Lyra's blade trembled as she met Kaelen's next strike. Sparks flew, scattering into the void like dying stars. His attacks came faster, harder—each one meant to end her.
"Kaelen! Listen to me!" she cried, parrying a blow that nearly split her shoulder.
But his eyes—those warm embers she once trusted—were gone, replaced by cold, endless black. The chained presence hissed through him like poison.
"You're not real," Kaelen snarled. "You're just another lie. I'll burn you away like all the others."
Every word hit harder than his sword. Lyra felt tears sting, but she gritted her teeth. "Then I'll make you remember."
She spun, her molten blade carving a circle of light between them. For a heartbeat, she saw a flicker—Kaelen's real self straining behind the darkness. It was enough to keep fighting.
Then the void itself shifted.
Chains of pure shadow erupted from the ground, wrapping around her legs and dragging her down. She slashed them apart, but more rose—hundreds, writhing like serpents. Beyond Kaelen, figures began to emerge from the darkness: a woman in silver armor, a scarred boy clutching a broken toy, an older man with fire in his eyes—faces from Kaelen's past, each one whispering accusations.
"Monster."
"Failure."
"Killer."
Kaelen froze mid-strike. His hand shook. "No… stop… stop it…"
The chained presence laughed, its voice like grinding stone:
"Show her what you are, little flame. Show her why everyone leaves."
Lyra's heart wrenched as Kaelen dropped his blade, clutching his head, fire spilling uncontrolled from his body. It began consuming everything—chains, illusions, even the ground beneath them.
If he broke completely, the realm would collapse—and take them all with it.
Lyra lunged forward, grabbing his face in her hands despite the heat blistering her skin.
"Kaelen! Look at me!" she shouted. "I'm not leaving. Not now. Not ever!"
His eyes flickered—black to gold, back to black.
And then—
A new presence cut through the void. A voice—clear, commanding, utterly alien:
"Enough."
The darkness shuddered. The illusions halted. Even the chained presence recoiled as a figure cloaked in starlight stepped onto the battlefield.
---