Amon descended into the Sunwell chamber not by climbing, but by dissolving the stone floor above him into shadow, then reforming himself at the base of the shaft. He landed silently, a figure wreathed in dark, sucking energy, his presence instantly chilling the air and muting the brilliant gold of the Sunwell.
"The Heir of the Sun and the little fish," Amon sneered, his voice a dry rasp of contempt. He looked at the activated wards—the pulsing rings of gold-and-silver light—with grudging respect. "A clever trick. You seek to trap me with the wards your ancestors designed. But your ancestors were blind. They contained the sun, but they never knew the power of the void."
Amon spread his arms, and the shadows clinging to him intensified, spiraling outward. This was not the chaotic draining from the open field; this was focused, weaponized consumption. The light of the Sunwell itself dimmed under his assault, and the runes in the activated wards flickered, struggling to hold against the sheer malignancy of his power.
"I will drain this well, and I will drain your little Witch's ocean heart," Amon promised, advancing. "And then, I will reign over the endless night."
Kaelen stepped forward, placing himself slightly in front of Lysandra. Even without the Sun Blade, the Heir of the Sun felt the ancient duty surge through him.
"You will not touch this power, Uncle," Kaelen stated, his voice resonating with a sudden, pure Solarian command. "This magic belongs to Solaria, and to the world you seek to destroy."
Lysandra placed a steady hand on Kaelen's back, a physical anchor for the Soul Tide. Do not let him draw your light, Kaelen! Engage him with the fusion!
They attacked simultaneously. Lysandra channeled a massive wave of restorative sea magic, focusing it not on Amon, but on the Great Sunwell itself, fighting the draining effect. The golden light in the center flared back to life, energized by the cooling water magic.
Kaelen acted as the conduit. He channeled his own internal heat and the amplified energy of the Sunwell toward Amon, but wrapped in Lysandra's element.
The attack was a Searing Tide—a wave of brilliant, scalding water that ripped across the chamber floor. It was the natural enemy of Amon's dry, shadow-based magic.
Amon hissed, leaping back. Where the wave touched the stone, it left scorch marks combined with deep erosion. "You fight with water magic! This is a sacrilege!"
"It is survival!" Lysandra cried, stepping out from behind Kaelen. She was channeling so much raw energy that the light of the Sunwell reflected off her wet scales, turning her into a beautiful, terrifying beacon of elemental power.
Amon, enraged, turned his full power on Lysandra. He created two immense spears of hardened shadow, aiming them directly at her core.
Defense! Kaelen projected, instantly understanding the attack vector through the bond.
Lysandra knew raw water couldn't stop the concentrated darkness. She needed the grounding of the Sun. Kaelen instantly complied, driving his internal heat into the ground beneath her.
The moment the spears struck, they didn't penetrate. They were met by a defense forged on the coastal plains: a massive, shimmering shield of Sun-Brine Crystal. The spears shattered against the shield, the fragments dissolving into harmless mist.
"The power of two is still finite!" Amon roared, his eyes glowing white hot. He turned his attention to the Sunwell itself, throwing a massive, crushing wave of darkness at the central orb.
"This is what you fear, niece of the sea! True emptiness!"
The Sunwell's golden light dimmed precariously, threatening to be extinguished entirely. If Amon succeeded, the core magic that healed the world would instantly be corrupted.
"We cannot hold the wards and fight him simultaneously," Kaelen gasped, straining to keep the shield up.
Lysandra's focus was absolute. She felt the Sunwell's struggle, and through the bond, she felt the solution. The Sun Blade is not lost, Kaelen! It is woven into the Heart of the Abyss! We are the conduit now!
She released the last of her reserved energy, allowing the Soul Tide to flow outward, not defensively, but as a vast, demanding current. She pulled, psychically reaching out of the Citadel, across the city, and through the newly charged earth, seeking the immense power of the original Sun Blade, now integrated into the Heart of the Abyss.
Kaelen instantly understood the plan. He released his grip on the shield and poured every ounce of his Solarian will into the connection, amplifying the signal.
Far below the Azure Sea, the Heart of the Abyss pulsed violently. The integrated Sun Blade responded to the call of its Heir and the plea of the Sea Witch.
Suddenly, the air in the Sunwell chamber filled with a third magic: a torrential downpour of Pure, Golden Brine. It was the concentrated power of the newly unified world magic—the Sun Blade's eternal light carried on the Sea Witch's endless flood.
The Pure Golden Brine was Amon's undoing. It was not a weapon of simple elements, but a restorative, unified force. His shadow magic could not touch it; his draining power recoiled from it. The Golden Brine cleansed him, burning away the decades of dark corruption clinging to his soul.
Amon screamed, not in defiance, but in a profound, agonizing realization. "The healing... it burns! No! I choose the night!"
The downpour continued, washing away the shadow magic until Amon was stripped bare—a broken, ancient man clinging to the central Sunwell shaft.