The night exploded into chaos.
The Shadows of Oblivion crashed against them with relentless force. Dark energy tore through the air, slamming into the ground and splitting it apart with an ear-splitting crack. Arin barely had time to brace himself as the shockwave sent him stumbling backward. His hand instinctively shot out, and the earth responded, creating a jagged wall of stone that shielded him from the next blast.
"Karya, stay close!" he shouted.
But Karya was already in motion. The wind roared around her, responding to her every command. She darted through the battlefield like a storm incarnate, her movements fluid and precise. With each sweep of her arms, gusts of wind sliced through the shadows, tearing their dark forms apart. The glowing eyes of the creatures flickered and dimmed as they dissolved back into the night, but more kept coming—endless, unstoppable.
Arin's heart raced as he tried to keep pace, but he couldn't ignore the gnawing fear at the edges of his mind. Rykan's warning echoed in his thoughts—the Elemental Severance. The Shadows weren't just here to kill; they were here to strip them of their very essence, their connection to the elements.
Rykan fought beside him, his movements sharp but hesitant, as though the darkness still clung to him. His earth-based techniques were strong, but Arin could sense the strain in Rykan's posture, the flicker of doubt behind his strikes. Rykan had only just returned, and his battle with his own inner demons was far from over.
"Focus!" Arin shouted, blocking a tendril of dark energy with a sweep of earth. "We can't let them get inside our heads!"
Rykan gritted his teeth, slamming his hands into the ground and sending a ripple of stone spikes shooting toward the nearest shadow creatures. They shrieked as they were impaled, their forms dissipating into mist. But more surged forward, filling the gap.
This isn't working, Arin realized, panic rising. They just keep coming.
A deafening crack tore through the battlefield, and Arin's gaze snapped to the center of the horde. There, standing amidst the writhing shadows, was a figure cloaked in darkness, taller and more menacing than the others. Its form was more defined, its eyes burning with an intensity that made Arin's blood run cold.
"A Shade Lord," Rykan muttered, his voice filled with dread.
The Shade Lord raised its hand, and the shadows seemed to pulse in response. Tendrils of darkness shot out from its form, latching onto the surrounding creatures and drawing them into itself. The shadows coalesced around the figure, making it grow larger, more powerful.
Arin felt the earth beneath him tremble—not in fear, but in anticipation. The elements were responding to the presence of such darkness, urging him to act. He took a step forward, his hand outstretched, but the ground shook violently before he could move further.
A sudden blast of wind erupted from Karya's position, sending shockwaves through the air. Her body shimmered with the combined power of wind and water, the two elements swirling around her like a storm. But the look on her face wasn't one of control—it was fury. Pure, unrelenting fury.
"Karya, wait!" Arin called, but his voice was lost in the roar of the storm she had unleashed.
The winds whipped around her, bending to her will but growing more unstable by the second. Her power was surging, but it was wild, unrestrained. Arin could feel the imbalance, the way the elements twisted and clashed within her. She was tapping into something deeper, something dangerous, and it was tearing her apart.
"I won't let them take me!" Karya shouted, her voice filled with defiance. "I won't let them win!"
Her eyes locked onto the Shade Lord, and with a sweep of her hand, she hurled a torrent of wind and water toward it. The elements collided with the dark figure, but instead of destroying it, the Shade Lord absorbed the attack. The darkness around it grew thicker, more suffocating, as it fed off the elemental energy.
No... Arin's heart sank as he realized what was happening. It's feeding on her power.
"Karya, stop!" he yelled, but she couldn't hear him. She was too consumed by the battle, too lost in her need to fight back.
The Shade Lord's eyes gleamed as it raised its hand again, this time aiming directly at Karya. Dark tendrils shot out toward her, faster than she could react. Arin's breath caught in his throat as he watched the tendrils wrap around her, the darkness latching onto her like chains.
Karya screamed as the tendrils tightened, pulling at her energy, her very essence. Arin felt a surge of panic. He had to do something. He had to act—now.
With a burst of determination, Arin summoned all the power he could muster. The earth rumbled beneath him, answering his call, but this time, it wasn't just stone and soil. Flames ignited around his hands, their heat mixing with the raw force of the earth. He had been afraid to use fire since the incident with the Infernal Rift, but he had no choice now. He couldn't hold back—not if he wanted to save her.
He slammed his fists into the ground, and a wave of molten earth surged forward, a combination of fire and stone crashing toward the Shade Lord. The blast hit the creature with a force that shook the entire battlefield, breaking the connection between it and Karya.
The dark tendrils recoiled, and Karya fell to the ground, gasping for air. The shadows around her dissipated, but she was visibly weakened. Her elemental energy flickered, unsteady, as though her connection to the wind and water had been damaged.
"Karya!" Arin rushed to her side, his heart pounding in his chest. "Are you okay?"
She nodded weakly, but her eyes were filled with fear. "It... it almost got me," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I could feel it... pulling me away."
Arin helped her to her feet, but the fear in her eyes didn't fade. He turned back toward the Shade Lord, still looming in the distance. It hadn't been destroyed, only pushed back, and its dark eyes were now focused entirely on him.
Arin swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the moment. The Shade Lord was more powerful than anything they had faced before, and he wasn't sure if they were strong enough to defeat it.
But he couldn't afford to doubt himself now. Not when Karya's life—and Rykan's—depended on it. He had to fight. He had to push forward, no matter the cost.
"We need to finish this," Arin said, his voice steady, though his heart raced with fear. "Together."
Karya nodded, her resolve hardening. Rykan, still catching his breath, stepped forward as well, his eyes filled with determination.
"No more running," Rykan said, his voice firm. "This ends tonight."
Together, the three of them faced the Shade Lord, their combined elemental power surging around them. Earth, wind, fire, and water swirled together, forming a storm of energy that rippled across the battlefield.
The Shade Lord let out a low, guttural growl, its dark form pulsing with power. The final battle had begun.