The chamber quaked with every pulse of the Abyssal Heart, sending tremors through the ground beneath their feet. Damian stood across from Kael, his eyes burning with fury, while Kael's grin twisted into something far more sinister. Shadows rippled and coiled around them, as if the entire realm of Limbo was holding its breath, waiting for the inevitable clash.
"I've waited too long for this," Kael growled, his voice low, almost unhinged. "You've stood in my way for too long, Damian. Let's see how far your power really goes."
Damian's eyes narrowed. "I don't need to prove myself to you, Kael."
But Kael was already moving, his body dissolving into shadow and reappearing behind Damian in a blur of dark energy. "Then prove it to Limbo!" he snarled, driving his hand forward. The air crackled with dark magic, and Damian barely managed to twist out of the way, Kael's hand grazing past him, leaving a trail of shimmering black void.
"Moríth ven'torrah!" Kael spat, casting the ancient words with a sneer. The spell's tendrils snaked toward Damian's chest, aiming for his very soul. Damian's body shuddered, his movements slowing as if weighed down by invisible chains.
"Vothrakk norahm!" Damian countered, raising his arms and casting a protective barrier around himself. His words cut through the air like blades, the power behind them resonating deep within the walls of Limbo. The barrier erupted with white light, clashing with Kael's dark magic, sending sparks of energy flying across the chamber.
The force of the collision sent Kael skidding backward, but he grinned madly. "You can't hold me off forever, Damian."
Damian's face was tense with concentration. "Maybe not," he replied, his voice steady. "But I can hold you long enough."
Sera, watching from the edge of the chamber, felt the pressure of the battle. She had to do something. But the Abyssal Heart loomed ahead, pulsing with malevolent energy. It was drawing her in, calling to her. Damian had said they needed to sever the tendrils to destroy it, but getting close to the Heart would be no easy task.
She could feel the Heart watching her, almost aware of her every step as she crept closer. The tendrils around it writhed, thick and viscous, dripping with dark blood-like fluid. They hissed and lashed out when she approached, forcing her to dart between the cracks in the stone, barely avoiding their strikes.
"Sera!" Damian's voice rang out, strained from his battle with Kael. "Destroy the Heart! Now!"
She hesitated, fear gripping her as the tendrils lashed closer, but then she saw Damian falter, his body shaking under the weight of Kael's relentless assault. She couldn't hesitate any longer. With a deep breath, she bolted toward the Abyssal Heart, dodging the writhing shadows that reached for her like claws.
As she neared the core, a voice whispered in her mind, seductive and filled with malice. "You cannot win. You will be consumed, just like the others." The words were cold, gnawing at her resolve, but Sera pushed forward, gritting her teeth.
Suddenly, one of the tendrils wrapped around her ankle, yanking her to the ground. She cried out in pain as it dragged her closer to the Heart, its foul energy seeping into her skin like poison. Her mind was flooded with darkness, the weight of the Abyssal Heart pressing down on her.
She struggled, reaching for anything she could use to pull herself free, but the tendrils were too strong. Desperation filled her as the Heart pulsed again, its pull growing stronger, and she realized she had no choice.
She had to sacrifice something.
Her heart pounded as she tore at the tendrils, screaming in pain and frustration. In a last-ditch effort, she grabbed the small dagger she carried and, without a second thought, sliced into her own arm. Blood spattered onto the stone floor, and the tendrils recoiled, momentarily weakened by the offering. The Heart throbbed angrily, the tendrils retreating just enough to give her a moment to breathe.
She stumbled to her feet, the pain in her arm sharp and relentless, but she pushed it aside, her focus returning to the Heart. The dark mass pulsed ahead, vulnerable now—but only for a moment.
Damian, his body glowing with the aftershocks of his casting, clashed violently with Kael. Their magic roared through the chamber like thunder, each spell ripping at their souls. Kael, eyes wide with fury, thrust his hands forward. "Vorath nihil'tar!" he shouted, sending a bolt of black lightning toward Damian's chest.
Damian countered, his own magic bursting from his hands like radiant fire. "Akran thorath!" The two spells collided in mid-air, creating a shockwave that shook the chamber, cracking the very stones beneath them.
But Kael was relentless, his attacks growing more wild and feral. His grin was no longer one of amusement—it was twisted with madness. "I can feel it," he hissed. "The Abyssal Heart calls to me, Damian. I am its chosen."
Before Damian could react, Kael let out a guttural scream, the shadows around him surging and fusing with his body. He staggered, his hands clutching his head as the tendrils from the Heart shot forward, wrapping around him, pulling him toward the center of the chamber.
Damian's eyes widened in horror. "Kael, no—!"
But it was too late. Kael's body was consumed by the shadows, merging with the Abyssal Heart itself. His form twisted and distorted, his limbs stretching unnaturally as the tendrils burrowed into his flesh. He let out a howl of agony, but his expression—his eyes—were filled with ecstasy.
The Heart pulsed violently, and when Kael's transformation was complete, he was no longer the man they had known. He stood tall, his body grotesque, a twisted fusion of man and shadow, his face barely recognizable beneath the darkness that consumed him. The power radiating from him was overwhelming, but his eyes—now glowing a sickly green—burned with pure madness.
"You've made a mistake, Damian," Kael rasped, his voice distorted, like multiple voices speaking at once. "I am the Abyssal Heart now. And you… are nothing."
Damian steeled himself, gripping his sword tightly. "You've given up your humanity for this?"
Kael's laugh was broken and wild. "Humanity? I've gained more power than you could ever comprehend."
The final battle was upon them. Damian's grip tightened, his resolve hardening as Kael, now fused with the Abyssal Heart, prepared for the final confrontation.