The darkness surged with a fury Alex had never known. It was more than just a physical force—it clawed at his mind, digging into the deepest recesses of his thoughts, searching for his fears, his regrets. It wanted to unravel him from the inside out, to consume him entirely.
But Alex fought back, holding Lily's body tighter, using the memory of her sacrifice as his anchor. He could feel the Void's power pulsing through the mark on his chest, a constant reminder of the connection they shared, but he refused to let it take him without a fight.
The Void, towering over him, watched with amusement as Alex struggled. Its burning eyes glowed brighter with every passing second, as though it were feeding off Alex's resistance. "You cannot escape me," it whispered, its voice seeping into his thoughts like a poison. "You are already mine. The more you fight, the more you strengthen our bond."
Alex could feel it—the dark energy swirling through him, threatening to overwhelm him. His vision blurred, the Citadel around him fading into nothingness as the world itself seemed to melt away, leaving only him and the Void in an endless black abyss. The grotesque figures that had once circled them were gone, absorbed into the Void itself.
"You can't have me," Alex snarled through gritted teeth, though his strength was waning. He could feel the darkness pulling him deeper, trying to drag him into the abyss. Every time he tried to push back, the pain from the mark on his chest flared, sending waves of agony through his body.
The Void's laughter echoed all around him, deep and resonant. "You still don't understand, do you? I am not just a force you can fight. I am the hunger that devours all things. I am eternal. Your will is nothing against me."
Alex's knees buckled as the weight of the Void's presence grew heavier. He was losing—he could feel it in every fiber of his being. The power he was trying to resist was ancient, primal, far beyond anything he could comprehend. It wasn't just an enemy—it was a force of nature, an entity that existed to consume.
But then, from somewhere deep within the darkness, a voice pierced through the haze.
"Alex…"
It was faint, barely a whisper, but it cut through the suffocating void like a knife. Alex's eyes widened as he recognized it. "Lily?" he gasped, his heart skipping a beat. But it couldn't be. She was gone. He had seen her fall, felt her body grow cold in his arms.
Yet the voice came again, clearer this time. "Alex… don't give in."
His heart pounded in his chest as he spun around, searching for her in the endless void. "Lily! Where are you?"
For a moment, the darkness seemed to shift, like the surface of a deep, black ocean stirred by an unseen force. And then, out of the shadows, a faint light appeared—a soft, glowing figure, standing in the distance. It was her. Lily.
"Lily!" Alex shouted, stumbling forward, but his legs felt heavy, as if weighed down by the oppressive darkness. The Void's power still clung to him, trying to pull him back, but the sight of her gave him strength he didn't know he still had.
The Void's laughter turned to a low growl, its amusement replaced with irritation. "You cannot save her. She is lost to you. This is nothing but a trick of the mind."
But Alex knew better. He could feel her presence—real, tangible. It wasn't a trick. It couldn't be.
Lily's voice came again, stronger now. "You have to fight it, Alex. You have to push through."
"I'm trying," Alex muttered, every step feeling like he was wading through quicksand. The darkness coiled around his legs, dragging him back, trying to swallow him whole.
"Let me help you," she said softly, and her light began to grow, expanding outward, pushing the darkness away. For the first time since the battle had begun, Alex felt the weight of the Void lift, if only slightly.
The Void hissed, its form shifting violently as it recoiled from the light. "This is impossible. You cannot resist me!"
But Alex wasn't listening. He was focused entirely on Lily, on the warmth that was slowly returning to his chest, pushing back the cold tendrils of the Void's influence. The mark on his chest still burned, but it no longer felt like a chain binding him—it was something else now, something he could use.
With renewed determination, Alex reached deep within himself, pulling on the connection between him and the Void. If it wanted to claim him, it would have to face him fully. He could feel the power coursing through him, dark and overwhelming, but he wasn't afraid anymore.
"I'm not your puppet," Alex growled, his voice filled with defiance.
The Void snarled, its towering form looming over him once more, its eyes blazing with fury. "You are nothing without me. You will fall like the rest of your kind."
But Alex had heard enough. Drawing on the strength Lily's presence had given him, he focused all of his willpower on the mark, the burning symbol that tied him to the Void