Elias and Rhea barely had time to process the voice that had reverberated through the temple before the ground beneath them cracked and the air thickened. The walls groaned as if the temple itself was waking up, alive with a malevolent force. They could hear the echoes of ancient gods whispering through the structure, their voices an amalgamation of thunder and whispers, distant yet close enough to feel on their skin.
"We can't outrun this," Elias said, his voice taut with panic as they sprinted through the narrowing corridors. The air was thick with the stench of decay and power, and he could feel the Heart's pull growing stronger with every step. The voice from the Heart had been a warning, and it was too late to turn back.
"We don't have a choice!" Rhea snapped, gripping his arm tighter as they navigated through the shifting walls of the temple. She could hear the walls behind them tremble, stone grinding against stone, the floor buckling as though the entire structure was folding in on itself. "If we don't get out now, the gods will claim us, too."
The light from the Heart flickered in the distance, casting an ominous glow on their path, guiding them like a beacon. But Elias knew better than to trust it. The Heart had been a source of power, yes, but it was also the catalyst for the gods' return. Every step they took was a step closer to a cataclysm that neither of them fully understood.
Ahead, the exit seemed to loom further away, the path bending and stretching unnaturally. The stone floors began to pulse with each beat of the Heart, and Elias's mind reeled with the realization—this wasn't just a temple. It was a prison, designed to keep the gods contained, and now that prison was breaking apart at the seams.
"We need to stop it. Now!" Elias shouted, his voice rising above the growing hum of the temple's power.
But as they neared the exit, a deafening roar reverberated through the structure. The air itself seemed to warp and bend as if the fabric of reality was unraveling. Rhea stumbled, nearly falling as the force pushed against them, and Elias barely caught her.
"What's happening?" Rhea gasped, her voice shaking as she looked up at the archway ahead. The doors had been ajar when they entered, but now they were closing, slowly, ominously.
Elias clenched his fists. "It's the gods. They're waking up. We've set something in motion we can't undo."
The stone doors slammed shut with a violent crash, cutting off their escape. For a moment, there was only silence. Then the rumbling began again, louder this time, as though something immense was moving beneath the ground. The floor began to crack further, and a thick, black mist began to pour from the seams of the stone walls.
Elias's heart raced. "No! This can't be the end!" He turned to Rhea. "We have to find another way out. I can feel them—feel the gods' power. We have to stop them before they can fully awaken."
"How?!" Rhea's voice was desperate. "How can we stop something that powerful?"
Before Elias could answer, a flash of light illuminated the room, followed by a low, resonating sound that made the ground beneath them shudder. From the heart of the temple, a figure emerged from the swirling mist. It was tall and imposing, draped in flowing robes that shimmered with the stars themselves, a being of unimaginable beauty and terror. Its eyes burned with divine light, its expression unreadable.
"You have awakened the gods," the figure's voice echoed, cold and commanding. "And for that, you shall pay the price."
Elias stepped forward, his pulse quickening as he felt the weight of the figure's gaze. "I didn't mean to. I just wanted to stop them—stop the corruption they've brought to this world."
The figure's lips curled into a smile, one that was as empty as the void. "Corruption? You know nothing of the gods. They are the source of all life, and through them, all things are bound." The figure's hand stretched out, and with a mere flick of its wrist, the walls of the temple trembled again, the stone cracking open like a shell. "Now, you will bear witness to their true power."
The ground around Elias and Rhea began to shift, the stones lifting and swirling in the air. Elias struggled to maintain his footing, his magic flaring in desperation, but the power that the figure wielded was unlike anything he had ever encountered. It was as if the very essence of the gods was coursing through its veins.
"What do you want from us?" Rhea demanded, her sword still gripped in her hands, though her stance wavered.
"Your souls," the figure answered, its voice filled with the coldness of the void. "You, who dared to defy the will of the gods, shall serve as their vessels in this world. The gods will return, and you will not stop them."
Elias's heart thundered in his chest. He had feared this moment—feared what the Heart's awakening would bring. But now, faced with the divine figure, the full weight of their situation pressed down on him.
"I won't let you take her," Elias muttered under his breath, stepping in front of Rhea, his hands crackling with necromantic energy. He had learned the ways of the dead, yes, but this was something far greater than he had ever imagined. The figure before him was a herald of the gods themselves—a being that could bend the very laws of reality.
With a defiant cry, Elias raised his hands, summoning the dark energy that had once been his ally. But as the power surged through him, he felt the gods' influence push back, a force so overwhelming that it threatened to tear him apart.
"You dare challenge the gods?" the figure intoned, its voice a thunderous echo that reverberated through the temple.
Elias's vision blurred with the force of the power he was wielding, but he refused to relent. He would not let the gods return to this world, not like this.
"I am not afraid," he said, his voice barely audible over the roar of the divine power.
And then, with a final, desperate surge, Elias released everything he had—the full force of necromantic energy, combined with the power of the Heart. The explosion of magic sent shockwaves through the temple, knocking both Elias and Rhea off their feet.
The figure's expression remained unchanged, though Elias saw a flicker of surprise cross its face. "You are foolish," it said, its voice almost pitying. "But perhaps… your defiance will have some small consequence."
Elias gasped for air, his body trembling from the strain of the power he had unleashed. The figure stepped closer, and Elias felt the force of the gods themselves press against him, crushing him beneath their weight.
"The gods will rise," the figure said softly, its voice filled with both menace and inevitability. "And you will serve them, whether you wish it or not."
Elias's vision darkened, and just as he thought he could not fight anymore, a flash of bright light cut through the fog. The ground beneath him cracked open, and with a final, deafening crash, the temple began to collapse around them.