The light surrounding King flared, pushing back the shadows that had consumed Valjean, but the moment was fragile, teetering on the edge of collapse. King's heart hammered in his chest as he stared into Valjean's eyes, searching for any sign of the woman she used to be. For the briefest moment, he saw it—a flicker of recognition, of humanity, buried beneath the layers of darkness.
But it was slipping away.
"Valjean!" King shouted, his voice raw with desperation. "Stay with me! You're stronger than this—fight it!"
The creatures encircling them hissed, retreating slightly as the shard's light pulsed brighter, but the rift's pull on Valjean was relentless. The dark tendrils wrapped around her form, tightening their grip, and King saw her wince as if the force inside her was fighting back, resisting his attempt to pull her free.
"You can't save me, King," Valjean whispered, her voice strained. "The rift... it's too strong. It's... consuming everything."
The air around them vibrated with the rift's energy, crackling with danger. The ground beneath King's feet trembled, as if the very world was beginning to tear apart. He could feel the pressure building—the rift was growing, expanding, and time was running out.
But King refused to let go. "I don't believe that! I won't lose you to this!"
Valjean's eyes flickered again, and for a moment, the dark glow within them dimmed. Her lips parted as if she were about to say something, but then the rift surged. Its energy coiled tighter around her, pulling her deeper into its grasp. Her body jerked as the tendrils of the rift began to fuse with her, and King felt the shard in his hand tremble, responding to the power shift.
"You're still there," King said, his voice softening, pleading. "I know you are. You have to fight."
Valjean's face twisted with pain, her hands trembling as if she was caught between two forces. The creatures around them began to grow restless, their hollow eyes flickering with anticipation, sensing that the balance of power was shifting once more in the rift's favor.
King took a deep breath, his mind racing. He had to do something—anything—before the rift claimed her completely. The shard in his hand pulsed again, and for the first time, he felt something more than just its energy. It was as if the shard itself was connected to the rift, a part of the same force that now held Valjean captive.
"There's something I haven't told you," Valjean said suddenly, her voice trembling. "The rift... it's not just a doorway. It's alive."
King's eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean?"
"It feeds on us," she continued, her voice growing weaker. "On our fears, our desires. It twists them, turns them against us. And once it has a hold..." Her voice trailed off as the dark tendrils around her coiled tighter, almost suffocating.
King's grip on the shard tightened, his mind racing. The rift wasn't just a force—it was sentient. It had been manipulating them all along, playing with their emotions, using their deepest fears and regrets to grow stronger. And now it had Valjean in its grasp.
But if the rift could be fed, it could also be starved.
King's eyes narrowed as a plan began to form in his mind. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it was the only chance he had left. He needed to cut off the rift's power source—deny it the fear and despair it thrived on. And that meant confronting his own darkness head-on.
"Valjean," he said, stepping closer despite the rift's tendrils lashing out at him. "You told me once that you were afraid of what the rift would do to us. But I'm not afraid anymore."
Her eyes flickered with confusion. "What are you—"
"I'm not afraid because I know we're stronger than this," he interrupted, his voice steady. "You and me. Together, we've faced worse. And I'm not going to let fear control us anymore."
The shard in his hand flared with light, brighter than ever before, and King felt a surge of warmth flow through him. It was more than just the shard's power—it was his own determination, his refusal to give in to the darkness. And with that realization, the rift's pull began to weaken.
Valjean gasped, her body trembling as the tendrils around her loosened slightly. "King... what are you doing?"
"I'm showing you that we don't have to be afraid," he replied, his eyes locked on hers. "The rift can only control us if we let it. But we can fight back."
The creatures around them hissed in anger, their forms flickering as if they were beginning to lose their solidity. The rift itself seemed to tremble, its energy faltering as the shard's light continued to grow.
King stepped closer, reaching out his hand toward Valjean. "Take my hand," he urged. "We can do this together."
For a moment, she hesitated, her eyes filled with doubt and fear. But then, slowly, she reached out, her trembling hand brushing against his. The moment their fingers touched, a surge of energy passed between them, and the light from the shard exploded outward, filling the air with brilliance.
The rift recoiled, its tendrils snapping back as if burned by the light. The creatures shrieked in agony, their forms dissolving into shadow as the light consumed them. And in that instant, King felt the rift's grip on Valjean loosen, its power slipping away as the shard's light enveloped them both.
For the first time, Valjean's eyes were clear—free of the rift's influence. She stared at King, her expression filled with wonder and relief.
"You did it," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the roar of the collapsing rift.
But King knew it wasn't over. The rift was weakening, but it wasn't gone. And as he looked beyond Valjean, he saw something that made his blood run cold.
A new figure was emerging from the depths of the rift—a being of pure shadow, its form shifting and writhing as it stepped into their world. Its eyes, glowing with malevolent light, locked onto King and Valjean, and it let out a low, menacing growl.
The rift had revealed its true form.
And it wasn't done with them yet.