The blinding light erupted from the crystalline weapon, engulfing Serena and the stone circle in a wave of raw energy. The power surged through her, coursing down her arms and into the ground, merging with the ancient runes carved into the stone platform. She could feel the Lumen Corvus vibrating in her pack, pulsing as if it were fighting against its own destruction.
For a heartbeat, the world was silent, suspended in a moment of perfect stillness.
Then, a deafening roar split the air as the weapon's energy collided with the Lumen Corvus, triggering a force so intense that it felt as if the very fabric of reality were tearing apart. The ground beneath Serena's feet shook violently, cracks spider-webbing through the stone platform as waves of energy radiated outward, rippling across the cliffside.
"Serena!" Rebecca's voice cut through the chaos, filled with alarm as she staggered backward, shielding her eyes from the blinding light. "What's happening?"
Serena couldn't answer. The weapon had locked her in place, her body frozen as the energy continued to pour out, feeding into the ancient site. She could feel the pull of the other realms pressing against her, as if a doorway were being forced open, connecting her to something vast and uncontainable. It was exhilarating and terrifying, the sense of power overwhelming every cell in her body.
Suddenly, a sharp crack filled the air as a rift appeared above the stone circle—a jagged tear in reality that shimmered with colors Serena had never seen before. The rift pulsed with energy, and Serena could feel its pull, as if it were trying to draw her in.
"No!" Elias's voice rang out, laced with desperation as he scrambled toward her. His face was twisted in fear, his eyes wide as he stared at the rift. "Stop! You're tearing open the boundary!"
Serena gritted her teeth, fighting to stay grounded as the rift continued to widen. The weapon in her hands pulsed erratically, its energy fluctuating as it tried to counterbalance the power of the Lumen Corvus. She could feel the tension between the two forces, an invisible struggle between creation and destruction, each fighting for dominance.
"I can't stop it!" Serena shouted, her voice strained as she struggled to maintain control. The energy was slipping from her grasp, like sand slipping through her fingers.
Elias reached the edge of the stone circle, his hand outstretched as if he could somehow stop the unfolding chaos. "You're opening a rift to the other realms! You don't know what's on the other side!"
Serena's eyes met his, her face set with determination. "I know enough. This ends here, Elias."
With a surge of effort, she focused all of her energy into the weapon, channeling its power into the Lumen Corvus with everything she had. The rift above them pulsed, widening with a blinding flash, and Serena felt the ground give way beneath her, as if the very foundation of the world were collapsing.
Rebecca's scream echoed across the cliffside as the platform shattered, sending fragments of stone cascading down into the abyss below. Serena's body tensed as she fought to stay upright, but the pull of the rift was too strong. She felt herself slipping, her grip on the weapon faltering as the energy spiraled out of control.
"Serena!" Alaric's voice was a distant echo, his figure blurred by the intense light. "Hold on!"
But she couldn't hold on. The force of the rift was too powerful, drawing her toward it with an unstoppable pull. In one final, desperate attempt, Serena let go of the weapon, letting it fall onto the stone platform beside the Lumen Corvus. The crystalline structure shattered on impact, releasing a shockwave of energy that collided with the Lumen Corvus in a burst of raw, blinding power.
The rift exploded, a shockwave rippling through the air as the fabric of reality snapped back into place. Serena was thrown backward, her body slamming against the stone floor as the remnants of the rift collapsed, leaving only silence in its wake.
For a long moment, everything was still.
Serena lay on the cold stone, her body numb, her mind a blur. The weapon was gone, its fragments scattered across the platform, and the Lumen Corvus lay silent, its power finally extinguished. The rift had vanished, the ancient magic of the site settling back into place, leaving only a faint shimmer in the air where it had once been.
Slowly, Serena pushed herself up, her body aching from the impact. Her vision swam, but as her eyes focused, she saw Rebecca and Alaric moving toward her, their faces etched with worry and relief.
"Are you… alright?" Rebecca asked, her voice shaky as she knelt beside Serena, her hand resting on her shoulder.
Serena nodded weakly, her gaze drifting to the shattered remains of the weapon and the dormant Lumen Corvus. "It's… over."
But as the words left her mouth, a movement at the edge of the platform caught her eye. Elias was still there, his face contorted with rage and desperation as he stumbled toward them. His clothes were singed, his body battered, but his eyes blazed with determination.
"You've ruined everything!" he shouted, his voice filled with fury. "Do you even know what you've done? Destroying the Lumen Corvus didn't just close the door—it locked us out! You've cut us off from the realms entirely!"
Serena's pulse quickened as she staggered to her feet, facing Elias with a steely glare. "That was the point, Elias. No one should have that kind of power. It was too dangerous, and you know it."
Elias clenched his fists, his face twisted in anguish. "You don't understand. The Syndicate… they needed that power to stabilize the boundaries, to protect us from what lies beyond. You've made us vulnerable. Now, there's nothing stopping them from coming through!"
A cold chill ran down Serena's spine. She had been so focused on destroying the Lumen Corvus that she hadn't considered the consequences of cutting off the realms entirely. But Elias's words filled her with a new kind of dread—a fear that destroying the artifact had opened the door to something even darker.
Before she could respond, a rumbling sound filled the air, deep and ominous, as if the very ground beneath them were trembling. Serena glanced around, her heart pounding as the stones of the platform began to shift, the runes flickering faintly.
"What's happening?" Rebecca asked, her voice tight with fear as she looked to Serena.
Alaric's expression was grim, his gaze fixed on the stone circle. "The site is destabilizing. Without the Lumen Corvus to act as a bridge, the energy of the other realms is collapsing in on itself."
Serena's mind raced as she tried to process his words. The Lumen Corvus had been a bridge, a link that kept the realms connected. Destroying it had closed that link, but in doing so, they had disrupted the balance of the site.
"We need to get out of here," Alaric said urgently, his eyes wide with fear. "If we stay, we'll be caught in the collapse."
Serena didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed Rebecca's hand, pulling her toward the edge of the platform as they sprinted for safety. Alaric followed close behind, his gaze darting to the crumbling stone around them.
Elias, however, remained where he stood, his face a mask of despair as he stared at the remains of the Lumen Corvus. "You've doomed us all," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the rumbling of the earth.
Serena looked back at him, her heart heavy with regret. "We did what had to be done. You chose this path, Elias."
With that, she turned and ran, leaving him behind as the ground continued to shake and crumble. They raced across the cliffside, the ancient site collapsing behind them, a testament to the power they had unleashed.
As they reached the edge of the cliffs and looked back one last time, Serena felt a strange sense of closure. The Lumen Corvus was gone, its power extinguished, but the journey had cost them more than she could have ever imagined.
And as the ruins of the stone circle disappeared into the abyss, Serena knew that whatever came next would be the true test.