The silence after the battle was deafening.
The creatures, those twisted remnants of humanity, lay still around me. Their grotesque forms were strewn across the cold, stone floor of the chamber, blood pooling around their dismembered bodies. But the victory felt hollow. The hunger within me still clawed at my insides, the gnawing, unrelenting desire for souls that was beginning to define me. I could feel it, in the pit of my stomach — an insatiable, growing darkness that threatened to swallow me whole.
Kael stood beside me, his sword dripping with the remains of the monsters we had slain. His breath was heavy, but he didn't seem as affected as I was. He didn't carry the weight of the hunger, the fear of what I was becoming.
"Are you all right?" His voice broke the silence. I hadn't realized I'd been staring at the ground, my mind lost in the haze of exhaustion and hunger.
I looked up at him, struggling to form words. The hunger was louder now, drowning out everything. It was a constant, insistent whisper in the back of my mind.
Feed. Consume. Take what is yours.
I forced my hands into fists, grinding my teeth against the urge. It wasn't enough. It would never be enough. I wasn't sure how much longer I could resist. I was no longer sure if I wanted to resist.
"I'm fine," I lied, my voice hoarse.
Kael narrowed his eyes at me but said nothing more. He turned and walked toward the far side of the chamber, his boots echoing against the stone as he approached a door I hadn't noticed before. A massive, ornate door that seemed almost out of place in the desolate ruins of the complex.
"This way," Kael called over his shoulder.
I hesitated for a moment before following him. The hunger was still there, but I had to focus. I had to focus on finding the answers that had eluded me for so long. What had Alekhan done to me? Why had he chosen me? And what did it mean to be "the destroyer"?
The door creaked open as Kael pushed it aside, revealing a long hallway beyond. It was dimly lit, the walls lined with strange symbols I couldn't decipher. The air was thick with the scent of decay, and the deeper we moved into the hall, the heavier the weight of the place seemed to become.
"This is where we need to be," Kael said, his voice low.
I didn't ask what he meant. I didn't need to. There was a strange, almost palpable sense of urgency in his movements. The tension in the air was growing thicker with every step.
As we continued down the hallway, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. The walls seemed to close in around us, the flickering torches casting unsettling shadows. I kept expecting something — someone — to jump out at us from the darkness.
"You're not the only one," Kael said suddenly, his words slicing through the silence. "The hunger. It's not just you. There are others like you. People who have been marked by Alekhan's influence."
I glanced at him, confusion clouding my thoughts. "Others?" I asked, my voice strained. "What do you mean?"
Kael didn't answer right away. Instead, he stopped and turned to face me, his expression hardening. "You're not the first," he said quietly. "And you won't be the last. Alekhan has a plan, and you... you're part of it."
The weight of his words hit me like a physical blow. My pulse quickened, and the hunger flared again, twisting deep inside me. Part of it. That was all I needed to hear. I felt like I was falling into a trap, like I had already lost the choice of my own fate.
"Stop," I said, my voice trembling. "Tell me what you mean. What does Alekhan want with me?"
Kael's face darkened. He didn't answer immediately, as if weighing his words carefully. "Alekhan has been searching for a vessel. A vessel with the power to bring about the end of everything. The end of humanity, the end of the gods, the end of this world. You were chosen. But you're more than just a tool for him. You're a weapon."
My heart stopped. A weapon. I wasn't a hero. I wasn't a savior. I was just a weapon — something to be used, discarded when it no longer served its purpose.
The hunger inside me surged. I couldn't contain it anymore. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, but it was no use. I could feel the souls, feel them drifting in the air around me, waiting for me to take them.
"I don't want to be this," I said, my voice breaking. "I don't want to be his puppet. I don't want to be a weapon."
Kael's eyes softened, but only for a moment. "None of us do," he said, stepping closer. "But the truth is, you don't have a choice anymore. The moment Alekhan marked you, he sealed your fate."
The hunger clawed at my chest. My hands shook as I fought to hold onto some shred of humanity. I couldn't let it consume me. I wouldn't let it. But with each passing second, the battle felt more and more hopeless.
"Where are we going?" I asked, trying to refocus. "What's down this hall?"
Kael didn't answer right away. He looked toward the end of the corridor, where the shadows seemed to stretch longer than they should. The darkness there felt... wrong. Like something was waiting.
"It's the only way forward," Kael said finally. "We need to get to the heart of this place, the source of Alekhan's power. If we don't destroy it, we're all doomed."
I nodded, though I wasn't sure I believed him. Something about the way he spoke felt off, like he wasn't telling me everything. But for now, I had no choice but to follow.
We reached the end of the hallway, where a heavy stone door stood, its surface covered in the same strange symbols that adorned the walls. Kael stepped forward, his hand resting on the door's surface. A strange light flickered in his eyes, and for a moment, I felt something shift in the air.
There's something wrong here.
The thought came unbidden, but it was there, undeniable. I could feel it deep in my gut — a sense of dread that was almost suffocating.
"We're not alone," Kael murmured, his voice tight. He turned to face me, his expression suddenly tense. "Get ready."
Before I could ask what he meant, the door cracked open. The room beyond was vast, its walls lined with ancient, rusted machines and strange arcane artifacts. But what caught my attention was the figure standing in the center of the room — tall, with a cloak that shimmered in the dim light. His face was obscured, but I could feel his presence like a storm pressing down on me.
"Alekhan," I whispered, my voice barely audible.
The figure turned, his cloak swirling around him like dark smoke. His eyes gleamed with an unnatural light, the color of the deepest abyss.
"No," Kael said sharply. "Not yet. We're not ready."
But it was too late. The figure raised his hand, and the room trembled as if the very fabric of reality was stretching. The hunger surged inside me, wild and feral. I could feel it, feel the darkness wrapping around me, tightening its grip.
"You're here, at last," the figure said, his voice like a whisper that echoed inside my skull. "And I've been waiting."
I tried to speak, but my voice failed me. The figure's presence was suffocating, overwhelming. I could feel my strength draining, my resolve slipping away.
Kael stepped in front of me, his body tense, his blade raised. But Alekhan—if it was truly him—didn't move. Instead, he let out a low, ominous chuckle.
"You think you can stop me?" Alekhan's voice was a low rumble, a force of nature that vibrated through my chest. "You are nothing. You are just another lost soul. And now, you will join the others."
I could feel the power radiating from him, the sheer force of his will pressing down on me. The hunger was unbearable now, like fire coursing through my veins. I could feel it, the souls, just beyond reach. All I had to do was take them. All I had to do was feed.
But as I reached out, my body trembling, I saw something — something that froze me in my tracks.
Lira.
She stepped forward from the shadows, her eyes blazing with power, a force I had never seen before. She raised her hands, and the air crackled with energy.
"No," Lira said, her voice a steady command. "You won't have her."
Alekhan turned his eyes toward her, his lips curling into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "So, you think you can stop me, little one?"
Lira didn't back down. "I will stop you. This ends tonight."
The room pulsed