Eryx's body trembled uncontrollably, still pulsing with the residual energy of the Gate. His vision blurred, his legs barely supporting him as he struggled to rise to his feet. The clearing was a battlefield—craters marred the earth, and trees lay shattered, smoldering in the aftermath of his explosion. But despite all the devastation, the figure stood untouched, towering above him, a mountain of malice and ancient power.
The hulking figure's glowing red eyes locked onto Eryx, its lips twisting into a grotesque grin beneath the helmet. It was like the being fed on his fear. Every ounce of Eryx's strength felt meaningless, crushed under the sheer presence of this monster.
"I... I can't..." Eryx muttered, his chest heaving. His fingers dug into the dirt, blood mixing with the soil as he tried to push himself up. But his body refused to obey.
A deep, rumbling voice echoed across the clearing, shaking the very air. "Look at you," the figure hissed, stepping forward with a slow, deliberate pace. "You wield the power of the Gate, yet you are nothing but a child playing with forces beyond your comprehension."
Each word was a hammer blow against Eryx's already shattered confidence. He could feel the weight of the villain's presence pressing down on him like an oppressive force. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, faster and louder, drowning out everything else.
"Run," a voice inside him screamed. But his legs refused to move.
The figure stopped, towering over him. "Do you know what you are, human?" it asked, its voice dark and filled with disdain. "You are fragile. Weak. Pathetic. And yet, you dare to stand against me?"
Eryx looked up, his eyes wide with terror as the figure extended a gauntleted hand. Blood-red lightning crackled between its fingers, the air itself seeming to recoil from the malevolent energy.
A moment later, the figure snapped its hand forward. A sharp, invisible force struck Eryx in the chest, knocking the air from his lungs. He was thrown backward like a ragdoll, crashing hard against a tree. He gasped in pain, clutching his side as he tried to breathe, but each breath felt like fire in his lungs.
Before he could recover, the figure was there, looming over him. It grabbed Eryx by the throat and lifted him effortlessly into the air. The pressure on his windpipe was unbearable, his vision fading as he struggled for breath. His hands clawed at the figure's iron grip, but it was no use.
The villain's glowing red eyes bore into him with a fury that sent a wave of terror through Eryx's entire being.
"You humans," the figure growled, its voice dripping with venom. "You are everything that is wrong with this world."
The grip around Eryx's throat tightened, cutting off his air completely. He gagged, his limbs thrashing in desperation, but it was futile. Blood pounded in his ears, his vision turning dark around the edges.
"You think yourselves gods because you can fight. Because you can kill," the villain continued, its voice rising in anger. "But you are nothing! I was given sentience by the very gods you worship—gifted with thought, and yet denied everything that makes life worth living. Trapped in a void, unable to feel, to see, to touch."
The figure flung Eryx to the ground like a broken toy. He landed hard, the impact sending a searing pain through his chest. He gasped for air, coughing violently as blood splattered onto the dirt beneath him.
"I watched your kind," the villain continued, stepping closer. "Watched you live, love, hope, dream. And I hated you for it."
Eryx tried to stand, his legs trembling beneath him. But the figure was already upon him. A massive boot crashed into his ribs, sending him rolling across the clearing. Pain exploded through his body, and he felt something crack inside him. Blood dripped from his mouth, staining his chin as he coughed.
"You humans… you have everything, and yet you squander it with your petty wars, your greed, your arrogance." The figure's voice was filled with a deep, seething rage. "You have the power to shape the world, and all you do is destroy. I was trapped, watching you squander every gift you were given. The gods cursed me with thought, cursed me to see your freedom while I remained a prisoner, unable to touch, to feel. Do you know what that is like?"
Eryx coughed, struggling to his knees, but his body felt broken. His vision swam, and his hands shook as he wiped blood from his mouth. He felt the Gate's power stirring inside him, but every time he tried to call on it, it slipped away like water through his fingers. He was losing control.
The villain raised its hand, and the earth around Eryx split open, cracks spreading like a web beneath his feet. "I was nothing," the figure said, its voice lowering to a dangerous whisper. "And you, all of you, reminded me of everything I could never have. You reminded me of my prison."
The ground shook violently as red lightning crackled around the villain's body, its power intensifying. "And so, I learned to hate. To despise your weakness, your fragility, your meaningless existence. I longed for the day I could rip this world apart, piece by piece."
The figure's voice dropped, filled with venom and loathing. "Now that I have a body, I will tear your kind from this earth. I will burn your cities, crush your bones, and watch as the gods' failed creations are wiped from existence."
With a roar, the villain raised its hand high, gathering a swirling mass of red lightning and dark energy above its head. The very air vibrated with the force of its power, and Eryx's heart raced in pure terror. He was paralyzed, the weight of the villain's words crushing him.
I'm going to die.
Suddenly, the figure slammed its hand downward. A wave of dark energy exploded outward, racing toward Eryx like a tidal wave.
Time slowed.
Eryx's mind screamed at him to move, but his body refused to respond. The world around him blurred as the wave of destruction closed in, red lightning crackling through the air.
And then, in the split second before the wave hit, something clicked. Deep inside, the Gate's power surged, not as chaotic as before—but something new. Something sharper.
Eryx raised his hands instinctively, and a shield of blue energy erupted around him, just as the wave of dark power crashed into it.
The force of the impact sent him skidding back, his body trembling as the two opposing forces collided. The shield flickered, barely holding, but the Gate's power inside him roared, fighting to break free.
Blood trickled down Eryx's forehead, but he gritted his teeth, forcing the power to obey his will. He couldn't stop the villain's attack, but maybe—just maybe—he could survive it.
For now.
The shield shattered, and Eryx was thrown backward, slamming into the ground with a sickening thud. Everything hurt. His bones felt like they were on fire, his muscles screaming in agony.
As he lay there, broken and bloodied, the villain stepped forward once more, red eyes glowing with unrestrained hatred.
"I will erase your kind from existence," the figure said, its voice cold and final. "And you, Eryx, will be the first to fall."
Eryx's heart pounded in his chest. He couldn't move, couldn't fight, couldn't even think. All he could feel was the crushing weight of his own fear.
And the suffocating certainty that death was only moments away.