The Clash of Cosmic Forces
The pillar of light from the Eclipse Ritual collided with the abyssal rift, sending shockwaves rippling across Eldora. The air warped under the sheer force of the clash, and the earth beneath the city fractured, splitting open into yawning chasms of molten light and consuming darkness.
For a moment, it seemed as though the Archmages had succeeded.
The abyssal corruption halted, forced back by the divine radiance. The tendrils of the Black Sun recoiled, writhing as though in pain.
Even Kaelen himself took a step back, his armor cracking where the light touched him. His golden eyes flickered—annoyance, perhaps even disbelief.
"So… this is the power of the old gods." His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it now, a note of something almost human beneath the abyssal coldness.
He tightened his grip on his sword. The Devourer of Stars had awakened—but even it was recoiling from the Eclipse.
Kaelen would not allow it.
He raised his blade high, and the abyss pulsed.
The Devourer Stirs
Above the battlefield, the shattered sky bled darkness as the Devourer of Stars fully emerged from the rift.
It was colossal, a vast shadow without true form, ever-shifting, writhing in and out of existence. Its presence alone crushed the will of those below—soldiers on both sides collapsed, their minds unable to comprehend its sheer vastness.
And then, it spoke.
Not in words, but in a soundless whisper that echoed within the souls of all who heard it.
A voice from beyond existence.
A voice that did not belong in this world.
The Archmages felt their blood freeze.
Even Kaelen paused. He had summoned the Devourer, but even he could not fully control it.
It was not a servant.
It was a force beyond gods and mortals alike.
And it had chosen to act.
The Eclipse Fractures
The Eclipse Ritual was never meant to hold against something like this.
The moment the Devourer turned its formless gaze toward the Celestial Tower, the golden pillar of light flickered.
Valeria gasped, blood pouring from her nose as she tried to reinforce the spell. "No! We can't let it—"
A single tendril of darkness lashed out.
It didn't strike the city.
It struck the Eclipse Ritual itself.
The tower screamed. The runes shattered, golden sigils unraveling as if reality itself had decided they no longer held meaning.
The pillar of light collapsed inward, imploding with a soundless explosion.
The Archmages screamed as their very souls were ripped apart by the backlash.
Soren disintegrated first, his body turning to pure golden fire before vanishing completely.
Darius collapsed, his eyes fading into empty voids, his lifeforce consumed by the spell's failure.
Valeria held on the longest.
Her hands trembled as she reached forward, as if trying to grasp the fading light.
Her lips parted. A whisper.
"…We were too late."
Then the last of the Eclipse's power collapsed, and she too was gone.
Kaelen's Triumph
The Celestial Tower, the heart of Eldora, the last stronghold of the Archmages—
Fell.
It collapsed into itself, reduced to dust and ruin.
And as the dust settled, Kaelen stood unmoved.
The power of the Black Sun surged through him, unchallenged.
He turned his gaze toward the battlefield, where the remaining defenders of Eldora stared in horror at what had just transpired.
Their last hope had been obliterated.
Kaelen lifted his sword and pointed it toward the heart of the city.
"Eldora falls today."
And then—
The slaughter began.
---
The Fall of Eldora
The Last Stand
The streets of Eldora ran red with blood.
Kaelen's army, a horde of abyssal knights, shadow beasts, and corrupted warriors, swept through the city like an unrelenting tide. Buildings crumbled, statues of ancient heroes shattered, and the screams of the dying echoed through the once-proud capital.
The Celestial Tower, the beacon of Eldora's power, was no more.
The city's defenders—the last remnants of the Eldorian Royal Guard, the surviving mages, and the desperate citizens who refused to flee—gathered in the central plaza for one final stand.
Commander Aelric's Resolve
Commander Aelric, the last general of Eldora, stood at the front. His armor, once gleaming silver, was dented and soaked in blood. His sword, a family heirloom passed down through generations, trembled in his grip.
He knew they had already lost.
But if they were to die, they would die as warriors.
"Hold the line!" he roared, his voice cutting through the chaos. "We fight for every soul that has fallen! We fight to delay the inevitable!"
The soldiers, though weary and broken, tightened their grips on their weapons.
The mages, though their power was waning, gathered what little magic they had left.
And the people, though outnumbered and hopeless, stood beside them.
For Eldora.
For everything they had lost.
Kaelen's Unstoppable March
Kaelen walked through the ruined streets, his abyssal armor glowing with a dark, unholy aura. With every step, the shadows around him deepened, his presence suffocating the very air.
He had seen this before.
The desperate last stand.
The defiant few who refused to accept the inevitable.
They always thought their bravery mattered.
It never did.
He lifted his sword, and the Black Sun above pulsed in response. The air twisted, the temperature plummeted, and a wave of abyssal power rushed forward, striking the defenders like a crashing storm.
The first rows of soldiers collapsed instantly.
Some were reduced to ashes, others turned into mindless husks, consumed by the abyss.
Still, the rest stood their ground.
Aelric charged.
His blade, infused with the last blessings of the Eldorian gods, flashed with golden fire as he brought it down on Kaelen.
A Duel That Would Never Be Remembered
Kaelen raised a single hand.
The blade that had slain thousands of enemies, that had won countless battles—
Shattered.
Aelric's eyes widened in horror.
Kaelen drove his fist through Aelric's chest.
The commander gasped, blood spilling from his lips. His hands trembled as he grasped Kaelen's gauntlet, struggling for breath.
Kaelen leaned in, his voice a whisper.
"There was never hope."
Then he ripped his hand free.
Aelric's lifeless body collapsed to the ground.
The City Burns
The last defense of Eldora crumbled.
The remaining soldiers were cut down.
The surviving mages, drained of their magic, were consumed by the abyss.
And the citizens—those who had chosen to stay, to fight, to protect their home—
Were slaughtered.
Kaelen turned away from the bodies, from the broken city.
Behind him, the Devourer of Stars drifted above, its formless mass feeding on the last remnants of Eldora's fading essence.
The once-great kingdom was no more.
The Black Sun had risen completely.
And the world would never be the same again.