The sky ruptured.
A ripple of void energy spiraled outward, consuming everything in its path—mountains, air, light, and sound—all devoured by the maw of a nightmare that had been sealed for millennia. The Soul-Eater was no mere beast. It was a primordial entity born from the collapse of the First Magus Empire, a creature forged in the heart of unfulfilled, devouring power.
It emerged in a cascade of shadow and agony, its form a twisted mass of writhing energy—clawed limbs, teeth that shimmered with the essence of stolen souls. Eyes like burning black suns focused on the weakened battlefront where Ember stood.
The High Regent had collapsed, her life force drained by the very thing she'd created. She had been a puppet, and now even she was consumed in the wake of her own ambitions. But that was the least of Ember's concerns.
This was a creature of hunger—a creature that devoured magic, souls, and even time itself. It had no allegiance, no mercy.
It was the end.
"It's not over," Kael's voice echoed inside Ember's mind, now little more than a distant whisper. "This thing… it doesn't just consume life. It consumes the fabric of the world. We cannot fight it with fire alone."
Lysra shouted, pulling Ember away from the rift's edge. The soul-eater's eyes flickered towards them, hunger in its gaze.
"We need to find a way to seal it!" Lysra cried. "We can't fight this thing head-on."
Ember felt the Phoenix Heart flicker weakly within her chest. The fusion with Kael had drained her nearly to the brink of collapse. The weight of both souls threatened to tear her apart.
"No," Ember muttered, rising slowly to her feet. The ground beneath her trembled as the soul-eater advanced, its presence suffocating. "There's another way."
Kaelen appeared at her side, his blade glowing with crackling energy. "Whatever you're thinking, it's going to be dangerous. But I'm with you."
"Stay close," Ember said, the air around her beginning to shimmer with raw power. She could feel the Phoenix flame rising again, though weak, the embers of a dying sun.
A dangerous thought whispered in her mind, one Kael had suggested before the merge had begun to unravel: to sacrifice the Phoenix Heart and unleash the full, untapped power of the flame.
Her body shook with the thought. Her heart beat erratically, and every cell screamed in protest. But there was no time left. There was no other choice.
The soul-eater moved closer, its clawed arms sweeping through the air, tearing apart the very fabric of reality. It was a force of entropy, consuming time and space itself.
Ember knew what she had to do.
"Kael," she whispered. "I'm going to burn everything. And you'll be the first to go."
"Do it," Kael's voice replied, stronger now—familiar and cold. "You've got this, Ember."
With a final, piercing scream, Ember threw both her arms wide. The Phoenix Heart pulsed, cracking open, its fiery light blinding. She channeled the final remnants of Kael's magus power and her own flame into one soul-wrenching blast of pure destruction.
The world held its breath.
A blinding explosion of flame and raw energy surged outward from Ember's body, engulfing the Soul-Eater in its destructive embrace. Time shattered. The beast's roars turned into screams as it was pulled into the furnace of eternity, its very existence torn asunder.
And then… silence.
---
Ember fell to her knees, gasping for breath. The ground beneath her was scorched black. The air hummed with the aftermath of such intense power. The Phoenix Heart, though still alive, flickered weakly within her chest.
Lysra and Kaelen rushed to her side, but Ember could hardly move. Her body felt like it was on the brink of collapse.
"You did it," Lysra whispered, her voice trembling with awe.
Ember's voice was barely a whisper. "We did it. But at what cost?"
Kaelen placed a hand on her shoulder, his expression grave. "You're not alone in this. We're with you."
But Ember knew.
The Soul-Eater was vanquished. But the price was steep. Kael—the soul she had fused with, the ancient magus whose power had helped her—was now gone, dissipated in the flames. She had severed the tie, but part of her soul was now lost.
The world had been saved. But for Ember, the battle was far from over.