. Taryn's vines held a beam, her strength fading, while Veyra leaned on Sylvara, her chants a faint hum. Lirien, propped against Eldrin, channeled her starlight into a shield, but a shadow tendril—Kael's last echo—lashed out, shattering a pillar. "The Hollow's energy is unbound," Eldrin said, his voice urgent. "If they fail below, we're lost." The ground split, and a new figure emerged—a man with eyes of molten gold, his cloak woven from starlight. "I am Zorak, keeper of the Spire's dawn," he said. "I'll hold the tower, but you must aid them." The chamber shook, and a beam fell, pinning Taryn's arm, her cry echoing as the portal flickered.
In the Hollow Core, Elyndra stood, her starlight flaring as she faced the chasm. Ryn and Asha flanked her, their magic weak but resolute. "We go together," Ryn said, his sword ready. Asha's vines coiled, nodding. "For Tavion." They descended the root staircase, the air growing colder, the red glow intensifying. The Depths of Dawn opened—a cavern of black crystal and molten rivers, its ceiling a mirror of the Veil's stars, distorted by shadow. At the center stood a guardian—a colossal wolf of obsidian and flame, its eyes the red embers, its howl shaking the walls.
"You trespass on the dawn's edge," the wolf boomed, its voice a blend of fire and shadow. "The Betrayer's curse birthed me to guard the Hollow's soul. Prove your love, or be consumed." Elyndra's heart raced, her love for Tavion a shield. "We've faced your kind before," she said, her starlight surging. Ryn charged, his sword clashing with the wolf's claws, while Asha's vines lashed its legs. The wolf retaliated, a flame tendril striking Ryn, throwing him into a crystal wall. Asha's vines caught him, but the wolf's power grew, the molten rivers rising.
A vision flashed—Elyndra and Tavion reunited, the Veil restored, only for the wolf to rise, its flames consuming Celestara. The pain was a dagger, but Elyndra pushed it aside, her love fueling her magic. "Ryn, Asha, hold it!" she cried. Her starlight pierced the wolf's chest, seeking its core, but the beast laughed, its form splitting into shadow duplicates. The cavern shook, and a crack split the floor, a molten river spilling toward them. Asha's vines formed a bridge, pulling them back, but the duplicates closed in, their claws raking the air.
Above, Tavion stirred, his eyes fluttering open, the pain a dull ache. Sylvara's light and Veyra's chants stabilized him, but his heart raced with Elyndra's absence. "She's in danger," he rasped, struggling to rise. Lirien's hand pressed him down. "Rest, nephew. They'll return." But the Spire groaned, and Zorak's golden light faltered, a beam crashing near Taryn. "The tower weakens," Zorak said. "The Depths' battle ties our fate." A shadow tendril struck, and the portal flickered, showing the wolf's duplicates, leaving Tavion's love a desperate pull.
In the Depths, Elyndra fought, her starlight weakening as the duplicates overwhelmed them. "We need more," she gasped, her love for Tavion a beacon. Ryn's sword glowed, Asha's vines surged, and they joined her magic, a trinity of light that pierced the duplicates. The wolf roared, its core—a black flame—exposed. "Now!" Ryn shouted. Elyndra's starlight, Asha's green, and Ryn's crystal energy struck, shattering the flame. The wolf collapsed, its form dissolving, and the cavern stilled, the molten rivers receding.
But the black crystal at the center pulsed, a new shadow rising—a figure with Kael's smirk, his orb reformed. "You can't end me," he sneered, unleashing a blast. The cavern trembled, the staircase crumbling, and Elyndra fell, her starlight fading. Ryn and Asha caught her, but the shadow grew, the red eyes multiplying. A portal flickered—Tavion's ice surging through, his love a cry. The ground split, and a roar echoed, the red eyes glowing brighter, leaving their victory teetering on a suspenseful edge as the Spire's collapse loomed.