The trek to Lysandra's sanctuary was now a race against time. After having defeated the ancient shadow-twisted guardian Seraphine, Garin and Elara kept moving without pause; it was the weight of urgency driving them forward through the corrupted wilderness, as if the land itself cracked with residual energy and remnants of the Shadow King's influence clung to it.
"Seraphine," Garin said, breaking the tense silence as they climbed a ridge. "What if Lysandra doesn't have the answers we need? What if—"
"She will," Seraphine interrupted, her tone sharp. She didn't have room for doubt, not now. "Lysandra's visions are the reason we're here. She's the only one who can see what lies ahead clearly enough to guide us."
Elara stumbled but caught herself, leaning heavily on her staff. Her magic reserves were dangerously low, and exhaustion etched deep lines into her face. "If we survive long enough to find her," she muttered, her voice tinged with bitterness.
The path opened into a valley hidden behind a great range of fog. Its center, a cluster of ancient spires reached up toward skyward gashes; thin, jagged shapes against the dim light. Seraphine felt a flutter of hope. Lysandra's sanctuary.
But the hope was short-lived.
From the mist emerged a battalion of shadow creatures, their forms larger and more menacing than any they'd faced before. These were no mindless minions; their movements calculated, their glowing eyes full of malice.
"They were waiting for us," Garin said, notching an arrow and pulling it taut.
"It's a trap," Elara whispered, her hands trembling as she raised her staff.
"It doesn't matter," Seraphine said, drawing her sword. "We're too close to turn back now."
The creatures surged forward. Garin's arrows flew true, striking down the first wave, but they kept coming. Elara summoned a dome of light to shield them as Seraphine waded into the fray, her blade glowing with a fierce, defiant energy.
"Keep moving!" Seraphine shouted over the cacophony of battle. "We're almost there!"
Elara's barrier flickered, her strength ebbing. Garin stayed close over her, shooting to keep them covered, but the tide was relentless. Just when it seemed as if they would be overrun, a blinding beam of light ripped through the fog, scattering the creatures like leaves in the wind.
A figure stepped out of the mist-tattered veil: tall and robed, and radiating otherworldly power. Her face was veiled, but her presence was undeniable.
"Lysandra," Seraphine breathed, lowering her sword.
The oracle lifted a hand, and the last shadow-creatures merged into ash. She spoke in a voice soft but authoritative, conveying an otherworldly resonance: "You have travelled far, but the journey is only just beginning."
Elara crashed to her knees. She thumped her staff down on the stone. "We have risked everything to get here," she went on, her voice hoarse from shouting. "Tell us how to stop the Shadow King.
Lysandra approached them, her movements slow and deliberate. "The Shadow King's power is rooted in the Void, a realm of pure darkness. To destroy him you must sever his connection to it. But be warned - this path will cost you dearly."
Seraphine stepped forward. "What do we have to do?
Lysandra extended her hand, and before them shimmered a map of light detailing a perilous route through the dominion of the Shadow King. At its center beat a pulsating black orb that was the heart of his power.
"You must reach the Void Gate," Lysandra said, her voice tinged with sorrow. "Destroy the nexus, and his grasp on this world will crumble. But the nexus is protected by the Shadow King's inner circle—beings of immense power who will stop at nothing to destroy you."
Garin frowned. "What about reinforcements? Allies? We can't face him alone."
Lysandra shook her head. "The armies of light are scattered, their morale broken. You three are the only ones who can do this. The Shadow King fears you because he knows you carry the last threads of hope."
Seraphine's grip on her sword tightened. "What aren't you telling us?
Lysandra paused, then sighed. "To destroy the nexus, one of you must enter the Void itself. It is a one-way journey. The one who goes will not return."
The words hung in the air like a death knell.
"No," Garin said firmly. "There has to be another way.
"There isn't," Lysandra replied. "The Void is insatiable. It will consume whoever enters it, but only a soul willing to sacrifice everything can shatter its core."
Seraphine's heart pounded, but she forced herself to meet Lysandra's gaze. "I'll do it."
"No!" Elara and Garin said in unison, their voices filled with anguish.
"You can't make that decision alone," Garin said, stepping toward her. "We're in this together."
Seraphine shook her head. "The war has already taken everything from me. If my life can stop the Shadow King, it will be a price to pay.
Lysandra touched Seraphine's shoulder, speaking softly. "The decision must be made when it is time. In the meantime, put your mind on what will come before you. The Void Gate is rooted deep in the Obsidian Wastes. You will have to cross the Abyssal Maze to come at it. I can guide you as much as I can, but by all accounts, the path is treacherous.
The oracle raised her hands, and a golden light enveloped them. Seraphine felt a surge of energy, her exhaustion momentarily lifted. Garin and Elara looked similarly revitalised, though the grim reality of their mission weighed heavy on their faces.
"Go now," Lysandra said, stepping back into the mist. "The Shadow King will sense your movements soon. May the light guide you, even in the darkest hour.
As the fog engulfed her shape, the three friends stood silent, the chart of light in waning reflection into their minds.
"Seraphine," Elara said softly, "we will find another. We must."
Seraphine said nothing. She turned to the far horizon, where the Obsidian Wastes waited, determination coalescing within her. The way stretched out before them, but the price of a victory loomed as a darkness over them all.