Waves of pure, raw power pulsed through the Dreadspire's core like a pounding heart. Maraak stood in front of the door to the last chamber, and the air surrounding him was heavy, almost tangible. The fleshy surfaces of the corridor walls seemed to close in, radiating a faint, nauseating glow. As though the blade itself were hungry for what was beyond, Nyxbrand throbbed in his hand, its runes flashing sinisterly.
"Reaver, do you feel it?" The sound of the sword hissing was sinuous and cunning. "We are being called by the core. It is impossible to imagine the strength that lays ahead. You just need to make a claim.
Maraak tightened his grip on the sword and took a step closer, his eyes narrowing. "I had nothing to say when I arrived. This is where I come to end it.
As he crossed the entryway, a vast cavern resembling a church opened up before him. Its core, a massive, pulsing sphere of dark energy, hung suspended in the center, while its surface swirled in random patterns. Lightning arced from it, hitting the ground and buildings with loud cracks. Around the core, tendrils of shadow writhed and twisted, their movements captivating and malevolent.
At the base of the core stood a human, a distorted, anthropomorphic mixture of flesh and shadow. With long, uneven limbs and a visage that was featureless save for a single, burning eye, it was hideous. There was a palpable air of hostility about the beast, and its very existence was an affront to life.
With an uncanny harmony, the creature's voice echoed, "Maraak." "Your adventure comes to an end here, but you have gone a long way. You have been selected by the Abyss to become it rather than destroy it.
Maraak snarled, lifting Nyxbrand, "I will never be what you want me to be."
The creature's eye flared, and the tendrils around the core lashed out, striking the ground in a circle around Maraak. The floor beneath him shifted and writhed, forcing him to steady himself as the chamber seemed to come alive.
"You misunderstand, mortal," the creature said. "The Abyss has already bound you. You have become closer to us with each soul you have claimed and each life you have taken. You are unable to change who you are.
Maraak launched himself forward with a sudden burst of speed and said, "Watch me try."
When Nyxbrand's runes struck the creature's dark form, they ignited and sliced through the air in a blazing arc. Shockwaves rippled through the chamber as the force of the blow shook the walls itself. The monster flinched back, its tentacles breaking out in a fury, but Maraak continued. His blade sliced ruthlessly into the dark limbs as he reacted and ducked with skill.
The thing roared incessantly, summoning a flood of ominous energy as its shape shifted and twisted. The burst of strength slammed Maraak back, slamming him against the wall of the room. Despite the pain in his body, he forced himself to stand by gritting his teeth.
The monster said, in a voice that was half adulation and half hatred, "You are strong." "More powerful than anyone who has ever arrived." But strength by itself won't save you.
Maraak said nothing. With a whirl of movement, he charged again, unleashing a torrent of deadly punches. Nyxbrand's runes burned with each blow, piercing the creature's flesh. Broken and dispersed fragments of its core, each dissolving into nothingness.
But the beast was unrelenting. With its tentacles racing through the air at breakneck speed, it retaliated with a flurry of brutal punches. Although Maraak dodged and parried with agility and technique, the force of the attack forced him to stay on the defense.
As the battle raged, the chamber itself seemed to respond to the conflict. The walls pulsated with increasing intensity, the core's energy surging and crackling with violent power. The air grew heavier, suffused with the oppressive presence of the Abyss.
The creature's voice reverberated throughout the room as it declared, "Reaver, you cannot defeat me." "You are struggling with your own nature. Accepting the Abyss will make you unstoppable.
Defiance flashed in Maraak's eyes. "I'll pave my own way."
With the sword cutting into the creature's chest, he pushed Nyxbrand forward. The creature gave a guttural roar as its body started to fall apart, and the runes ignited with a dazzling brightness. However, it reached out even as it dissipated, drawing Maraak toward the center as its tendrils wound about him.
"You believe you've won?" With a voice that was fading but full of grim triumph, the creature spoke. "The Abyss cannot be destroyed. It never dies.
The energy of the sphere crackled with evil eagerness as the tendrils pulled Maraak toward the center. Despite his best efforts to resist, the power was too great and dragged him closer and closer to the boiling abyss of chaos.
Its voice was relentless as Nyxbrand said, "Let go, Maraak." "Allow me to lead you. We can use this power together to become something bigger.
The blade's words gnawed at the edges of Maraak's determination as he paused for the smallest of moments. Then, however, he recalled the faces of the many lives he had taken and the souls he had seized in his unrelenting quest for power. He had spent too much time as an Abyss pawn.
"No," he answered in a firm, determined voice. "This is where it ends."
He poured all of his energies into Nyxbrand with a sudden vigor of will. Brilliant light flashed from the blade, its runes glowing as fiercely as the core itself. The tendrils around him disintegrated, and Maraak surged forward, driving Nyxbrand into the heart of the core.
The force of the core poured out in ferocious surges as the chamber exploded in a whirlpool of light and shadow. The ground trembled beneath Maraak's feet as the walls split and fell apart. The beast let out a final, despairing howl as the blade ate up its essence.
Maraak felt a wave of strength he had never known before as the core started to break apart. The blade hummed with a resonance that seemed to reverberate through the very fabric of existence, and Nyxbrand's runes flashed with a new intensity.
But power also means making a choice. The galaxy was losing its grip on the Abyss. Maraak may either take advantage of this chance to completely destroy it or use its power to shape the universe to his own will.
The sword whispered to him, its voice a sensuous tune. "All right, Maraak. You are in control. You have the power to end all suffering and weakness. Become the wonderful person you were meant to be.
Maraak closed his eyes, struggling with the choice. He considered the injustices he could prevent and the planets he could preserve for a long time.
Then he considered the price.
He said, "I refuse to become you," with firmness.
Pushing Nyxbrand toward the center, he directed its force into a last, devastating blow. The chamber was engulfed in a devastating explosion when the core broke apart and released its energy.
As the light faded and Maraak stood among the debris, the Dreadspire fell in around him. The suffocating effect and presence of the Abyss had disappeared. Nyxbrand lay still in his grasp, its runes faint yet solid.
Maraak experienced a moment of calm for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.
The conflict was over. However, the trip was far from over.
Maraak turned and left, his silhouette dark and long against the horizon, taking one last look at the ruins.