Valeria's POV
The forest seemed alive with whispers, as though it were murmuring warnings we couldn't hear. Shadows twisted unnaturally, their shapes sharp and angular, reaching out like skeletal hands as Adrian and I moved deeper into Nyx's territory. The air was suffocatingly dense, laced with the tang of iron and the sour undertone of decay, making each breath a battle.
Adrian walked beside me, his shoulders rigid with tension. Though his presence was steady, grounding me, the unspoken words between us weighed heavier than the oppressive night around us. Despite everything, neither of us dared break the silence. It wasn't the time.
"We're close," I murmured finally, my voice a ghost of its usual strength. Even to my ears, it sounded detached, almost hollow.
Adrian's jaw flexed as he nodded, his dark eyes scanning the thinning trees ahead. "What's the plan when we find him?"
I hesitated, a flicker of doubt breaking through my focus. The Oracle's warning echoed in my mind, each word a brutal reminder of the stakes. "We don't fight him head-on. That's what he's waiting for. We disrupt the ritual first—destroy whatever anchor he's using to bind the energy. Once the source is destabilized, he'll weaken. That's when we strike."
Adrian turned to look at me, his gaze shadowed by a storm of emotions. Concern, determination, and something deeper lingered there. "And if he comes for you?"
I didn't flinch. "He will." My tone was resolute. "That's why you need to stay focused. No matter what happens, Adrian, you cannot let him get to me."
His mouth pressed into a thin line. "I won't let him touch you," he said, his voice low and fierce.
For a fleeting moment, I wanted to believe him.
The trees abruptly opened into a clearing, revealing the heart of Nyx's domain. At its center loomed an ancient altar, a monument of cracked stone veined with a pulsating, sickly light that painted the surroundings in unnatural hues. The air shimmered with barely contained energy, distorting the space around the altar as if it were alive.
And then there he was.
Nyx stood at the altar's edge, his form cloaked in shifting shadows that moved like living things. He radiated a cold, oppressive presence that made the very air vibrate with his power. His eyes—glowing like molten embers—found us instantly, and a slow, predatory smile crept across his face.
"Valeria," he drawled, his voice a silken caress laced with venom. "And Adrian. How... quaint."
I forced myself forward, my feet dragging against the magnetic pull of his aura. "Nyx," I said, my voice sharper than I felt. "You've gone to a lot of trouble for someone who doesn't want a fight."
His smile widened, revealing teeth that seemed too sharp, too white. "Fight? My dear, this isn't about fighting. This is about destiny. Our destiny."
Adrian moved faster than thought, stepping protectively in front of me. His fists clenched, his voice a low growl. "Stay away from her."
Nyx's gaze flicked to him with mock amusement, his lips curling into a smirk. "Ah, the ever-loyal Adrian. Tell me—how does it feel to know you were nothing more than a pawn? A vessel for my design? How does it feel to be so... broken?"
Adrian's body went rigid, his muscles coiling with restrained fury. I reached out instinctively, my hand finding his arm. "Don't," I murmured. "That's what he wants."
Nyx's laughter slithered through the clearing, low and menacing. "Smart girl. But your cleverness won't save you."
I ignored his taunts, forcing my attention to the altar. It radiated power—ancient, wild, and malevolent. The Oracle had been right. The altar wasn't just a prop; it was the key, the anchor. It pulsed in rhythm with the ritual, binding energy to Nyx like threads of a web.
"Do you feel it, Valeria?" Nyx's voice dropped, becoming intimate, as if whispering directly into my thoughts. "The power. It's calling to you, isn't it? It knows you belong here, with me. You can't deny it."
My hands clenched into fists. "You're delusional, Nyx. Whatever you think you're doing, it ends tonight."
The shadows around him darkened, and his grin twisted into something cold and sharp. "You think you can stop me? You, whose bond is shattered? Whose power is a hollow echo of what it once was? You are nothing without me."
Rage flared in my chest, hot and blinding, but I forced it down. "Then you've underestimated me."
Nyx barely had time to react before Adrian moved. He darted toward the altar with inhuman speed, his fist colliding with its surface in a resounding crack. The impact sent a shockwave through the clearing, the altar's glow stuttering violently.
Nyx roared, his shadows exploding outward like an enraged storm. "No!"
I thrust my hands forward, and a wall of light surged from me, meeting his darkness mid-air. The collision sent sparks flying, a blinding clash of forces that made the ground tremble beneath us.
"Adrian, now!" I screamed over the chaos.
With a primal yell, Adrian slammed his fist into the altar again. This time, fractures spidered across its surface, the energy pulsing erratically as the glow dimmed.
Nyx's form wavered, his shadows writhing as if in pain. "You dare—"
The ground beneath us shuddered violently, and a guttural groan echoed from the earth. The altar's energy wavered, unstable, its glow flickering like a dying flame.
"It's working!" Adrian shouted, his voice triumphant.
But Nyx wasn't finished. He rallied quickly, his shadows coiling around him like armor, solidifying into a towering, monstrous form. "You think this changes anything?" he snarled, his voice reverberating with fury. "You think you can stop me?"
With a flick of his hand, a tidal wave of darkness surged toward me, obliterating my barrier. The force of it threw me backward, pain exploding through my body as I hit the ground.
"Valeria!" Adrian's voice broke through the ringing in my ears, distant but desperate.
I tried to push myself up, but my body betrayed me, trembling under the weight of Nyx's overwhelming power. He loomed above me, a dark silhouette against the chaos. "You've lost," he said coldly, his glowing eyes boring into mine. "And now, you're mine."
Terror clutched at my throat, but before I could respond, Adrian tackled him from the side. The force of the impact sent them both crashing to the ground, Nyx's shadows screaming in protest.
"Get to the altar!" Adrian yelled, his voice raw with determination. "Finish it!"
I forced myself to my feet, every movement a struggle. The altar was damaged, its cracks spilling unstable energy, but it wasn't enough. It had to be destroyed completely.
Summoning every ounce of strength I had left, I placed my hands on the altar's surface. The energy surged into me, raw and violent, burning like fire in my veins. My vision blurred, but I didn't stop.
The altar groaned under the force of my power, its fractures deepening. The energy within it flared wildly, fighting against me as I pushed harder.
Nyx's roar echoed through the clearing, but I didn't look back. I couldn't.
And then, with a deafening crack and a blinding flash of light, the altar shattered.
The explosion tore through the clearing, and darkness swallowed me whole.