The air was thick with the tension of what had just transpired. Amina's pulse thundered in her ears, a constant reminder of how far she had come—and how far she still had to go. She stood at the edge of a precipice, a yawning abyss before her, threatening to consume everything she knew and loved.
Her mind was racing. The cycle that bound her and Valec was far from over. If anything, it had only just begun. She had broken through the void, reclaimed her fire, but there was still so much left unknown.
And Valec... he was still there. Somewhere in the depths of the rift. But she could feel him, feel his presence, faint but undeniable.
Amina clenched her fists, her resolve hardening. The darkness that had claimed him was not invincible. She would fight for him, for them, until the very end. But how? How could she undo what had been done?
"Valec…" she whispered, her voice catching in the silence of the void.
But no answer came.
Instead, the ground beneath her trembled. A soft rumble, like the world itself was awakening. The shadows twisted around her once again, creeping toward her like an army of ghosts. But this time, she was ready.
She could feel the flame inside her, growing stronger, more vibrant. She was no longer just the vessel for the fire. She was the fire. She could control it, bend it to her will. But what about the shadows? What about the void that Valec had become?
The answer came to her in a flash—a truth that shattered the very foundation of her beliefs.
Valec was not lost. He was a prisoner.
Amina's breath caught in her throat.
The bond they had shared, the connection that once seemed like a curse, was not simply a link of fate—it was a tether. A tether that had kept them bound together, even in the darkest moments. She had believed that Valec had chosen the darkness, that he had willingly become its servant. But now, she understood.
Valec had been taken. He had been dragged into the depths of the void by forces greater than himself. And the only way to save him was to break that tether—to sever the bond they shared before it consumed them both.
But could she do it? Could she truly let go of the one person who had once been her everything?
Before she could process the weight of this realization, the shadows surged again, crashing against her like an unstoppable wave. She staggered back, trying to hold her ground, but the force of the darkness was overwhelming.
And then, she heard it.
A laugh.
It was soft at first, like a whisper on the wind, but it quickly grew into something more—a cold, cruel sound that sent shivers down her spine.
Amina's eyes snapped toward the source of the sound. Standing in the distance, a figure emerged from the shadows. Tall, imposing, draped in darkness, his face hidden by a mask of shadows.
It was Valec.
Or rather, something that looked like him.
"Amina," the figure purred, his voice low and filled with malice. "Did you really think you could save me?"
Amina's heart clenched. This wasn't Valec. Not anymore. This was the Abyssal, the force that had taken him—twisted him into something unrecognizable.
"No," she said, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her insides. "You're not him. You're a shadow. A mimic. You're nothing."
The figure smiled, but it was empty, hollow. "Oh, Amina. You still don't understand, do you? You can't save what is already lost. The void has claimed him. The flame has claimed you. We are bound, forever."
Amina's fire flared to life, the flames licking at her skin, but she held them back, focusing on the figure before her. "I will never be bound to you," she spat.
The Abyssal's smile widened, and with a swift motion, he extended his hand toward her. The shadows gathered around him, twisting, rising into tendrils that reached for her like a thousand hands, each one cold as death.
Amina's instincts screamed at her to move, but she was too slow. The darkness wrapped around her, pulling her toward the figure, pulling her into the void.
Her heart raced as she fought against the shadows, but they were relentless. The Abyssal's laughter echoed around her, a cruel reminder of how powerless she truly was in this moment. She could feel the darkness closing in, suffocating her.
But then, she remembered.
The fire.
The bond.
With everything she had left, Amina pushed her will into the flames, pouring her heart and soul into the fire that had always been her strength. She was the fire. And she could control it.
The flames exploded outward in a brilliant burst of light, burning away the darkness, driving it back. The Abyssal stumbled, surprised by the sheer force of her power, but he did not fall.
"You are strong," he said, his voice laced with a dark admiration. "But strength alone will not save you."
Amina's breath came in ragged gasps, but her eyes burned with determination. "I don't need to be saved. I just need to save him."
The Abyssal's form wavered, flickering like a dying flame. "Then you are already too late."
Suddenly, the ground beneath them cracked, a rift opening wide, revealing a chasm of swirling shadows. From the depths of the void, a figure emerged—a shadowy form, half-corporeal, with eyes glowing with a terrifying intensity.
Valec.
No. It couldn't be.
The Abyssal laughed again, a low, guttural sound that vibrated through the air. "You think you can save him? He is mine now. And soon, you will be too."
Amina's heart thundered in her chest as the rift began to widen, drawing them both into its depths.
But before she could react, the shadows surged around her once more. The last thing she saw was Valec's eyes—once full of fire and rage, now empty and cold.
And then, the darkness claimed her.