The air around them seemed to freeze as the new figure stepped from the rift, its form amorphous and fluid like liquid darkness. King's breath caught in his throat as he met the creature's glowing eyes, filled with an ancient, malevolent intelligence. It wasn't just a shadow or a twisted form of Valjean's mind—it was the rift itself, given shape, sentient and terrifyingly real.
Valjean, now free from the rift's immediate grip, stumbled back, her face pale. "What is that?" she whispered, barely able to find her voice.
King didn't have an answer. The being stood at the edge of the rift, towering over them, its form pulsating with dark energy. The ground trembled beneath their feet, cracks spidering outward from the rift as if the very world was breaking apart. This was something beyond the creatures they had faced before—this was the rift's true power, manifested in a form that could obliterate them both.
"You have defied me," the creature hissed, its voice echoing inside their minds, dark and sinister. "You think you can resist, but you are nothing. I will consume you, as I have consumed countless others."
The creature's words sent a chill through King's body. He could feel the weight of its power pressing down on him, suffocating and oppressive. It wasn't just threatening them—it was making a promise. And for the first time, King realized the full scale of what they were up against. This wasn't just about saving Valjean or stopping the rift. This was about survival.
"Stay behind me," King whispered to Valjean, his voice taut with tension. His hand tightened around the shard, the last glimmer of light in a sea of darkness.
"We can't fight that," Valjean muttered, her eyes wide with terror. "It's too powerful."
King didn't respond. His heart raced, but he knew she was right. Whatever this creature was, it wasn't something they could defeat with brute force. The shard, which had given him hope moments ago, now felt small and insignificant in the face of such an overwhelming presence.
But he refused to let the fear take hold. If the rift fed on their fear, then he couldn't let it consume him. He needed to stay calm, think of another way out.
The creature took a step forward, its amorphous form rippling as if the air itself was bending around it. "You believe you have won a small victory," it said, its voice a low growl. "But you are still within my domain. There is no escape."
King glanced at Valjean, her face pale but determined. She was free now, no longer the rift's puppet, but the battle wasn't over. He could see the exhaustion in her eyes—the toll the rift had taken on her was immense, and she was barely holding on.
"We can't run," he said quietly. "It'll hunt us down."
Valjean nodded, swallowing hard. "Then what do we do?"
King's mind raced, trying to come up with something—anything—that could turn the tide. The rift's true form was now standing before them, and it was stronger than anything they had faced. But if the rift had a consciousness, a presence, then maybe there was something within it they could use. Something it feared.
"The shard," King muttered, looking down at the glowing fragment in his hand. "It's connected to the rift. Maybe it's the key to stopping this thing."
Valjean frowned. "But how? It's just a piece of the rift's energy, isn't it?"
King shook his head. "No. It's more than that. It's what's kept us from falling into the darkness. It's the only thing the rift hasn't fully consumed. If we can figure out how to use it…" His voice trailed off as the creature took another step toward them, the ground shuddering beneath its weight.
"Enough," the creature snarled. "You cannot delay the inevitable."
King could feel the pressure mounting, the weight of the rift bearing down on him. The shard was their only chance, but it wasn't enough on its own. He needed to tap into its power, to unlock whatever potential it held. But how?
"It's drawn to the rift," Valjean said suddenly, her eyes flicking to the shard. "When we were in the middle of the rift, the shard glowed brighter. It's reacting to the energy."
King's mind clicked into place. "It's like a beacon," he realized. "If we get closer to the heart of the rift, maybe we can disrupt its power."
Valjean's eyes widened. "You mean go deeper into the rift? That's suicide."
But King was already moving, his mind set. "We don't have another option. If we don't stop this thing now, it'll tear everything apart."
Valjean hesitated, her fear palpable, but then she nodded, determination flashing in her eyes. "I'm with you."
The creature snarled, sensing their intent. "You dare challenge me in my own domain?" it roared, its form expanding, shadowy tendrils lashing out in every direction.
King gritted his teeth, holding the shard high as he sprinted toward the rift. The light from the shard flared, pushing back the darkness just enough to clear a path. Valjean followed closely behind, her eyes locked on the swirling vortex of energy that loomed ahead of them.
The ground trembled violently as the rift reacted to their approach, the air thick with crackling energy. The creature let out a deafening roar, its form growing larger, more chaotic, as if it was trying to stop them from reaching the heart of the rift.
King didn't slow down. The shard was glowing brighter now, pulsing with energy as they drew closer to the rift's core. He could feel the heat from the rift intensifying, the energy swirling faster, more violently. But he knew they were close.
"We need to get to the center!" he shouted over the roar of the rift.
Valjean nodded, her face set with determination as she kept pace with him.
The creature's form shifted, blocking their path, its glowing eyes fixed on them. "You will not escape!" it bellowed, its voice shaking the very air around them.
King raised the shard, the light from it burning brighter than ever before, and for a moment, the creature hesitated. The energy in the shard was reacting to the rift, growing stronger, more intense, as if it was feeding off the rift's own power.
"Now!" King shouted, thrusting the shard forward.
The shard exploded with light, a blinding brilliance that cut through the darkness and struck the heart of the rift. The creature let out a howl of rage, its form disintegrating as the light pierced through it, and the rift itself began to shudder violently.
The ground beneath them split open, the air filled with the deafening roar of the rift collapsing in on itself. King grabbed Valjean's hand, pulling her away as the vortex of energy spiraled out of control.
"Run!" he shouted, his voice barely audible over the chaos.
They sprinted away from the collapsing rift, the ground shaking beneath their feet. Behind them, the creature let out one final, agonized scream as it was consumed by the rift's implosion. The darkness was being torn apart, unraveling into nothingness as the rift began to close.
But as they ran, King felt a sudden pull—an invisible force dragging him back toward the rift. He stumbled, his grip on Valjean slipping.
"King!" Valjean cried, reaching for him.
But it was too late.
The rift had him.