The Soulstone vibrated in my hand, its pulse synchronizing with my racing heartbeat. The creature before us—this ancient, abyssal entity—towered over the chamber like a nightmare given form. Its sickly green eyes locked onto me, its face twisting into something like amusement. The air around it seemed to shimmer and bend, as if reality itself could barely contain its presence.
"You think that will save you?" the creature hissed, its voice a chorus of countless others, speaking from depths unknown. Each word felt like a dagger twisting in the mind, heavy with malevolent intent.
Leon stood at my side, his sword drawn and ready, though we both knew that steel alone would not defeat this thing. Karis had already taken a defensive stance, her eyes flicking between me and the creature, looking for an opening, an opportunity. But there were none. The room was sealed. The vortex of dark energy churned above us, fueled by the entity's presence, crackling with a power we could barely comprehend.
"It's using the Citadel as an anchor," Mira had said before she was consumed by the orb. Her final words echoed in my mind, repeating like a refrain, urging me to act.
"Stay back!" I shouted to Leon and Karis, gripping the Soulstone with both hands. I could feel its power surging, but it was erratic—uncontrolled. This stone, this artifact of impossible power, was connected to everything here. The entity, the Citadel, even Mira. And now, it was our only chance to escape this nightmare.
Leon hesitated, but then nodded. He and Karis stepped back, their eyes locked on the creature.
The entity moved, its limbs elongating unnaturally as it stepped closer, its form stretching and distorting in ways that defied physics. "Do you not see?" it growled. "This place is mine! I am older than your gods, your kings, your empires. I was sealed here before your kind learned to crawl."
"You were sealed for a reason," I said, the words spilling out before I could stop them. My mind raced, trying to understand the connection between the Soulstone and this entity. Whatever it was, the ancient beings who built the Citadel had deemed it dangerous enough to imprison.
"And now I am free," the entity replied, its voice like the scraping of iron against stone. It raised a spindly hand, and the air around us grew heavier. "You have no idea what you have unleashed."
The dark energy swirling around the chamber began to coalesce, forming tendrils that reached out toward us, writhing like serpents. The air itself seemed to grow thicker, the pressure mounting with every second. My lungs felt like they were being crushed under the weight of it all.
I gritted my teeth, focusing on the Soulstone. It pulsed again, brighter this time, and I felt a surge of power flow through me. But it wasn't enough. I needed more—more control, more focus. Mira had been right: the Soulstone was the key, but I still didn't understand how to use it.
The entity chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that reverberated through the chamber. "You are nothing," it said, stepping closer. "Fleeting creatures, born of dust and shadow. You cannot comprehend what I am."
I took a step back, my mind racing. **Focus, damn it!** I thought to myself. **There has to be a way.** The Soulstone's power was immense, but it was also volatile. I needed to channel it, to direct it—but how?
The entity raised its hand again, and I felt a sudden, crushing force slam into me. My vision blurred, and I was thrown back against the wall, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs. The Soulstone slipped from my grasp, clattering to the ground.
"NO!" I gasped, struggling to my feet. The entity's laughter echoed in my ears as it loomed over me.
Leon and Karis rushed forward, their weapons raised, but the entity barely acknowledged them. With a flick of its wrist, it sent them flying across the chamber as well, their bodies crashing into the walls with bone-rattling force.
I reached for the Soulstone, my fingers brushing against its surface. As soon as I touched it, I felt a jolt of energy, stronger than before. Images flashed through my mind—fragments of memories, voices, and visions of a time long past. The Citadel's history, the ancient beings who had built it, their desperate attempts to contain the power they had unleashed.
And then I saw it: **the lock.**
The Soulstone was not just a key to power—it was part of a lock, a mechanism designed to contain the entity. But the lock was incomplete. The missing piece was something deeper, something buried within the Citadel itself.
I stood, the Soulstone clutched tightly in my hand. "We're not done yet," I muttered under my breath.
The entity tilted its head, its glowing eyes narrowing. "You still do not understand," it said, its voice cold and final. "You cannot defeat me."
"I don't need to defeat you," I said, stepping forward. "I just need to finish what they started."
I raised the Soulstone, and the chamber trembled in response. The dark energy swirling around the entity faltered for a moment, flickering like a dying flame. The ground beneath us cracked, fissures spreading outward from where I stood, glowing with a faint, otherworldly light.
The entity roared in fury, its form shifting and contorting as it lashed out with its tendrils of energy. But this time, I was ready. I focused on the Soulstone, willing its power into the cracks beneath my feet. The ground shook violently, and the light within the fissures grew brighter.
"You cannot seal me again!" the entity bellowed, its voice a cacophony of rage.
The tendrils of dark energy surged toward me, but they stopped short, repelled by the light emanating from the cracks. The Soulstone pulsed in my hand, its energy flowing through me like a river of fire. The cracks widened, and from deep within the earth, I heard a sound—like the grinding of ancient stone, the turning of some vast, unseen mechanism.
"I can't do this alone!" I shouted, my voice strained. "Leon! Karis! I need you!"
Leon was the first to rise, shaking off the impact of the entity's attack. His sword was already in hand, and without hesitation, he rushed to my side. Karis followed close behind, her daggers gleaming in the dim light.
"We're with you," Leon said, his voice steady.
"Good," I replied, barely able to keep my focus. "I need you to protect me—just for a little longer."
The entity screeched in fury, its form expanding and contracting in a grotesque display of its unnatural power. The vortex above us churned violently, and the chamber itself seemed on the verge of collapse.
With Leon and Karis standing guard, I focused all my attention on the Soulstone. I could feel the mechanism beneath us—a vast, intricate network of ancient wards and seals, buried deep within the foundations of the Citadel. They had been dormant for millennia, but the Soulstone was the key to reactivating them.
The ground beneath us continued to tremble, and the light from the cracks grew brighter, almost blinding. The entity howled in frustration, lashing out with more tendrils of dark energy, but Leon and Karis deflected them with precise strikes, keeping the creature at bay.
"We can't hold it off forever!" Karis shouted, her daggers flashing as she cut through one of the tendrils.
"Just a little longer," I said through gritted teeth. The energy flowing through the Soulstone was overwhelming, but I couldn't let go now. I was so close—so close to finishing what had been started eons ago.
The chamber shook violently, and for a moment, I thought the entire Citadel would collapse around us. But then, with a deafening crack, the ground beneath the entity split open, revealing a vast chasm of swirling light and shadow.
The entity let out a scream of pure rage, its form distorting and flickering as it was pulled toward the chasm. The vortex above us intensified, and the entire chamber was consumed by a maelstrom of light and darkness.
"You cannot do this!" the entity roared, its voice filled with desperation. "I will not be imprisoned again!"
But it was too late. The mechanism beneath the Citadel had been reactivated, and the ancient wards were once again coming into effect. The entity's form began to unravel, its dark energy dissipating into the void as it was dragged toward the chasm.
With a final, ear-splitting scream, the entity was pulled into the chasm, its form disappearing into the swirling abyss. The vortex above us collapsed in on itself, and the chamber was plunged into silence.
For a long moment, none of us moved. The air was still heavy with the lingering presence of the entity, but the oppressive weight that had filled the Citadel was gone.
"We did it," Leon said, his voice barely above a whisper.
I nodded, my entire body trembling from the effort. The Soulstone in my hand was dim now, its power spent—for the moment.
Karis looked around the chamber, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Is it... is it really over?"
"I think so," I replied, though a part of me wasn't entirely sure. The entity was gone, sealed away once again in the depths of the Cit