Now, dark and cold, tired and weary, the city loomed ahead like a dark stain on the earth surface, its towering spires reaching up to the sky like cracking teeth, sharp and unforgiving. Vardy could feel the oppressive weight of its presence pressing on him, the air thick with a sense of looming danger that seemed to emanate from the very streets.
Ferah, Luthor, and Vardy walked in silence, their footsteps muffled by the dirt road beneath them. The wind had picked up, circling dust and debris around them, as if the very world was preparing for something monumental.
"We're getting close," Luthor said, his voice low, almost as if speaking too loudly might provoke something hidden in the shadows. "This place… it feels wrong."
"I can feel it too," Ferah agreed, her expression tense. "Something's off about this city. It's like it's been waiting for us."
Vardy said nothing, his mind consumed by the storm of thoughts swirling in him. The darkness within him, the pull of Aziel's words, the choice that still loomed over him like a shadow,it was all becoming too much to bear. He didn't know how much longer he could hold onto the belief that he was fighting for the right cause, especially with the pull of Aziel's promises echoing in his ears.
As they neared the entrance to the city, Vardy's eyes narrowed. The gates were closed, but there was something about the way they stood,wrought iron, worn and rusted across the entrance,that made them seem more like a barrier than a welcoming entryway.
"Who would close the gates of a city like this huh?" Luthor muttered, stepping forward. "It's like they're trying to keep something out,or keep something in, who knows ferah replied."
Vardy moved closer, his hand instinctively going to the dagger at his belt. The air was thick with a strange energy, one that hummed beneath his skin. He could feel the power of the city itself calling to him, urging him to embrace it, to let it take root inside him.
"Something is wrong," Ferah said quietly, her eyes scanning the atmosphere. "We should be careful."
But before any of them could move, the gates creaked open, as if it has been waiting for them all along. The sound of ancient iron grinding against stone echoed through the air, sending a chill down Vardy's spine.
A figure appeared in the doorway, tall and covered in shadow, their features hidden beneath a hood. The figure stood still, more like it was waiting for them to make the first move.
Vardy's heart skipped a beat, hiss tension raised. The presence of this figure felt familiar, but he couldn't place why.
The figure spoke, their voice low and gravelly. "Vardy, Ferah, Luthor… you've finally arrived."
Ferah's hand instinctively went to her blade, but Vardy stepped forward, his heart pounding in his chest. "Who are you?" Tell me before we make a mess around her, being confident in the inner power within him.
The figure slowly removed their hood, revealing a face that made Vardy's blood run cold.
It was Aziel.
A sudden rush of anger and confusion surged through Vardy. "What is this? What game are you playing now?" What do you think you are doing.
Aziel's lips curved into a smile, a dangerous, knowing smile. "You've come to the heart of it all, my friend. This is where it begins, Vardy. The choice."
Vardy's fist clenched around his staff, his gaze never leaving Aziel's face. "I already told you, I'm not like you, neither will I ever be like anyone of you. I won't join you in your madness."
Aziel's eyes glittered with amusement. "You misunderstand, Vardy. It's not about joining me. It's about accepting what you are. This city… this place… it was built on the same power that courses through you. The darkness that you've been running from is here, in its purest form."
Ferah stepped forward, her eyes blazing with defiance. "We're not afraid of you!!, Aziel. We'll stop you,and everything that comes in between"
Aziel laughed, a cold, chilling sound that seemed to retrace through the very air around them. "You think you can stop what's already been set into motion? It's too late, it's not in your power Ferah. The storm is coming, and there's no escaping it."
A sharp crackle of energy filled the air as the ground beneath their feet began to tremble again. Vardy's senses heightened, and he could feel the city itself responding to Aziel's presence,reacting to the dark power that was now being unleashed.
"Run!" Vardy shouted, his voice breaking through the rising chaos. "Get out of here, now!" He Commanded Luthor and Ferah
But it was too late.
The ground split open with a deafening roar, sending shockwaves of energy through the air. Dark tendrils of power shot up from the cracks, switching and twisting like serpents, reaching for them. The air was thick with a pulsing energy, crackling and dangerous, and Vardy could feel the darkness closing in from all sides.
Aziel's figure was filled against the chaos, his smile never faltering. "This is the beginning, Vardy. The beginning of the end. You can't escape what you are. You'll either embrace it or be consumed by it."
Ferah raised her blade, her eyes narrowing. "We're not afraid of you!"
Vardy you're not in this alone, and we aren't going going anywhere, nowhere we are together in this one.
Luthor stepped forward, his muscles tensing as he prepared for a fight. "We'll face this together."
Vardy could feel the power of the darkness calling to him, the same power that Aziel had yielded so effortlessly. It was tempting. So tempting. His mind screamed at him to resist, but the pull was growing stronger. The whispers in the back of his mind were becoming louder, more insistent.
The storm was here, and the city was about to become a battleground. Vardy's heart pounded in his chest, knowing that the moment of truth was upon him. Would he fight the darkness, or would he let it take root inside him?
As the ground beneath them began to crack open, and the tendrils of dark energy surged toward them, Vardy made his choice.
"Stay close," he ordered, his voice steady. "We fight together. And we'll stop this, no matter what it takes."
But as the first wave of darkness surged toward them, Vardy's heart skipped a beat. The choice was no longer his alone.
But that of his friends and the life he needed to keep safe first, the long way he had to go just to eliminate everything in and around him, the painful memories he had once had, it was time to stop all.
The trouble around him, he wasn't ready for this but this is it already, whether he's ready or not. He got to face it and keep moving. Cause this was not the only fight this won't be the only battle.
Vardy stand firm along with his allings ready for what is coming towards them like a. Grave being dug for them to get into, Vardy called out his friends, Ferah, Luthor, stay close, let do this together, remember we must stay alive no matter what, a drop of tear from Vardy eyes shows how much he had cherished his friend, their not just friends but family, the only family he had from the starting of the battle up till now, he could not afford loosing them to the unknown.