Kael could barely keep his vision clear. Blood dripped down his face, and every breath was agony. The fight had taken everything out of him, leaving him kneeling in the middle of the cave, his sword dragging along the blood-soaked floor. The bodies of Silas's soldiers littered the ground around him, but it wasn't over yet. Not even close.
Silas remained at the back of the chamber, his expression calm, his smile never wavering. He hadn't lifted a finger during the entire battle. His soldiers had done the work for him, but now there were only a few left standing, and they were regrouping.
Kael, breathing heavily, tried to rise to his feet. His leg buckled under the weight, and he collapsed again, the pain shooting through him like fire. He could barely grip his sword, but he wasn't about to give up.
Silas took a few steps forward, his eyes fixed on the relic that still sat on its pedestal in the center of the room. "You've done well, Kael," Silas said, his voice almost soothing, "but this is where it ends."
Kael spat blood onto the floor, his hand trembling as he gripped his sword tighter. "It's not over."
Silas smiled, a cold, calculating expression. "Oh, I think it is."
Kerric stood frozen, his sword still in hand, but his heart felt heavier than ever. Silas's words echoed in his mind, stirring memories of a past he had tried to bury. The years of loyalty, the promises, and the obligation to Silas's family weighed him down like chains. Every part of him wanted to follow orders, to do what had always been expected of him.
But the faces of their fallen comrades flashed before him, the men who had fought and died for this mission, believing in something more than power. He looked at Kael, broken and bleeding, still standing despite everything.
Kerric's hands shook. His loyalty to Silas had never been questioned until now. But this wasn't about duty anymore. It wasn't about following orders or paying debts. It was about survival, about stopping the madness that would consume them all.
His voice, hoarse and strained, barely escaped his lips. "I've given you everything, Silas. My loyalty, my life... But this..."
Silas raised an eyebrow, his cold gaze piercing through Kerric. "This is your chance to prove yourself, Kerric. You know what needs to be done."
Kerric's chest tightened. The choice wasn't easy. It never was. But this time, the weight of it crushed him.
"I can't do this anymore," Kerric whispered, his voice breaking. "Not like this."
As Kerric's words hung in the air, Kael looked toward the entrance of the cave, his mind racing. "What about the Iron Circle?" he asked, his voice raspy. "They were after us too."
Silas smiled, his cold confidence returning. "The Iron Circle... won't be a problem. They've been dealt with."
Kael's stomach churned. He didn't know what Silas had done, but the fact that the Iron Circle was no longer a threat didn't bring him any comfort. It only made Silas more dangerous.
The air in the chamber shifted, a sudden drop in temperature sending a shiver down Kael's spine. The relic, still resting on the stone pedestal, pulsed with a faint, eerie light. Kael felt the shift, a subtle vibration in the ground beneath him, as though the very cave was reacting to the relic's presence.
Silas noticed it too. His eyes flicked to the relic, the smile returning to his face. "You feel that, don't you, Kerric? That's power, power that will tear everything apart if it's not controlled."
Kerric's eyes remained locked on the relic, but his expression didn't change. "I know what it is," he said softly. "That's why you can't have it."
Kael struggled to his feet, the pain in his chest nearly blinding him. "What is it, Kerric? What's that thing going to do?"
Kerric's voice was strained. "It's more than just a tool for power. If he uses it... if anyone uses it, it could destroy everything. It was never meant to be controlled."
Silas's eyes gleamed, his hand reaching toward the relic. "You've never understood, Kerric. That's why you've always been nothing more than a servant."
Kael's heart pounded as he watched Silas approach the relic. The pulse of power grew stronger, the vibrations in the air almost unbearable.
As Silas's hand hovered over the relic, the light intensified, casting long shadows across the cave walls.
Silas smiled, his fingers inches from the relic.
Kael's vision blurred, his breath coming in shallow gasps. "Kerric... we can't let him..."
Kerric, his face pale, stepped forward, his sword raised. But it was too late. Silas's hand closed around the relic.
The cave trembled.
And then, everything went dark.