Thane watched, a cruel amusement playing on his lips, as the shadowy creatures clashed with Isla and Kai. He raised a hand, and the shadows writhed, intensifying their attacks.
"You cling to hope," he hissed, his voice echoing through the chamber. "A futile gesture."
Kai's blade, a beacon of light, slashed through the darkness, but the shadows seemed to regenerate, their forms reforming with each strike. Isla's amulet pulsed, a shield against the encroaching darkness, but the sheer number of creatures pressed against her defenses.
Suddenly, a shadow lunged from behind, its claws extended. Kai, caught off guard, stumbled, his blade momentarily faltering.
The shadow struck, its claws tearing through his arm. He cried out in pain, his grip loosening on the blade.
Isla, seeing Kai's distress, unleashed a surge of energy from the amulet, sending a wave of light that pushed back the shadows. But in that moment of distraction, Thane seized his opportunity.
He moved with a speed that belied his gaunt frame, his hand outstretched, his fingers crackling with dark energy. He struck Isla, the force of the blow sending her reeling. She crashed against the obsidian throne, her amulet falling from her grasp.
Thane's eyes gleamed with triumph. He reached for the amulet, his fingers closing around its warm surface. "Now," he hissed, "the true power is mine."
Kai, despite his injury, lunged towards Thane, his blade raised. But Thane, his power amplified by the amulet's proximity, unleashed a wave of dark energy, sending Kai crashing to the ground. The blade clattered from his grasp.
"It is over," Thane declared, his voice filled with a chilling finality. "Your hope is extinguished."