Axel's POV
The air in the Blackwood mansion was thick with a malevolent energy, so suffocating it felt like it was trying to crush the life out of me. Every inch of my body ached, my chest heaving from the exertion of dodging Eren's attacks. The man I faced wasn't a man at all—not anymore. He was a creature born of darkness, twisted by the rift into something barely recognizable.
But what scared me the most wasn't the power he wielded or the impossible speed with which he moved—it was the way his eyes locked onto Sarah. Like she was his anchor to the world, the only thing that kept him tethered to whatever shred of humanity he might have left. It wasn't love—it was obsession, a dangerous, consuming force that threatened to destroy everything in its path.
And I wasn't about to let that happen.
Sarah stood frozen, her gaze darting between Eren and me. Her expression was a mix of fear, disbelief, and heartbreak. I wanted to reach for her, to reassure her that I would keep her safe, but there was no time. Eren moved again, faster than my eyes could track, his form blurring as he closed the distance between us.
"Stay back!" I shouted, pushing Sarah behind me just as Eren's claws slashed through the air where she had been standing. The force of his strike sent a wave of dark energy rippling through the room, shattering the nearby windows and plunging the space into an eerie silence.
Eren straightened, his twisted grin widening as he stepped closer, his eyes never leaving Sarah. "You can't protect her forever, Axel," he sneered, his voice low and venomous. "You don't understand what she means to me. What she's always meant to me."
"You don't understand what love is," I shot back, positioning myself between him and Sarah. "Whatever this is—it's not love. It's possession."
Eren laughed, a sound so hollow and cold it made my skin crawl. "Possession? You think I want to possess her?" His gaze flicked to Sarah, and for a moment, the malice in his expression softened, replaced by something almost... human. "She is my salvation. My reason for enduring everything the rift did to me. Do you know what it feels like to be torn apart, Axel? To have every part of you broken and remade into something else, and yet still... still all you can think about is her?"
I hesitated, his words hitting a nerve I didn't want to acknowledge. I knew what it was like to endure pain for Sarah—to sacrifice everything for her. But whatever had happened to Eren had warped his love into something twisted, something dangerous.
"Eren," Sarah's voice broke through the tension, soft but firm. She stepped forward, her hands trembling but her chin held high. "You don't have to do this. Whatever the rift did to you, we can fix it. We can help you."
His expression darkened, the flicker of humanity in his eyes vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. "Fix me?" he repeated, his voice dripping with disdain. "You think I want to be fixed? The rift didn't break me, Sarah—it freed me. It showed me what I truly am. And now, I will show you."
With a roar, Eren lunged toward us, his claws slicing through the air. I reacted instinctively, shoving Sarah aside and meeting his attack head-on. Our bodies collided with a force that shook the walls, and I barely managed to dodge his next strike, the sharp edge of his claws grazing my arm. Pain flared, but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop.
"Get out of here, Sarah!" I shouted, swinging back at Eren with all the strength I had. "Find Celeste! Do whatever you have to do to end this!"
"No!" Sarah's voice was firm, defiant. She didn't move, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "I'm not leaving you!"
Eren's laughter rang out again, cruel and mocking. "See? She stays with me, Axel. No matter what you do, she always comes back to me."
Rage bubbled in my chest, and I charged at him, my fists slamming into his body with everything I had. But it was like hitting stone—unyielding, immovable. He barely flinched, his grin widening as he grabbed me by the throat and lifted me off the ground.
"You're nothing compared to me," he hissed, his eyes glowing with an unholy light. "You can't protect her. You never could."
"Eren, stop!" Sarah's voice cut through the chaos, filled with desperation. She stepped forward, her hand reaching out. "If you ever loved me, if any part of the man I married is still in there, please—stop this!"
For a moment, I saw something shift in Eren's expression. His grip on my throat loosened, and he turned to look at her, his eyes narrowing. "You still care for me," he murmured, his voice almost soft. "Don't you?"
Sarah hesitated, her gaze flicking to me before settling on Eren. "I cared for the man you were," she said carefully, her voice trembling. "But this... this isn't you, Eren. This isn't the man I married."
The words hit him like a physical blow. He staggered back, his claws retracting as his body seemed to flicker, unstable. "No," he whispered, shaking his head. "You're wrong. I'm still me. I'm still the man you loved."
"She doesn't love you anymore," I said, my voice hoarse but firm. "She chose to move on. To find her own path. And you have to let her go."
Eren's gaze snapped to me, his face twisting with fury. "I will never let her go!" he roared, his form shifting again, the demonic energy coursing through him more intense than ever.
Before he could attack again, the room was flooded with a blinding light. Celeste appeared, her ethereal form glowing with an otherworldly radiance. She held a dagger made of pure light, its edges shimmering with power.
"Enough," she said, her voice calm but commanding. She stepped between us, her gaze locked on Eren. "You've lost your way, Eren. The rift has consumed you, but it hasn't destroyed you. There is still a chance for redemption."
Eren snarled, his body tensing as though he was preparing to strike. "You dare stand in my way, witch?"
Celeste didn't flinch. "You think this is about Sarah? About what you want? The rift is using you, Eren. It's feeding on your pain, your anger. And if you don't stop, it will destroy you—and her."
Eren faltered, his glowing eyes flickering. For the first time, doubt crept into his expression. "Destroy her?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
"Yes," Celeste said softly, taking a step closer to him. "But you can stop it. You can end this. Let her go, Eren. Set her free."
The tension in the room was palpable as Eren stood there, his body trembling, his gaze darting between Celeste, Sarah, and me. And then, slowly, he lowered his hands, the dark energy around him dissipating.
"I... I just wanted her to see me," he murmured, his voice broken. "To remember me."
Sarah stepped forward, tears streaming down her face. "I remember you, Eren. I always will. But you have to let me go."
Eren's expression crumpled, and he let out a low, guttural cry. His body began to dissolve, the dark energy consuming him as he sank to his knees. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I'm so sorry."
As the light engulfed him, I felt a strange sense of relief and sadness. The man who had once been Sarah's husband was gone, consumed by the darkness he couldn't escape. But in his final moments, he had chosen to let her go.
The mansion began to tremble, the walls cracking as the dark energy that had sustained it started to collapse. Celeste turned to us, her expression calm but urgent. "We need to leave. Now."
I grabbed Sarah's hand, and together we ran, the mansion crumbling around us. As we emerged into the cold night air, the Blackwood mansion collapsed behind us, disappearing into the ground as though it had never existed.
We stood there, breathless, the weight of everything that had happened pressing down on us. Sarah turned to me, her eyes filled with tears. "It's over," she whispered.
I pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly. "It's over," I agreed, though a part of me wondered if it truly was.