The temple groaned, stone grinding against stone as its ancient heart threatened to collapse. Aden stood, breath ragged, facing the Overseer.
The figure loomed in crimson robes, their mask an expressionless void. The golden sigils on their body pulsed in rhythm with the temple's dying breath. Around them, the last of the cultists trembled, unsure whether to flee or fight.
Aden didn't hesitate. He lunged.
The Overseer barely moved, yet Aden's first strike met a wall of resistance—an unseen force that sent him skidding back, boots scraping against cracked marble. Before he could react, a blast of energy slammed into his chest, hurling him against a shattered pillar.
Pain flared through his ribs, but he didn't stop. He rolled, barely dodging a black spear of energy that impaled the stone behind him. The Overseer advanced, slow and deliberate.
> "You do not understand what you have taken," the Overseer murmured. "The mask is not yours to wield."
Aden spat blood and grinned. "Then come take it."
The air between them cracked as Aden surged forward, his movements sharper than ever. The mask whispered—guiding, urging, demanding violence.
He ducked under a sweep of the Overseer's hand, slicing up with his blade. Sparks flew as it met an invisible barrier, but Aden didn't stop. He twisted, using the force of his failed strike to pivot into a vicious kick.
This time, it connected.
The Overseer staggered, the impact rippling through the air like a shockwave. Aden followed up, his dagger flashing toward their throat—only for his wrist to be caught in an iron grip.
Pain shot through his arm as the Overseer twisted, bones grinding. Aden barely managed to wrench himself free before a crimson blade slashed through the space where his neck had been.
As their battle raged, the temple reacted. Sigils flared, walls shifted, and the ground split open. Cultists screamed as they were swallowed by the very place they worshipped.
Aden used it to his advantage. He dodged back, luring the Overseer toward an unstable platform. At the last second, he feinted—a movement so instinctive it felt inhuman—before kicking a crumbling pillar. It collapsed, sending the Overseer stumbling into the abyss below.
But they didn't fall.
The Overseer hovered, suspended by an unseen force. Their mask tilted slightly, as if amused. Then, with a flick of their wrist, the entire floor erupted.
Aden barely managed to leap aside, rolling through dust and rubble. His body screamed in protest, exhaustion clawing at his limbs. But the mask—the mask wouldn't let him stop.
The Overseer descended, blade of pure energy forming in their hand. Aden braced himself.
Their weapons met in a flurry of sparks and blood. Each strike was faster, more desperate. Aden's instincts sharpened, pushing him beyond exhaustion, beyond pain. He wasn't fighting with skill anymore—he was fighting like an animal backed into a corner.
And then he saw it—a crack in the Overseer's stance. A hesitation, barely perceptible.
Aden seized it.
He dropped his sword mid-swing, letting it clatter to the floor. The Overseer moved to counter—but Aden was already inside their guard. He rammed his dagger upward, burying it between the Overseer's ribs.
For the first time, the Overseer gasped.
> "Impossible..."
Aden twisted the blade.
The Overseer's body convulsed. Energy crackled, wild and unstable. The sigils across their robes flickered violently before exploding outward.
The force of the blast sent Aden flying.
He hit the ground hard, the world spinning. When he looked up, the Overseer was gone—only a smoldering crater remained.
But there was no time to celebrate.
The temple roared as if in rage, its final death throes shaking the very foundation. Walls crumbled, the ceiling fractured. Aden forced himself to his feet, every muscle screaming in protest.
He staggered toward the exit, barely avoiding a falling column. The path was closing. He pushed forward, the mask's whispers now distant.
As he reached the temple's threshold, the entire structure caved in behind him.
Aden fell to his knees, breath ragged. Blood dripped from his wounds, his vision blurred.
He had survived.
But at what cost?
---