I had Will take the lead towards the next and final room within the Great Tree's dungeon. Will zipped around and let out a high-pitch squeal as if he was excited to get this over with.
"Are you sure you want to send Will in first? What if he gets hurt?" Erol asked.
I replied, "He's a tough little guy. He can handle it."
"Alright," Erol said. "But if he gets into trouble, we're going to help him." I nodded in agreement. Will continued to zip around and I couldn't help but smile at his antics. He was so full of energy and life.
Erol and I were close behind Will, ready to assist him if he needed us. We were in a large room that was dimly lit by a few torches on the walls.
"Who goes there?" Out of the dark corner of the room, an elf appeared. This elf had dark skin and wielded a staff. He had a very close resemblance to Cyrus. Looking at the demon, my heart dropped.
"There's no way it's you, is it Cyrus? I thought you were dead." I asked with an expression of despair on my face. As I said this, the demon's eyes lit up with a malevolent light. He laughed in a way that sent shivers down my spine and made me realize that he wasn't the Cyrus I knew.
"Me, Cyrus? Haha, oh boy. That's rich. You must be Thomas. The Great Tree has told me all about you." Azgoroth said as he grinned and pointed his staff towards me.
No matter how I looked it, Azgoroth resembled Cyrus in every way. The only difference was the color of his skin which was dark and looked to be decaying in some places. He also had a few scars on his face that made him look more menacing than Cyrus ever did.
Azgoroth raised his staff into the air and a ball of fire shot out of it towards me. I quickly dodged to the side and used my sword to block the next attack. Erol rushed to my side and fired a rainbow beam at Azgoroth, but he simply waved his hand and a gust of wind blew the beam.
"Cyrus! I know it's you please come to your senses." I said frantically. I couldn't bear the thought of fighting against him.
Azgoroth cackled loudly. "Cyrus? Ha! You're mistaken. Cyrus is long dead. I am Azgoroth, the demon of the elements!" He twirled his staff around and then slammed the end of it into the ground. A small earthquake shook the entire room.
I was knocked off balance by the quake and fell onto my back.
I was stunned and at a loss on what to do. I knew deeply that Azgoroth was Cyrus. My intuition was yelling at me that he was. He had the same weathered, wrinkly face, the same dark, grayish hair that was tied back into a ponytail, and the same intelligent, yet friendly blue eyes. He was wearing a white, robe with gold trim that was the same color as the robes that the priests of my worshipers wore.
I couldn't bring myself to kill him. He had been a friend and mentor to me. He had helped me on a deep level.
"Cyrus, please come to your senses! Remember the Great Tree's plan to establish its dominance on the world."
Azgoroth stared at me blankly, as if I were speaking a foreign language.
"I have no idea what you are talking about. All I know is that I serve my master, and that is the Great Tree." Azgoroth said.
I shook my head in disbelief. There was no way that I could fight against him. Not when he was in this state.
"Will, use your light on Azgoroth."
Will did as he was commanded. He began to shine brightly and emitted a strong holy light that burned and damaged any demon or undead that came close to him. Azgoroth was stunned by the light and was blinded for a brief moment but he managed to use the staff to cast a gust of wind that blew Will away.
Azgoroth then raised his staff into the air and a ball of lightning shot out of it towards me. I parried the ball of lightning with my sword.
"Thomas," Benny spoke in my mind. "You are reaching critical levels. You have a few hours left before you succumb to the effects of using Imagination Amplification too many times. Once you reach the limit, you will die."
I clenched my teeth.
Azgoroth was a powerful foe, but I couldn't give up. I had to find a way to save him, even if it meant fighting against him.
I looked at Erol. "Erol, help me restrain Azgoroth."
Erol nodded and used his horn to fire a beam of energy at Azgoroth. The beam of energy wrapped around Azgoroth's legs and arms, restraining him.
"Good, Erol! Will! Now it's your turn." Will flew to Azgoroth and started to glow brighter and brighter until he was a miniature sun in the middle of the dungeon. The bright light caused Azgoroth to cry out in pain.
