The silence that followed the explosion was a tangible weight in the air. Dust and darkness lingered, shrouding the chamber in an eerie stillness. Slowly, the smoke began to clear, revealing the battered figures lying strewn across the stone floor.
Kazuki struggled to push himself up, his arms shaking with the effort. His vision was hazy, and every breath felt like a thousand knives cutting into his lungs. The Wraithblade, his faithful companion through countless battles, lay beside him, dim and cracked.
He glanced around, finding Lira and Seraphine nearby, both motionless, their forms bruised and battered. Fear twisted his gut as he tried to reach out to them, but he could barely lift his hand.
"Lira… Seraphine…" he croaked, his voice a mere whisper.
But his plea was met with only silence.
A slow, deliberate sound echoed through the chamber—a set of footsteps drawing closer, steady and unrelenting. Kazuki's heart sank as he looked up, meeting the cold, triumphant gaze of Daelan, who stood before him unscathed, his form encased in an armor of pure darkness, radiating power like an untamed storm.
Daelan's lips curved into a cruel smile as he looked down at Kazuki, a glint of victory in his eyes. "It's over, Kazuki. You put up a good fight… but ultimately, you were nothing more than a temporary distraction."
Kazuki's fingers twitched as he tried to lift the Wraithblade once more, but his strength had left him, his body too battered to respond. The realization of his defeat settled over him like a suffocating weight, and he felt a pang of despair deep within his chest.
Daelan let out a slow, mocking sigh. "All this effort, all this determination… and for what?" He gestured around the ruined chamber, his voice dripping with contempt. "Look at you—broken, powerless. Did you really believe you could stand against the void itself?"
Kazuki gritted his teeth, summoning what little strength he had left. "Power… isn't everything, Daelan. You may have defeated us, but you'll never understand what it means to fight for something greater than yourself."
Daelan's gaze hardened, his smile fading. "Meaningless words, Kazuki. In the end, only power matters." He lifted his hand, dark energy swirling around his fingers as he prepared to strike the final blow. "And I have all the power I need."
As he raised his hand, Daelan's voice softened, an almost contemplative tone slipping into his words. "You, Kazuki, will be remembered as a footnote—a brief flicker of light before the eternal night. So, as a tribute to this moment, I'll grant you a parting gift. A poem, if you will. A requiem for the futile struggle you waged against the inevitable."
Kazuki's breath caught as Daelan began to speak, his voice resonant and rhythmic, each word laden with a weight that seemed to press down on the entire chamber.
The Void's Requiem
"In shadows deep where light dies still,
A spark dared blaze by iron will.
With fragile hands, it held the blade,
A dream for which it would have paid."
"Oh Wraith, so bold, you charged the dark,
In futile hope, a flickering spark.
Yet know the void cares not for pleas,
It devours all as wind through trees."
"You stood against an endless tide,
Your hope, a shield so feebly tied.
Did you not see the night descend?
In shadows' grasp, all things must end."
"This world you saved, this ground you tread,
Will soon be wrapped in endless dread.
For power rules, and light will fade,
And all you loved will soon degrade."
"So rest, brave soul, in silent sleep,
While darkness falls and shadows creep.
For in the end, the void will claim,
All life, all hope, all fleeting flame."
Kazuki felt the weight of the words pressing into him, each line a reminder of his defeat, a requiem for the battle he had lost. He could feel his strength slipping away, his vision dimming as Daelan's dark aura pressed down on him.
But he wouldn't let the words be his end.
Gritting his teeth, Kazuki forced himself to sit up, his gaze defiant as he looked Daelan in the eye. "You can mock us all you want, Daelan, but I don't believe in your void. As long as there's someone left to fight… the light will never truly fade."
Daelan's eyes narrowed, his expression hardening. "Such foolish resolve… even now, you cling to it." He raised his hand once more, dark energy pooling in his palm. "Then let this be your final lesson, Kazuki. The light always fades."
He thrust his hand forward, and a wave of darkness surged toward Kazuki, the sheer force of it threatening to engulf him completely.
But just as the darkness closed in, a faint glow appeared around Kazuki, flickering like a dying flame. It was small, barely a whisper of light, but it held steady, refusing to be snuffed out.
Kazuki's voice, though weak, rang out clear and defiant. "As long as there's life… there's hope."
The light around him grew brighter, pushing back against the darkness for a brief, shining moment. Daelan frowned, his expression unreadable as he watched the display, his hand still extended, the dark energy pressing down.
Kazuki's eyes closed, a faint smile playing on his lips as he felt the warmth of the light enveloping him. He knew he couldn't defeat Daelan—not in this state, not with the power he had left. But he also knew that his fight wasn't in vain. As long as he held on, as long as he kept the flame alive, there was still a chance… a hope… for those who would come after.
With a final, shuddering breath, Kazuki let himself be engulfed by the light, his form dissolving into a cascade of shimmering particles. The light lingered for a brief moment, then faded, leaving the chamber in silence once more.
Daelan stood alone, his gaze fixed on the spot where Kazuki had been. For a moment, he seemed contemplative, his expression unreadable as he stared at the empty space before him.
Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, he turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing through the chamber as he left the remnants of his victory behind.
The darkness claimed the chamber once more, but somewhere, in the faintest corner, a tiny spark of light remained, flickering ever so softly—a reminder that even in the face of overwhelming darkness, hope could never truly be extinguished.