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The earth beneath their feet trembled violently, shaking the stone floor of the chamber as though the very foundations of the world were coming undone. Kaelen's heart raced, and the storm inside him stirred with a violent intensity. He could feel the energy—the power—of the Forgotten Lord awakening, stretching its dark tendrils through the air, trying to break free from the seal.
"We need to stop it now!" Seraphine shouted, her voice strained as she scanned the room for any possible way to contain the growing chaos.
Kaelen's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. The storm within him was like a living thing now, crackling with an unnatural energy that matched the tremors in the room. He could feel the power of the Forgotten Lord pushing against the seal, a constant force that threatened to tear through the walls and break free.
"Focus!" Kaelen commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos. "We can't let him get loose. Everyone, stay close!"
As he spoke, the altar before them cracked open, and the stone floor shattered in places as if the very earth itself was trying to swallow them whole. The runes carved into the altar flared with an otherworldly light, their glow becoming brighter, more intense, as the presence of the Forgotten Lord grew stronger.
And then, through the cracks in the stone, a figure began to emerge.
At first, it was just a silhouette, barely visible in the dim light. But as the power surged, it became clearer—a shadowy figure, tall and imposing, with glowing eyes that burned with an ancient, malicious fire. The Forgotten Lord, though still bound by the magic of the seals, loomed before them like a giant, his presence oppressive and suffocating.
Kaelen's stomach churned as he looked into the creature's eyes, the weight of its gaze like a thousand suns upon him. His storm power flared again, but the energy he felt from the Forgotten Lord was something he had never encountered before. This was not just raw power; this was a being of pure malevolence, a force of nature bound by ancient magic that had existed long before the Empire.
"Who dares to challenge me?" The voice of the Forgotten Lord rumbled like thunder, sending a shiver down Kaelen's spine.
"I do," Kaelen said, stepping forward, his sword drawn. "We came to stop you from returning."
The Forgotten Lord let out a low, mocking laugh, one that echoed through the chamber. "You are nothing but ants to me. You think you can stop a force as old as time itself? Your strength pales in comparison to mine."
The stone beneath them cracked open further, and the temperature in the room dropped sharply. Frost began to spread across the walls, creeping over the ancient carvings, as if the very air was growing colder from the presence of the Forgotten Lord. His form began to take shape fully, his shadowy body twisting and rippling as though made of smoke and darkness.
Seraphine's eyes flashed with determination. "Kaelen, we can't fight him like this! We need to weaken the seal before he breaks free completely!"
"We don't have time for that!" Kaelen shouted, his storm powers flaring around him. "We'll hold him off. Just find a way to stop the seal from breaking!"
The Forgotten Lord's gaze turned to Kaelen, and the malevolent presence in the room intensified. "You believe you can fight me with your petty mortal powers?" His voice was like the grinding of stone. "Your storm may be powerful, but it is nothing compared to what I command."
Suddenly, the ground beneath Kaelen cracked wide open, and tendrils of shadow lashed out, wrapping around his legs, trying to pull him into the abyss. Kaelen gritted his teeth, summoning his storm to fight back, lightning crackling from his fingertips, tearing the shadowy tendrils apart.
"This is just the beginning," the Forgotten Lord continued, his voice shaking the very walls of the chamber. "You cannot hold back the inevitable."
But Kaelen wasn't done. He refused to let the Forgotten Lord have the satisfaction of crushing them without a fight. With a surge of his storm powers, Kaelen broke free from the tendrils, his sword crackling with electricity as he charged at the altar, determined to destroy the source of the curse.
The Forgotten Lord's laughter grew louder, more terrifying, as he reached out with shadowy hands, trying to ensnare Kaelen. "Foolish child," he sneered, his voice growing colder. "You cannot defeat me. You do not even understand the power you face."
Kaelen gritted his teeth, his eyes locked on the altar. His storm powers crackled around him like a storm unleashed, lightning arcing through the air, but he knew the real challenge wasn't in defeating the Forgotten Lord—not yet. The seal had to be broken, and only by understanding the ancient magic could they hope to prevent the creature's full awakening.
"Seraphine!" Kaelen called, his voice urgent. "Do you see a way to stop the seal?"
Seraphine's eyes were wide as she examined the glowing runes. "I think I can disrupt the flow of magic, but it will require a focused effort. We'll need to channel all of our power into it."
"Do it!" Kaelen shouted, his sword flashing as he fended off another tendril of shadow. He could feel the Forgotten Lord's power growing stronger by the second, but he refused to back down.
"Garak, Lira, cover Seraphine!" Kaelen ordered, turning to his companions.
Garak grinned and swung his battle axe. "Leave it to me! No shadowy lord is taking me down today!"
Lira, her eyes narrowed in concentration, quickly moved into position, ready to strike down any danger that came near Seraphine.
Kaelen stood firm, his storm powers swirling around him in a cyclone of energy, electricity arcing from his body, battling against the tendrils of darkness that tried to overwhelm them. The Forgotten Lord's presence was suffocating, but Kaelen pushed through, focusing all of his energy on holding the creature at bay.
Seraphine closed her eyes, chanting an ancient incantation, her hands moving in a slow, deliberate pattern as she gathered the energy from the surrounding magic. The runes on the altar began to flicker, the glow dimming as Seraphine's power grew. The Forgotten Lord roared in fury, sensing the weakening of the seal.
"No!" the Lord bellowed. "You cannot stop me!"
But Seraphine's chanting grew louder, the flow of magic rippling through the room as the seal began to crack. Kaelen pushed harder, his storm powers matching the intensity of the ancient magic, each lightning bolt a strike against the force that sought to destroy them.
And then, with a final, deafening crack, the seal shattered.
The Forgotten Lord let out a final, enraged cry as the power holding him back collapsed, but Kaelen was ready. His sword crackled with the energy of the storm, and with a roar, he lunged toward the center of the altar, determined to end this nightmare once and for all.
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