"I'm sorry Cyrus, I know it hurts but I need you to come to your senses. Will, rest your round body on his head and expel as much light as you can. I'm sure that it won't kill him. It will instead cast out the demonic taint in his body. At least, I hope so." I said with uncertainty. I didn't want to harm Azgoroth, but I also couldn't let him continue to serve the Great Tree.
Will did as he was commanded. He rested his body on top of Azgoroth's head and expelled a strong, holy light that was blindingly bright. It was so bright that I had to cover my eyes and look away. I could feel the heat coming off of the light, and it made me sweat.
Azgoroth screamed in agony, his voice echoing off the walls of the room. His skin was turning a darker shade of red and his body was starting to smoke.
"Erol, stop! Let him go." I yelled.
Erol did so immediately, causing the restraints on Azgoroth to disappear and for Azgoroth to fall onto the ground.
Azgoroth laid on the ground, gasping for air and twitching in pain. "Ahhhhhh!!!"
He was in a state of pain and despair, his eyes filled with tears. He coughed up blood, and his body was covered in bruises and cuts. He was in a lot of pain, and his body was shaking uncontrollably.
"Just a little more! Hang in there Cyrus. Keep going, Will." Suddenly, Azgoroth grabbed Will and threw him across the room, then he erected a barrier around himself. Slowly, he started to recover from the damage he had sustained.
"Damn you, you brat. Cyrus is no more! The Great Tree has seen to that. I'm Azgoroth and you are nothing but a pest in my eyes. You will be the one to die in this room." he yelled as he got up from the ground. Azgoroth raised his staff and shot a barrage of fireballs towards us. Erol and Will dodged the attack, and I managed to deflect them with my sword.
Azgoroth then raised his staff and summoned a thunderstorm inside the room. Bolts of lightning struck the ground from the ceiling and I felt a stray bolt hit me causing me to wince and fall from the pain. I was still able to move and managed to get up, but I was in a lot of pain. Erol and Will were also struck by bolts of lightning, and they were struggling to stay on their feet.
"Enough of this. I will finish you all once and for all." Azgoroth raised his staff again and a gust of wind started to swirl around the room. Blades of wind appeared and cut into our skin. The wind was so strong that it was difficult to stay on the ground.
I was struggling to stay conscious. My vision was starting to fade, and I could feel myself slipping away. I was in excruciating pain and I couldn't even stand anymore. I was about to pass out when I suddenly heard a voice in my head.
"Thomas, this is not the end. I know you can win this. Please, save me and the world." It was Cyrus's voice. I looked around the room and saw his spirit standing beside me.
"Cyrus? Is that really you? How is this possible? I thought the Great Tree had taken your soul."
Cyrus's spirit smiled. "The Great Tree tried to take me, but it failed. It took my body rather than my soul. I truly am dead, Lord Thomas. Don't be afraid to go all out."
"Wait, Cyrus, don't leave me. I can still rescue you and get your body back." I pleaded.
Cyrus's spirit smiled again and said, "Lord Thomas, you're a good person. I can see why people love you besides being a god. I'm glad to have had the pleasure of meeting you, but my time has come to an end. Please, let me rest and save the world. It was an honor to meet you, my god. I love you, Lord Thomas. Thank you for giving me the gift of life. Now I must go to the darkness that is death. Goodbye, my friend."
I was shocked and didn't know what to say. A single tear ran down my face and then soon my entire face was covered in them. Soon after, Cyrus' spirit disappeared. I was devastated and didn't want to believe that Cyrus was dead.
"No! Cyrus, don't go! I need you!" I shouted. I collapsed to my knees and sobbed, unable to stop myself.
Erol and Will watched me, unable to do anything to comfort me. They knew that there was nothing that they could do. I was broken and devastated, unable to accept the fact that Cyrus was truly dead.
I got up and turned to face the enemy before me.
"So, that fool Cyrus broke free from the spirit prison. Hmph, no matter, I will kill you here and now. Prepare to die Author of Life."