Just as it seemed Caelum would fall, Lyra intervened. She hurled a vial of bright liquid at the Shadow King, and it exploded in a burst of radiant light. The Shadow King recoiled, his form flickering.
"Move, idiot!" Lyra shouted, grabbing Caelum and dragging him toward the temple's exit.
The Shadow King roared, his voice shaking the walls. "You cannot escape me, bearer of my blade! This is only the beginning!"
Caelum and Lyra barely made it out before the temple collapsed in on itself. The Shadow King's presence vanished, but his voice lingered in Caelum's mind, a constant reminder of the battle yet to come.
They stumbled into the forest, collapsing against a fallen tree. Lyra was the first to speak. "You've got some serious problems, knight."
Caelum looked at the sword, its dark aura pulsing faintly. "Tell me something I don't know."
Lyra leaned closer, her expression serious. "That thing is dangerous, and I'm not just talking about the Shadow King. The blade is eating away at you, Caelum. If you don't find a way to control it—or destroy it—it's going to turn you into something worse than him."
Caelum nodded, but deep down, he knew it wasn't that simple. The sword was the only thing keeping him alive, the only weapon capable of standing against the Shadow King. But at what cost?