The air was thick with tension, crackling with a suffocating pressure. Blood dripped down my chin as I stood before Vanessa, her blue-gray-black eyes gleaming with indifference. My breath came in ragged gasps. Each movement was agony, my body battered and bruised, but I wouldn't back down now. Not when I had come so far.
Vanessa hovered effortlessly, her black staff held lightly in one hand, and a floating blue orb in the other. Her presence was overwhelming, like a force of nature. I gripped my Eclipse Blade tightly, but even it seemed to wane in her presence.
The Abyssal Chaos System chimed coldly in my mind, indifferent to the pain.
"Health: 900/1800."
I charged forward, swinging the Eclipse Blade at her with all the strength I could muster. My sword met an invisible barrier, the impact sending painful vibrations up my arm. I gritted my teeth, frustration boiling within me. Vanessa didn't even flinch. She simply watched me with detached amusement.
"You're desperate, Luca. Desperate to be more than you are," she said, her voice laced with contempt. "Yet here you stand, flailing in the dark like a blind man."
I swung again, harder this time, but the result was the same. The blade sparked uselessly against her barrier. My vision blurred from the exertion.
"Health: 720/1800."
"You don't understand!" I spat, my voice raw. "I'll do whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to become stronger!"
Vanessa raised an eyebrow, her pitying gaze slicing through me. "Whatever it takes? Even if it means becoming a monster?"
I growled, slashing again, but my strikes were growing weaker, slower. My strength was fading.
"Health: 600/1800."
"You already know the answer to that," I hissed, refusing to stop. I wouldn't lose. Not to her. Not to anyone. I needed more power.
Her eyes darkened as she raised the orb higher, and suddenly, the stone walls around us melted into an eerie mist. The floor dissolved beneath my feet, and before I could react, the world twisted around us.
I found myself standing in a familiar clearing—the moonlight filtering through the trees, casting long shadows across the ground. My heart clenched, dread creeping up my spine. I knew this place. Too well.
It was the night I betrayed Ghost and Aria.
"You recognize it, don't you?" Vanessa's voice echoed through the mist, though her form was now indistinguishable. "The moment you chose power over everything else."
I saw it all unfold again, just as it had before—Ghost and Aria standing before me, confused, trusting. They had no idea what was coming. My younger self stood there, gripping the Eclipse Blade, his expression cold and unfeeling. I remembered that moment, the way the light drained from Ghost's eyes as my blade pierced his heart, the way Aria screamed as I ended her life.
"Health: 450/1800."
"No... this isn't real!" I snarled, trying to push away the memories, but the scene played out before me like a nightmare.
"You murdered them," Vanessa's voice came from the mist. "For power. For the system."
"No!" I shouted. "I had to! I needed their abilities to survive!"
The mist swirled around me, choking the air from my lungs as the blood of my teammates stained the ground. Ghost's eyes, filled with betrayal, stared into my soul.
"You used them," Vanessa's voice was cold, accusing. "You took their power, and for what? Look at you now—flailing, desperate, broken. Is this the strength you sought?"
The mist cleared, and we were back in the lair. Vanessa hovered before me, eyes gleaming with cruel pity. I felt hollow, my resolve cracking under the weight of her words. But I couldn't show weakness. Not now.
"Health: 300/1800. Critical damage."
"I did what I had to!" I screamed, swinging my sword one more time. The blade barely grazed the barrier before clattering to the floor. My arms felt like lead, my body burning with exhaustion.
Vanessa shook her head. "You've deluded yourself. Power isn't the same as strength. You may have killed your teammates, absorbed their abilities, but what have you gained?"
I could barely hold myself upright, my legs shaking. Sweat and blood poured from me, pooling beneath my feet.
"Health: 150/1800. Danger imminent."
The system's warnings echoed louder, more frequent, but I ignored them. I couldn't afford to stop now. Power was within my grasp, and I would not let go.
"Power is all that matters," I growled, my voice hoarse. "You think I regret what I did? Ghost and Aria were weak. They wouldn't have survived this world. But I will."
Vanessa's eyes narrowed. She raised her staff, the orb floating higher into the air. "You're nothing more than a hollow vessel, Luca. Killing and stealing will only take you so far. Soon, you'll find yourself unable to take another step."
The orb above her flashed brightly, and suddenly, I was thrown backward, crashing into the cold stone wall with a sickening thud.
"Health: 60/1800. Death imminent."
The Abyssal Chaos System screamed in my mind, but I refused to let it end here. My vision dimmed, but through the haze, I saw Vanessa's silhouette approaching.
"Power will be your undoing," she said softly, raising her staff once more. "You are nothing but an ant, and the path you've chosen will lead to your death."
With a final flick of her wrist, the orb surged, filling the room with blinding light. I collapsed, unable to move, my body broken. The system's warnings continued to blare in my ears, but the strength to fight back was fading.
"Health: 30/1800. Immediate action required."
Vanessa stood over me, her expression one of cold finality. "And in the end, Luca, you'll realize too late that power was never enough."