The battlefield was quiet. Lyra lay crumpled on the ground, her once-commanding aura reducing drastically. Blood dripped from her lifeless eyes, staining the earth beneath her. Yet, despite her broken state, the air around her remained heavy with danger.
Eldric, the king, approached cautiously, his heart torn between fury and unease. He had seen many things in his years as ruler, but this—this was something else entirely. Lyra's collapse should have been a victory, yet her presence still radiated a sense of unresolved chaos.
"Magnus!" he shouted, his voice trembling only slightly. "Get your sister to safety! Now!"
Magnus nodded sharply, cradling Astrid's unconscious body as the dark veins on her skin pulsed ominously. They looked like living shadows, coiling and writhing beneath her pale flesh.
Raiden stood rooted in place, staring at the spot where Lyra had fallen. His hands trembled uncontrollably, green lightning sparking and crackling around his body like a storm barely contained. Something inside him stirred—a presence so overwhelming it felt like it could rip him apart from the inside.
The abyss she saw.
It wasn't gone. It was growing.
A sharp pain shot through his chest, and he doubled over, clutching his side. The sparks intensified, arcs of electricity lashing out and scorching the earth around him.
"Raiden!" Ash shouted, running to his side. "Snap out of it!"
But Raiden didn't respond. His breathing was ragged, his eyes wild as the green lightning seemed to take on a life of its own.
"king, he's losing control!" Ash called, panic evident in his voice.
"Restrain him! Do whatever you must!" Eldric commanded.
A weak chuckle broke the tension. All eyes turned to Lyra, who, despite her fragile state, managed to sit up slightly. Her voice was soft, almost too quiet to hear.
"The abyss..." she muttered, her lips curving into a faint, bitter smile. "It's not just within him—it is him."
Raiden froze at her words, the storm around him momentarily subsiding.
"What do you mean?" Eldric demanded, stepping closer.
Lyra's head lolled to the side as she let out a shaky breath. "There's a prophecy... One that speaks of a force ancient and untamed... A being tied to the abyss, capable of rewriting the fabric of existence itself."
She turned her hollow gaze toward Raiden, her bloody eyes locking onto him. "And it's you."
Raiden's heart pounded in his chest, the weight of her words crashing down on him like a tidal wave. The voice from within the abyss whispered again, louder this time, teasing him with promises of power.
"Give in," it urged. "Embrace me, and I'll give you the strength to protect them all."
Raiden clenched his fists, his gaze darting to Astrid's still form in Magnus's arms. No. He couldn't lose himself—not now.
Lyra laughed again, though it was a sound devoid of humor. She turned her gaze back to Raiden, her expression softening slightly.
"I've never been defeated," she said, her voice a mere whisper. "Even that girl's attack didn't pierce me. But you..." She paused, her smile fading. "You're different. Because of you, I've been blinded."
She shifted her attention to Astrid. "I placed a curse on her, one meant to corrupt her soul and turn her into my weapon. But now..." She sighed deeply. "There's no point anymore."
Lyra raised a trembling hand toward Astrid, dark magic swirling faintly around her fingertips. The dark veins on Astrid's body began to recede, retreating back into nothingness.
"You're free to live as you want, princess," Lyra said softly, almost tenderly.
Lyra struggled to her feet, her body shaking with effort. Looking at Astrid she says
"I'll give you my dark magic as a gift," she said. "I cannot take it back, and I doubt you'll understand its true purpose. But mark my words..." Her eyes glowed faintly. "I will return one day."
And with that, Lyra's form dissolved into shadow, vanishing into the air as though she had never been there.
Raiden stood frozen, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "How and why would she... just disappear like that?" he muttered, his voice shaking.
But even as he spoke, his thoughts were consumed by the growing turmoil within him. His hands trembled violently, green lightning flickering faintly as he stared at them.
"What is wrong with me?" he whispered. "What happened to me?"
The ground beneath him rumbled, a faint tremor spreading across the battlefield. Eldric and Ash exchanged uneasy glances as the air grew heavy with an unexplainable energy.
Raiden turned his gaze to the ceiling of the cave, his heart pounding in his chest. Whatever had just awakened within him was far from over.