The underground chamber was bathed in the eerie glow of bioluminescent plants. Detective Whitaker and his team stood before the ancient altar, their weapons drawn and their nerves on edge. Dream, still visibly tormented, had just revealed what he believed to be the key to defeating the necromancer.
"You shouldn't be here," Dream said, his voice strained and desperate. "The necromancer knows you're coming."
Whitaker stepped forward, his heart pounding. "Dominique, you have to fight it. We can help you."
Dream shook his head, tears mingling with the blood on his face. "It's too late for me. But you can still stop him. The altar—it's the key to his power. Destroy it, and you might have a chance."
Before they could react, the ground began to shake. The necromancer's dark presence filled the chamber, his twisted figure appearing at the far end.
"You are persistent," the necromancer hissed, his voice echoing through the chamber. "But this is where your journey ends."
Whitaker and his team braced themselves, their weapons ready. The necromancer raised his hand, and a wave of dark magic surged forward. Whitaker barely had time to shout a warning before the energy hit them, sending them sprawling.
"Get up! We need to destroy the altar!" Whitaker yelled, scrambling to his feet.
Officer Martinez fired her weapon at the necromancer, the bullets glowing with a strange light as they were deflected by an unseen force. "Our bullets aren't working!"
The necromancer laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through the chamber. "Foolish mortals. You think your weapons can harm me?"
Whitaker glanced at the altar, then back at the necromancer. "It's a trap! The altar isn't the source of his power!"
Dream, clutching his head in agony, managed to speak. "He... he told me it was... to mislead you."
Realizing the deception, Whitaker turned his attention to the necromancer. "We need to focus on him. Take him down!"
The team regrouped, firing their weapons and using everything they had against the necromancer. Bullets flew, but the dark magic around him seemed to absorb the impact. Whitaker could see the strain on his team's faces as they struggled against the overwhelming power.
"He's not real!" Officer Martinez shouted, noticing how their attacks seemed to pass through the necromancer without causing real damage. "It's an illusion!"
Whitaker's eyes widened in realization. "Then where's the real threat?"
As if answering his question, the ground beneath them began to shift and crack. Dark tendrils of magic emerged, lashing out and attacking the team from all directions. The illusion of the necromancer and Dream continued to taunt and distract them, but the real danger lay in the dark magic that was now physically assaulting them.
"We need to find the source of this magic!" Whitaker yelled, dodging a tendril that whipped towards him. "Stay alert and look for anything unusual!"
The team spread out, their flashlights cutting through the darkness as they searched for the source of the malevolent energy. Officer Harris fired at the tendrils, trying to keep them at bay, while Officer Blake used his knife to cut through the vines that seemed to grow and constrict around them.
Whitaker's eyes scanned the chamber, searching for anything that could be the real source of the necromancer's power. His gaze landed on a pulsating mass of dark energy at the far end of the chamber, partially hidden behind a cluster of glowing plants.
"There!" he shouted, pointing towards the mass. "That's it! Destroy that!"
The team focused their firepower on the pulsating mass, their bullets and shrapnel tearing into it. The dark tendrils recoiled, and the illusion of the necromancer and Dream flickered, momentarily losing their form.
"Keep going! We're breaking through!" Officer Martinez urged, her weapon blazing.
The chamber shook violently as the mass of dark energy began to disintegrate under the assault. The illusionary necromancer roared in fury, his form wavering and dissolving into mist.
With one final, concentrated effort, Whitaker and his team destroyed the pulsating mass. The dark tendrils vanished, and the oppressive atmosphere in the chamber lifted. The illusion of the necromancer and Dream disappeared completely, leaving them in stunned silence.
"We did it," Officer Harris said, her voice a mix of relief and exhaustion. "It's over."
Whitaker approached the spot where the mass had been, ensuring it was truly gone. "It was a decoy," he said, shaking his head. "The real necromancer is still out there. But at least we've weakened his hold here."