The rift's core throbbed like a diseased heart, its violet light casting jagged shadows across the cavern. Veythar's boots sank into the viscous black fluid pooling beneath them—a mixture of corrupted Void energy and the remains of Valenor's experiments.
Flicker clung to his shoulder, its form barely visible, a ghost of smoke and fading embers.
"This is it," Thalion muttered, his broadsword gleaming with a fresh coat of Void-repellent oil.
"Seal the rift, cut off Valenor's power source. Simple."
Veythar snorted.
"Since when has anything been simple?"
Valenor's laughter echoed from the shadows.
"Brave words for dead men."
The dark hunter stepped into the light, his blade—a twisted shard of Void-forged obsidian—pulsing with stolen energy. Behind him, cages hung suspended in midair, their bars warped.
Inside, Void Beasts writhed, their cries a symphony of torment. Flicker hissed, its claws digging into Veythar's collarbone.
He's been feeding them to the rift, Veythar realized. Using their Cores to keep it open.
[Core Memory: The Price of a Bond]
Valenor raised his blade.
"You think your little pet can save you?" He gestured to Flicker.
"Look at it. A dying ember. Pathetic."
Flicker's growl was weak but defiant. Veythar's hand drifted to his Core.
"You talk too much," he spat.
The fight erupted.
Valenor moved like liquid shadow, his strikes precise and brutal. Thalion parried, his sword shuddering under the force.
Veythar lunged, Flicker's time-stasis flickering—barely slowing Valenor's advance.
[Unique Mechanic: The Fractured Seal]
"The rift!"
Thalion shouted, dodging a blow that cleaved stone.
"We need to destabilize it!"
Veythar nodded. He pressed his palm to the cavern floor, the Void Core's light surging. Tendrils of energy snaked toward the rift, probing for weaknesses.
But the corruption fought back—a sentient rot that clawed at his mind.
Flicker, he thought desperately. I need you.
[Climax: The Pact's End]
"No!" Veythar's roar echoed as Flicker dissolved into ash. The Core in his chest blazed white-hot, its light purging the final node. The rift imploded, sucking Valenor's snarl into the void.
Silence fell.
Thalion staggered to his feet, blood dripping from a gash on his temple. "Veythar—"
The hunter knelt amid the ashes, Flicker's remnant coiled around his fingers like smoke. The Void Core's light dimmed, its hum now a mournful drone.
The third node glowed brighter, protected by a cage of writhing Void tendrils. Veythar charged, Flicker's light flaring one final time.
[Revelation: The Core's Whisper]
As the stasis engaged, Veythar's mind flooded with fragmented visions:
His mother's voice. "The Core is not a tool—it's a pact."
A younger Valenor, kneeling before a council of shadowed figures.
"The Shattered Realms will be mine."
Flicker, whole and fierce, darting through starlit forests.
The vision shattered. Valenor's blade pierced Flicker's side.
The Void Beast screamed—a sound that tore through Veythar's soul.
The Void Beast uncoiled, merging its fading power with his. Time stuttered—just long enough for Veythar to glimpse the rift's anchor points: three pulsating nodes of corrupted energy.
"Thalion! The nodes—destroy them!"
[Emotional Peak: A Choice in the Dark]
Thalion pivoted, cleaving through a node with a roar. The rift shuddered. Valenor snarled, redoubling his attacks.
Flicker's form flickered violently. No, Veythar thought. Not yet.
The second node exploded under Thalion's blade. Valenor's laughter turned to rage.
"You insects dare—?"
"It's gone," Veythar whispered.
Thalion's hand gripped his shoulder.
"Not for nothing. The rift's sealed. Valenor's plan—"
"Is far from over," a new voice interrupted.
Sylviaris stepped from the shadows, her robes shimmering with starlight.
"You've closed one wound, but the infection spreads." Her gaze lingered on Veythar's Core.
"And you… you've only begun to understand what you carry."