The land trembled.
It started as a low rumble, a vibration that whispered through the very air. It built slowly, steadily, until the earth itself seemed to groan beneath the weight of something awakening—something ancient, something terrible.
Jack stood frozen at the edge of the crater where Kael's transformation had begun. The sigil they had fought so hard to secure was now useless in their hands, its power stolen and turned against them. A dark, void-like mist rose from the depths, swirling in unnatural patterns, suffocating everything it touched.
Behind him, Auren was already shouting orders to the remaining defenders, but his voice was barely audible over the sound of the coming storm. The sky above was streaked with fire, the heavens themselves burning in warning. Jack knew they didn't have much time.
Nyssa's breath was ragged as she grabbed his arm, dragging him away from the edge. "We have to move, Jack! Now!"
But Jack couldn't move. His gaze was fixed on Kael—the creature he had once called his friend—now standing in the center of the battlefield. Kael was no longer even close to human. His body, once muscular and familiar, was now an amalgamation of shifting shadows and glowing starlight. His eyes, those familiar eyes, were gone, replaced by an abyssal void that seemed to suck in the very light around him.
"Jack…" Kael's voice called out, but it wasn't Kael's voice—not entirely. It was layered, a thousand echoes, none of which belonged to the friend he had fought beside for so long. "You've done this. You've made me whole."
Jack's heart clenched. It was all true. The realization hit him like a hammer to the chest. Kael had become the vessel, not for the Devourer, but for something far worse—the Dark Lord, the ancient force that had been trapped for eons. And now, the price was being paid.
The Siege Begins
The first wave hit just as Jack snapped out of his reverie. Isolde's forces were upon them.
A storm of shadows descended on the mountainside, led by the corrupted warriors she had once controlled. The skies turned black as night, casting everything in unnatural darkness. The first volley of arrows—dark, gleaming with the sickly light of the Devourer—rained down upon the soldiers below, splitting the ranks and sending screams echoing through the valley.
"Fight! Fight!" Auren's voice rang out, but it was drowned by the roar of the approaching army. His godfire flared around him, a last-ditch effort to hold back the tide. But even that was fading, flickering like a candle in a windstorm.
The earth split beneath them, and from the cracks poured an army of shadow-summoned horrors—twisted, corrupted versions of men, beasts, and spirits alike. They tore through the defenses like paper, ripping through armor and flesh with abandon.
Jack and Nyssa fought back to back, their blades cutting through the throng of enemies, but it felt like they were battling against the tide of an inevitable storm. Every strike they made seemed to be undone by a dozen more enemies that took their place.
And through it all, Kael—no, the Dark Lord—stood in the center, watching. His cold, unblinking gaze never wavered from Jack, his former companion, as if he were savoring the moment. He didn't move to attack. Not yet. He was content to watch the destruction unfold, to let the world crumble around them.
Auren's Sacrifice
Jack's mind raced, but nothing was clear. The Sigil and the Heart had failed. Kael had failed. There was only one choice left.
"No," Nyssa whispered, her voice trembling as she saw the look in Auren's eyes. "You can't."
Auren turned to her, his face determined, but grim. He was already stepping toward the center of the battlefield, toward the heart of the oncoming storm. "I can," he said, voice heavy with the weight of what was to come. "I have no other choice."
Jack tried to stop him, but Auren was faster. He raised his hand to the sky, and with a cry that echoed across the valley, the remnants of godfire surged around him, engulfing his body. His energy flared—wild, uncontrolled—and the very air around him crackled with the power of forgotten gods.
"You will not have him!" Auren's voice thundered, and with a final, desperate surge, he unleashed the power of the fire. It tore through the air, a tidal wave of light and flame that consumed everything in its path.
The ground shook, the skies split wide open, and a roar—deafening, thunderous—erupted from the depths. For a moment, everything went silent.
And then, the earth shattered.
The blast of energy ripped through Isolde's army, sending shadows and creatures alike scattering like leaves in a storm. But it came at a cost. Auren's body was consumed in the flames, his form disintegrating in the very fire he had unleashed. His sacrifice, the last of his power, had ensured the survival of the few.
The Final Confrontation
Jack fell to his knees, gasping for breath as the smoke and dust cleared. Nyssa was at his side, her eyes wide with horror.
"He's gone," she whispered, voice trembling.
Jack couldn't speak. He had no words for what had just transpired. Auren had given everything to stop the Devourer, to delay the inevitable.
And still, the Dark Lord stood. Kael, now fully consumed, raised his arms to the sky, his form shimmering with cosmic light. His voice rang out, deep and distorted with an ancient power.
"You cannot stop what you have started, Jack. You never could."
Jack stumbled to his feet, staring at Kael—no, the Dark Lord—and the abyssal power that emanated from him.
"Then I'll stop it another way," Jack said, his voice cold with resolve. "I'll finish what Auren started."
Kael—no, the Dark Lord—smiled, a twisted, horrifying grin.
"You think you can? You are mine now, Jack. You always have been."
The ground beneath them trembled again, but this time, it wasn't the earth breaking. It was the world itself, the seams of reality beginning to tear.
The skies above shattered like glass. A wave of destruction surged outward, breaking apart the very fabric of reality. In the distance, the sun flickered, the stars vanishing one by one, consumed by an unending, yawning void.
Jack's heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the horizon, now twisted with the blackened abyss. There was no escaping it. The end had begun.
And then, through the chaos, Kael—no, the Dark Lord—spoke one last time.
"You were never meant to be a hero, Jack. You were always my vessel. And now, you will do what you were born to do."
Jack's eyes widened as the weight of the final truth crashed down on him.
And then, the world went dark.