The chamber was in chaos, with Drake's energy blasts tearing through the ancient stonework. Leo felt the weight of his responsibility—to stop Drake and protect his friends. The vortex swirled ominously, and the ground beneath them began to crack as the energy destabilized the structure.
"Leo, we need a plan!" Sofia shouted over the roar of the vortex.
Leo's mind raced. The artifact he possessed granted him unique abilities, but they alone wouldn't be enough to defeat Drake and close the vortex. He had to think creatively, to use everything he had learned as a Reclaimer.
"Owen, can you find a way to disrupt the vortex?" Leo asked, deflecting another of Drake's energy blasts with his shield.
Owen was crouched behind a fallen column, his fingers flying over the keys of his handheld device. "I'm working on it! But it's like nothing I've ever seen before. I'll need more time!"
"We don't have time!" Evelyn replied, creating a barrier of healing energy to shield them from the debris. "Drake's getting stronger by the minute!"
Leo glanced at Sofia, who was ready to strike at Drake. "We need to keep him busy while Owen works. Can you handle it?"
Sofia smirked. "Consider it done."
Leo nodded, then turned to Evelyn. "Stay close to Owen and protect him. If anything happens to him, we all lose."
Evelyn nodded, her expression determined. "Understood. Be careful, Leo."
Leo gave her a reassuring smile, then charged toward Drake, using the energy from the artifact to propel himself across the chamber. Drake's eyes widened in surprise as Leo's sword clashed with his staff, sending a shockwave through the air.
"You should have joined me, Leo!" Drake growled, his voice filled with malice. "We could have been unstoppable!"
"Your kind of power is not what I want," Leo replied, pressing against Drake's staff with all his strength. "I fight for the people, not for myself."
Drake sneered and pushed back, sending Leo flying across the chamber. Leo crashed into a wall, but quickly regained his footing. His energy was growing stronger, but so was Drake's. This would be a battle of endurance, and Leo knew he had to stay focused.
Sofia joined the fray, attacking Drake from the other side. Her movements were swift and precise, forcing Drake to split his attention. The two of them worked in tandem, each strike coordinated to keep Drake on the defensive.
Meanwhile, Owen continued to analyze the vortex, his eyes darting across the data on his screen. "Leo! There's a core at the center of the vortex! If we can destabilize it, the whole thing will collapse!"
"How do we do that?" Leo asked, ducking under one of Drake's attacks.
"You'll need to get close enough to disrupt it," Owen replied. "But it's dangerous. The energy is unstable. One wrong move and—"
"We don't have a choice," Leo interrupted, blocking another attack from Drake. "Keep working on it, Owen. We'll buy you the time you need."
Drake was growing more frustrated with each passing moment. His attacks became more aggressive, more erratic, as he tried to break through Leo and Sofia's defenses. But the Reclaimers were relentless, their combined efforts keeping Drake from regaining control of the vortex.
Leo knew they had to act fast. The longer the battle continued, the more dangerous the vortex would become. He had to find a way to destabilize it, even if it meant risking everything.