The chamber pulsed with a dark, suffocating energy, pressing down on Eldric like an invisible weight. The monstrous figure before him loomed, shifting like a storm of shadows barely contained within a humanoid form. Its glowing eyes locked onto him, burning with something beyond mere rage—this was judgment.
"You have defied the order of the gods, wielding that which should not exist." The voice wasn't spoken; it resonated in the air itself, vibrating through Eldric's bones.
The Godslayer burned in his grasp, black flames licking at his fingers, feeding off his defiance. He forced himself to stay steady, despite the overwhelming pressure. "Yeah? Well, maybe the gods should have thought twice before betraying me."
A deep rumble echoed through the room—laughter, but one that carried the weight of ages. "Foolish child. Do you believe yourself unique? Countless before you have grasped at the same rebellion. Each one fell. Each one was erased. The gods do not allow outliers."
Karis stepped up beside him, blades drawn, her smirk hiding the tension in her stance. "Sounds like someone's mad we broke the pattern."
Seraphine wasn't smiling. She was staring at the being, eyes narrowed with calculation. "That's not just a guardian… It's a Herald."
Eldric turned to her sharply. "You're sure?"
She nodded, swallowing hard. "Heralds aren't gods. They're something worse. They enforce divine will without question. If this one is here, then it means the gods have officially marked you as a threat."
Eldric exhaled. "Good. That means we're doing something right."
The Herald shifted, its form growing sharper, more defined, as if the very act of speaking had solidified its existence. "Defiance is fleeting. You will submit, or you will be erased from history."
It raised a hand, and the entire chamber trembled. Statues shattered, shadows surged, and the force of its power condensed into a single, undeniable truth—this was not a battle that could be avoided.
Eldric had fought gods before. But this was different. This was a battle against fate itself.
---
The Battle Against Fate
The Herald struck first.
A wave of pure destruction erupted from its outstretched hand, racing toward them with the force of a collapsing star. Eldric barely managed to react in time, raising the Godslayer and pouring his power into the blade. Dark flames surged outward, meeting the attack head-on. The collision shook the chamber, sending shards of broken stone flying in every direction.
Karis darted forward, using the distraction to close the gap. Her twin swords flashed, slicing through the swirling mass of the Herald's form. For a brief moment, she thought she had struck true—until her blades passed through nothing but smoke.
"What the hell?" she growled, flipping backward just in time to avoid a retaliatory strike.
"It's shifting between forms!" Seraphine shouted. She raised her hands, summoning a surge of violet lightning. "We need to force it to stay in one state!"
Eldric nodded. "Then we pin it down."
He reached deep, calling forth the full might of the Godslayer. The blade roared in response, its black flames erupting in jagged streaks. With a single swing, he sent a wave of fire crashing toward the Herald, forcing it to condense into a physical form to defend itself.
"Now!"
Seraphine unleashed her magic, tendrils of lightning wrapping around the creature's limbs. The Herald let out a distorted, inhuman sound as it struggled against the binding energy.
Karis saw her chance. She leapt, spinning through the air, her blades glinting with power as she drove them toward the Herald's core.
A shockwave erupted.
Before Karis could land her strike, the Herald changed. Its form twisted, shifting from humanoid to something monstrous—a writhing, many-limbed entity with a gaping maw of endless darkness.
Karis was thrown back mid-air, slamming into the far wall with a pained grunt.
"Karis!" Eldric barely had time to react before the Herald turned its focus back on him.
"You will not break the cycle."
The words rang out like a death sentence.
Eldric braced himself as the Herald lunged, its massive form descending upon him like a living void.
---
The Will to Resist
For a split second, time slowed.
Eldric could feel the weight of his choices pressing down on him—the battles he had fought, the people he had lost, the path he had chosen. The Godslayer burned in his hands, waiting for his command.
He refused to be another forgotten name in the gods' grand game.
With a roar, he stepped forward instead of back.
The Herald struck—its massive form crashing toward him like a tidal wave of darkness. But Eldric didn't dodge. He didn't falter.
Instead, he drove the Godslayer forward.
The blade sang with raw power, slicing through the very essence of the Herald. For the first time, the creature let out something that sounded like pain.
Black flames surged, consuming the Herald's form from within.
"Impossible—!"
The darkness around them began to unravel, the Herald's shape collapsing, struggling to hold itself together.
Seraphine acted fast, extending her hands. "Now, while it's weak—seal it!"
Eldric didn't hesitate. He poured everything he had into the Godslayer, channeling the blade's power not to destroy, but to bind.
The Herald screamed.
The chamber erupted with light—black and violet flames intertwining, spiraling upward as the Herald's form shattered.
And then… silence.
---
Aftermath
Eldric exhaled shakily, lowering the Godslayer. The blade's flames had dimmed, but it still pulsed with a quiet, victorious hum.
Karis groaned from across the room, rubbing the back of her head. "Next time, let's not fight fate itself, yeah?"
Seraphine was breathing heavily, but she managed a small smirk. "Not bad, flame boy."
Eldric didn't answer. His gaze was fixed on where the Herald had fallen. All that remained was a single, burning sigil etched into the stone—a mark of divine warning.
"They know," he whispered. "The gods know we can fight back."
Seraphine nodded. "And that means they'll come in full force next time."
Karis crossed her arms. "Let them. We're not backing down now."
Eldric stared at the smoldering sigil. The war had truly begun. And if the gods thought he would bow, they were about to learn just how much fire he still had left to burn.