The market was frozen. Thousands of eyes were locked on the clash unfolding—light against shadow, defiance against dominion.
Azeron stepped forward, his presence pressing down like a storm. Every footfall seemed to echo through the earth itself. The air grew heavier; the people struggled to breathe.
Azeron (cold, resonant):"You dared speak against me in front of the masses. You dared call me mortal. Do you not understand, Avenza? There is no forgiveness for defiance. There is only obedience… or ruin."
Dr. Avenza (gritting his teeth, staff glowing):"Then let ruin come. I will not kneel, Azeron. Not to you. Not to anyone."
The scholar's runes flared, white light pushing back Azeron's darkness. For a moment, it seemed as though balance could exist.
But Azeron's blurred face tilted upward, his voice deepening until it rattled in the chests of everyone present.
Azeron:"Balance? No… there is no balance. There is only the chain… and the broken. And I, Azeron, do not show mercy."
Shadows erupted, coiling like serpents, slamming into the marketplace. Stalls shattered. Stone cracked. Men and women screamed as the weight of his power forced them to their knees.
Liona (in awe, whispering):"He's… he's showing them his true form…"
Dr. Avenza held his ground, his staff blazing brighter, a dome of light shielding those behind him. Sweat dripped from his brow, yet he did not falter.
Dr. Avenza (shouting):"If you think fear will chain us, you are wrong! The more you tighten your grip, the more we slip through your fingers!"
Azeron's shadows lashed against the light barrier, cracking it like glass. He stepped closer, his tone dripping with contempt.
Azeron:"You mistake your resistance for strength. But strength is measured not in how long you defy me… but in how utterly you break when I decide it is time."
With a wave of his hand, the shadows surged again, smashing into the barrier. It shattered in a storm of light fragments. Avenza staggered backward, coughing blood, but still managed to raise his staff.
The crowd gasped—some crying out for Avenza, others begging Azeron for forgiveness.
Dr. Avenza (hoarse, but steady):"If you kill me… others will rise. They always do. No chain lasts forever."
Azeron leaned forward, his blurred face inches from the trembling scholar. His voice dropped into a whisper that seemed to carry across the entire marketplace.
Azeron:"Then I will break every chain-breaker. One by one. Until even the thought of resistance… is erased."
His hand rose. Shadows speared forward, slamming through Avenza's chest. The doctor gasped, dropping his staff, blood staining the ground.
The marketplace fell silent.
Azeron (turning to the crowd, voice booming):"Let this be your lesson. Defiance is death. Mercy is myth. And I… am Azeron."
The people collapsed to their knees, trembling in worship or terror. Only Liona stood beside him, her face pale with shock at the absolute finality of his words.