Blood and dust mingled in the air, and the night sky was torn apart by the screams of monsters.
Kael stood at the front, his sword and shield deflecting blows time and time again. Sweat poured from his forehead, his arms trembled from the weight, but he did not retreat. Behind him, Mayuri created more barriers, her body shaking from exhaustion, but with every fall she raised another shield.
Arwen, wild and fast, struck from the sides. Her daggers cut throats and severed tendons, but each new beast seemed stronger, more ferocious.
Noah roared with rage, his hands burning like torches. He shot flames, turning his enemies to ash, but the magic consumed him from within. His chest burned, and his breathing was heavy.
—Where is he?!— Noah shouted, pushing an attacker away with a fireball. — He left us, and we're dying here!
—Shut up and fight!— Kael growled, blocking another blow. — Trust him!
—Easy for you to say!— Noah spat blood, but raised his hands again. — I'm not going to die for someone's sacred visions!
Arwen snorted, jumping onto the monster's back and stabbing daggers into its neck.
— It's not a vision, you idiot. It's our only chance.
Mayuri sank to her knees, her body trembling, blood appearing on her lips. —If he doesn't make it... these barriers will eventually break.
Kael looked at her, then roared, deflecting another attack. —That's why we have to hold on! He's running, and we're buying him time!
Valdor ran through the ruins.
Each step echoed in his ears. Monsters leaped out of the shadows around him, but his sword burned, cutting them in half with a single stroke. The dragon's aura surrounded him like armor, and the echo of the dragons' roar reverberated off the walls.
His heart pounded like a hammer. He saw a pulsating light ahead of him—the source. Each flash blew his thoughts apart, as if something was calling his name.
— Valdor...— the voice echoed in his head, dark and seductive. Leave them... come to me...
He gritted his teeth and ran on, cutting through more shadows.
No... never.
On the front line, Noah roared and sent a wave of fire that burned a dozen beasts. But immediately afterwards, he fell to his knees, panting heavily.
— I can't do it...
Mayuri knelt beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder. — Hang in there. If you fall, we'll all die.
Kael shouted, blocking two swords at once, and Arwen, with a frenzied howl, rammed into the flank, tearing apart more monsters.
— Just a little more!" Kael roared. — Just a little longer!
Valdor reached the heart of the ruins.
Before him floated a crystal, pulsing with red light. It was as big as a man, and each flash sent out waves of energy that shook the ground. Shadows writhed around it, as if defending their source.
Valdor stood, sword in hand, heart aflame.
— It is you... who feeds them...
The crystal howled, and a voice echoed in his mind:
— Join me... you are like me...
Valdor raised his sword. Fire surrounded his body, and a dragon's roar burst from his throat.
— No. I am the light that will burn you.
And he moved toward the source.
At the same time, the team fought at the limits of their strength. Noah, barely conscious, propped himself up on his hands. Kael's shield shattered into pieces. Arwen gasped for breath, her whole body trembling with pain. Mayuri knelt, her last barrier trembling like a thin sheet of glass.
— Valdor...— she whispered. — Hurry...
Valdor swung and struck the crystal with his sword.
Instead of shattering into fine dust, the stone burst into a red light so blinding that Valdor had to cover his eyes. A low, rumbling roar came from within—a sound that seemed to come not only from the air, but from the ground itself.
The crystal pulsed faster and faster. Cracks spread across its surface like a spider's web, and a black, sticky substance began to ooze from them.
— What the...— Valdor growled, taking a step back.
Suddenly, the entire crystal exploded upward, and the shards rose into the air and hung there, as if frozen in time. A figure emerged from their center.
A giant. Its body was made of black shell and living fire. The crystal that had just struck Valdor was now embedded deep in its chest, glowing with a pulsating, ominous light.
The beast's eyes were like two hellish suns. Its roar shook the ruins, and a wave of energy pushed Valdor back, crushing columns and shattering walls.
On the front line, Kael and the others felt a shock, and the monsters howled even louder for a moment, as if a new power had given them strength.
— What was that?!— Noah shouted, pushing his attacker away with a fireball.
Mayuri looked toward the heart of the ruins, her face turning pale. — The source... has taken form...
Deep within the ruins, Valdor stood, gripping his sword tighter. Before him hovered a monstrous creature, twice the size of a man, with a crystal pulsing in its chest.
— So it's you... the guardian,— Valdor hissed.
The beast roared and lunged toward him, each step thundering like thunder.
Valdor assumed a fighting stance, fire surrounding his body.
In that case... I will destroy you, and that cursed source along with you!