Vardy kept on pushing in, giving all he could to stop all of this, he knew. He was no match for what was ahead of him, but should he just. Give in, after all, No he can't do that, not if it was him alone in this,, but for the precious sake of, the one around him, I'll rather die by my hand than give in to this forsaken darkness lurking inside, I won't accept defeat not so soon,
His heart was still pounding, it looked more like the dark could listen to everything he was saying, and with every step they took towards the citadel, the depth would always yawn to park them in, but was not a match for the three skills and what they had encountered so far..
The air inside the citadel was thick with the weight of dark power, pressing down on them like an invisible hand. The walls seemed to pulse with energy, their surfaces slick with shadow, as though the very structure of the citadel was alive. The distant echoes of Aziel's laughter vibrate through the halls, mocking and sticking, but Vardy barely hears them over the beating of his own heart.
They had come so far. This was the moment where everything would change. Either the darkness would consume them all, or they would break Aziel's hold over the city and its people once and for all.
Ferah, ever the calm center, gripped her blade tightly as she scanned their surroundings. "Stay alert," she whispered. "This place is full of traps."
Luthor gave a sharp nod. "We can't afford to make any mistakes now."
Vardy's eyes flicked to the looming shadows that seemed to grow in the corners of the vast hall, stretching unnaturally toward them. The overwhelming presence of Aziel's power weighed heavily on him, trying to break his resolve. But as the dark tendrils rolled closer, Vardy could feel his connection to the light beginning to wane. It was harder to summon, harder to hold on.
"Vardy…" Ferah's voice brought him back to the present, a quiet warning in her tone. She was looking at him, her face etched with concern. "We need you to focus."
He nodded, his grip tightening around his staff. "I know. Let's finish this."
The path ahead led them to a vast chamber, at the center of which stood a massive throne ornate, dark, and evaporating an almost tangible aura of power. Aziel was seated upon it, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction as he watched them approaching. His expression was serene, almost godlike, as if he were above everything that was happening.
"You've come so far," Aziel said, his voice smooth and filled with unshakable confidence. "But it's over now. You're too late to stop what has already begun."
Vardy took a step forward, his staff crackling with energy. "We'll see about that."
A wave of shadow surged from Aziel, a violent, crushing force aimed directly at them. The darkness swept over the floor like a flood, its presence suffocating, choking the light from the air. Vardy raised his staff instinctively, summoning a barrier of light to block the oncoming wave. It collided with the barrier, shaking the ground beneath them.
But Aziel was already moving. He rose from the throne with inhuman speed, and with a flick of his hand, the shadows twisted into monstrous forms,creatures that seemed to be made entirely of darkness. They lunged at the troika, their mouths open wide, filled with sharp, jagged teeth.
"Ferah!" Luthor shouted, as one of the creatures reached for her. With a swift motion, Ferah sidestepped and cut through the creature's mass with a single slash, but there were too many of them. The chamber was filling with their dark shapes, their eyes gleaming like the embers of a dying fire.
"We need to take him down!" Vardy shouted, his voice strained. "If we don't, we'll never win!"
Ferah and Luthor fought valiantly against the creatures, their blades flashing with every strike, but the shadows were relentless, reforming and multiplying with each blow. Vardy knew they couldn't keep this up forever.
He stepped forward, gathering the last of his energy, the light inside him beginning to flicker like a dying flame. Aziel's mocking gaze fell on him as the darkness around them swirled, its power growing stronger with every passing second.
"Do you feel it?" Aziel's voice was a whisper in the back of Vardy's mind, an insistent, poisonous thought that tried to take root. "You cannot defeat me. You are nothing but a dim in the void. The darkness will always return,for you and for everyone around you."
Vardy gritted his teeth, his hand tightening around his staff. "I'm not afraid of you, Aziel!!."
The darkness fixed in again, but this time, Vardy was ready. He focused on the light that still burned within him, no matter how faint it felt. He reached deep inside, calling on the strength of all those who had fought alongside him, both his past friends whom he had longed to see, his memory flashes back, he called out on them crying out all their names in pain and tear's with memory flashing back, Tracy, jesse, Ferah, Luthor,!! and every soul who had stood against the darkness. Their will, their strength, was with him. His past friends Tracy and Jesse came out appearing in the light form, they both held onto the staff with him,with all their strength. they all collide with the light.
A brilliant beam of light shot from his staff, cutting through the darkness like a blade. The light was pure, unwavering, and it blazed in the face of Aziel's power, pushing back the shadows inch by inch.
They all moved with the light forcing Aziel back with it
Aziel staggered back, his eyes widening for a fraction of a second. "No… this cannot be!" he roared.
"You were wrong," Vardy said, his voice steady as the light continued to pour from his staff, flooding the atmosphere. "The darkness can be defeated."
With a final, powerful cry, Vardy and his friends released the full force of the light within him. It surged forward, crashing into Aziel's form with such intensity that the citadel trembled. The shadows around them screamed as they were burned away by the light, disintegrating into nothingness.
Aziel's form flickered, his once unshakable power beginning to unravel. He reached out a hand toward the throne, but the shadows that had once obeyed him now refused to come. His face twisted in fury as the last of his power was torn from him.
"No…" Aziel whispered, his voice cold and defeated.
Vardy stepped forward, his heart pounding in his chest. "It's over, Aziel. The darkness has no hold on us anymore."
With a final, devastating crack, Aziel's form shattered, his body consumed by the light, until nothing remained but the echo of his final scream.
The chamber fell silent, the oppressive weight of the darkness lifting. Vardy sank to his knees, exhausted, as the light within him began to fade. But he felt a strange sense of peace settle over him. The storm had passed.
Ferah, Tracy, Jesse and Luthor approached, their expressions weary but triumphant. "We did it," Ferah said, her voice soft but.. confused how Jesse and Tracy made their way through the light.
Luthor smiled, his usual gruffness replaced by a rare moment of warmth. "We couldn't have done it without you, Vardy."
Vardy looked up at them, his heart full he ran towards his old friends Tracy and Jesse, he hugged them with so much joy, you came for me. "We did it together,he said, smiling with so much joy.
And as the first light of dawn filtered through the cracks in the citadel's walls, they knew that the city,and the world,had been saved. But the journey was far from over. The darkness had been defeated, but there would always be new challenges, new battles to face. And they would face them, together now that his embrace is with the light.