Chapter 8 — The Last Light
The temple at the heart of the demon's land loomed above them like the skeleton of a forgotten god. Cracked stone. Fire bleeding from its seams. Every step Liam and Elara took toward it felt like walking into a grave carved just for them.
The sky bled crimson. The air pulsed with dark energy.
Inside, the final demon waited.
They stepped into a great hall of obsidian. At its center stood the monster—taller than any they'd faced. Its eyes were voids. Its voice rumbled like an avalanche.
"So... the children have come bearing fire and hope."
Liam gritted his teeth. The ring on his finger burned white-hot.
"We didn't come to beg. We came to end you."
The battle shattered the walls. Demons screamed from the shadows. The rings flared, fire and light colliding with endless dark.
But then—Liam stumbled.
His eyes rolled back. The demon smiled.
"Finally," it hissed. "The vessel opens."
Elara screamed his name as the monster poured into Liam's mind, twisting memories, resurrecting pain. Chains of shadow coiled around him.
And he turned.
Eyes not his own.
Voice not his own.
"Elara... run."
She didn't.
She fought.
But the Liam she knew—the man she loved—was slipping. His hand raised, flames rising to strike her...
And then—he stopped.
For a moment, Liam broke through.
"I can't hold him… Tell them… tell them I chose this."
With a scream of will, Liam turned the blade on himself, plunging it into his own chest.
The monster shrieked. Darkness exploded.
And then—silence.
Liam's body fell, the rings slipping from his fingers.
Elara crawled to him, tears staining ash.
He smiled once.
"You'll win. You always did."
Then he was gone.
The hall collapsed. Light swallowed shadow.
And Elara stood—both rings on her hands now.
Queen of fire.
Bearer of grief.
The war wasn't over.
But this battle… was hers now.