The void trembled. The Behemoth moved, its presence alone warping the emptiness into something heavier, thicker. Each step was not heard but felt—a vibration that rattled through their bones.
Its eyes, twin burning embers in the dark, locked onto them with hunger.
Carlos swallowed hard, shifting his grip on the Blade of Ascension. "We don't need light," he said, voice low but steady. "We know who we are. We fight as one."
The others pressed close—shoulder to shoulder, back to back. In that instant, the silence was broken by the Behemoth's roar, a soundless wave of pressure that stole the breath from their lungs and nearly crushed them to their knees.
But they held.
Fighting Blind
The Behemoth struck first. A massive claw swept through the void, air splitting like thunder. Carlos shouted:
"Left!"
Thalor's shield slammed up, sparks invisible in the dark as he braced. The impact shook his arms, but the line held.
Rina darted out, guided by sound and instinct. She slashed low, her daggers biting into something that felt like stone and smoke. The Behemoth howled, a guttural vibration echoing through the void.
"Above!" Lys warned, loosing an arrow without sight. It whistled upward, striking with a hiss into shadow-flesh.
Maren raised her staff. "Stay close!"
She whispered an incantation, summoning a wave of force that rippled outward. Though no light came, the magic carried a sound—a chime that cut through the void like a beacon.
The Behemoth shrieked and recoiled.
Trust Over Sight
Every attack became rhythm, every defense a call and response.
"Shield!" Thalor barked."Strike!" Rina hissed."Now!" Carlos shouted, driving the Blade forward.
Each command stitched them together, weaving chaos into unity.
For the first time, the Behemoth faltered.
But the void fought back. It unleashed whispers again, louder, more insistent, trying to fracture their bond.
"Lys aims at your back.""Rina waits for your stumble.""Maren will burn you alive.""Thalor's shield will crush you."
The voices layered, pressing into their minds, relentless.
Carlos clenched his teeth, raising his voice against it: "We are more than shadows! More than fear!"
And with that, he struck.
The Behemoth's Heart
The Blade of Ascension pierced the Behemoth's chest. A shockwave rippled outward, and for the first time, light flashed. Just a glimpse—a skeletal ribcage of black stone, a pulsing red heart inside.
Then it was gone, darkness closing again.
"I saw it!" Carlos gasped. "Its heart—it's real. That's the target."
The Behemoth roared, thrashing wildly. Claws tore across the void. One caught Thalor, ripping the knight from formation. He shouted as he was thrown into the dark.
"Thalor!" Lys cried.
"I'm here!" His voice was strained but strong. "Don't break formation! Strike the heart!"
Carlos grit his teeth. He could almost feel where it had been. He raised the Blade again. "Rina—guide me."
She touched his arm, steadying him. "Three steps forward. Wait for the beat."
The Behemoth charged, the void shaking with its fury.
"Now!" Rina shouted.
Carlos lunged, driving the Blade forward with every ounce of strength.
The Shattering
The sword struck home.
The Behemoth's heart split, light tearing through shadow like fire through paper. The void screamed, an unearthly sound that ripped at their ears. The beast convulsed, collapsing into fragments of black mist that dissolved into nothing.
For a moment, silence reigned.
Then, slowly, the void began to lift.
A faint glow spread—dim, silver, like the first light of dawn. The heroes blinked against it, squinting as their forms emerged again from the suffocating dark. They could see each other. They could see.
Rina's daggers dripped with shadow-ichor. Thalor leaned on his battered shield, bleeding but alive. Lys lowered her bow, eyes shining with relief. Maren's staff still glowed faintly with residual magic.
And Carlos stood in the center, the Blade of Ascension humming in his grip.
They had survived the Realm of Shadows.
But as the light grew, a new shape appeared on the horizon—an obsidian gateway, vast and ominous, waiting for them.
The Helm's voice whispered once more:"One trial ends. Another begins."