The hacksaw hovered above Selene's throat.
Chains bound her arms and legs, dragging her body against the bleeding monolith. Barbed links tore into her skin, crimson dripping into the grooves carved deep into the stone. Her shadows writhed helplessly, smothered by the labyrinth's grip.
She stared up at Argon, her lips trembling, her voice raw.
"Don't… let it take you."
Argon's crimson eyes burned, the corruption inside him raging like wildfire. His hands shook violently, his veins bulging black. The hacksaw's jagged teeth gleamed, dripping with ichor and blood.
Behind him, Vanessa's arms coiled around his chest like a serpent. Her lips brushed his ear, her voice velvet and poison.
"Do it, darling. End her. One cut, one scream, and the stone will be satisfied. We'll move on. Together."
Selene coughed blood, her voice breaking. "If… if you're still in there… strike me. But don't let her be the one to own you."
The Arena's Hunger
The monolith pulsed harder. The chains tightened, biting deeper into Selene's flesh. Blood streamed down the grooves in the stone, but the Game's voice thundered again, demanding more:
"Sacrifice incomplete. Feed the stone. Bleed."
The arena shook violently, skulls embedded in the walls splitting open, screaming in unison. Shards of bone rained down. The ground cracked, veins of fire and blood crawling across the floor.
The stone wasn't just waiting. It was starving.
Argon's Struggle
Argon's breath came ragged, torn.
His hand trembled harder. He could feel Vanessa's pulse through her grip, feel her warmth against his back, feel her corruption seeping deeper into his veins.
Her whisper was intoxicating. "Kill her, darling. Kill her, and be free."
Selene's voice cracked through the haze, desperate. "I'd rather die by your hand than see you fall completely."
Her eyes locked onto his, shining through pain, through terror—through love she hadn't dared to speak.
And for a single heartbeat, Argon's true self surfaced.
The Strike
The hacksaw came down.
Blood sprayed across the stone.
Selene's scream tore through the arena—then cut off as the chains wrenched tighter, drinking deeply of her wound. The monolith pulsed brighter, glowing with crimson light.
Argon staggered back, the hacksaw dripping her blood. His chest heaved, his face twisted with horror.
He had done it.
He had fed the stone.
Vanessa moaned softly, her smile sharp and radiant. "Perfect, darling. Absolutely perfect."
But Selene…
Her body sagged against the chains, her skin pale, her shadows flickering weakly. She coughed blood, her lips curling into a trembling smile.
"At least… it was you…"
The Stone Awakens
The monolith erupted.
The chains recoiled like serpents, snapping back into the stone. Selene collapsed onto the blood-slick ground, gasping, barely conscious.
The arena trembled violently. The monolith split open, revealing a gaping wound of flesh and light. From within, a storm of crimson energy poured out, bathing the chamber in fire and screams.
The Game's voice thundered again:
"Sacrifice accepted. Stage Four continues. The Arena hungers still."
From the cracks in the ground, shapes began to rise—grotesque figures formed of bone, flesh, and dripping blood. Their jaws unhinged, their claws scraping against stone.
They were the Arena's hounds. And they were hungry.
Selene's Last Stand
Selene groaned, forcing herself to her knees. Blood dripped from her chest wound, her body swaying. Her shadows sparked faintly, trembling around her hands.
She looked up at Argon, her voice hoarse but steady.
"Don't… lose yourself now. Fight. Please."
Her words pierced deeper than any blade. For a moment, Argon's crimson eyes flickered. His grip on the hacksaw loosened. The corruption inside him faltered.
But Vanessa's laughter cut through.
"Look at her, bleeding at your feet, still begging you to be her hero. Pathetic. You're not her savior anymore, darling. You're mine."
Her lips brushed his cheek. "Now prove it. Kill the hounds. Spill more blood."
The Arena Unleashed
The hounds shrieked in unison and lunged.
Argon roared, swinging the hacksaw in a savage arc. The jagged blade tore through flesh and bone, spraying gore across the arena. Another hound pounced, claws raking his chest—he grabbed its skull with his bare hand and crushed it, blood pouring through his fingers.
Selene lashed out weakly with her shadows, skewering one beast through the spine. But the strain tore through her body, blood gushing from her wound. She collapsed again, trembling, whispering his name.
Argon slaughtered the hounds one by one, his roars echoing through the arena. His movements grew more frenzied, more brutal, more monstrous. Each kill drove him deeper into the corruption, his crimson eyes blazing like twin suns of blood.
Vanessa stood at the edge, her smile serene, watching her darling become exactly what she desired.
Cliffhanger
The last hound fell, torn to pieces at his feet. The arena went still, drenched in blood and silence.
Argon stood amidst the carnage, his hacksaw dripping, his chest heaving. His face was blank. Hollow. Almost unrecognizable.
Selene lay crumpled against the stone, her breath shallow, her eyes fluttering. She tried to speak his name, but only blood bubbled from her lips.
Vanessa stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Argon, pressing her lips to his jaw.
"You've crossed the point of no return, darling. And soon… she'll see it too."
The Game's voice thundered one final time:
"Stage Four incomplete. The Arena demands more blood."
The ground split wide beneath Selene.
Chains shot out, dragging her limp body toward the gaping wound in the earth.
Argon turned—his corrupted eyes blazing—just as Selene was pulled screaming into the abyss.