The battle had ceased, but the aftermath left a somber silence that weighed heavily on the air. The creature was gone, its colossal form evaporating into the void from which it had come. The rift, once a gaping wound in reality itself, had sealed with an audible crack that reverberated through the earth. Yet, in the stillness that followed, the world felt... incomplete.
Reazeal's body lay still, crumpled against the blackened earth, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. His once-flaring Eternal Flame was but a dim ember within him, a faint pulse that barely held on. Lysara knelt beside him, her hands trembling as she cupped his face, her fingers brushing against his cold skin.
"Reazeal," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Please, stay with me. Don't leave me now."
Her words, so full of desperation, seemed to dissipate into the empty air, swallowed by the vastness of the silent battlefield. The Revenants were gone, scattered into nothingness, their dark presence snuffed out with their master. But the cost was greater than either of them had anticipated.
The world itself felt... wrong. The energy that had once flowed freely seemed to be choked off, as if the very life force of the land had been sapped. The horizon, once vibrant with the glow of the Eternal Flame, now appeared washed out, its colors muted and drained.
"Reazeal…" Lysara repeated, her voice stronger this time as she gently shook him. "Please, you can't go now. We need you. I need you."
A faint groan escaped him, and his eyes fluttered open, barely registering the dim light around him. For a moment, he seemed to drift in and out of consciousness, caught between the pull of the Void and the faint flicker of life that still remained within him.
"Lysara…" His voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper. "Is it... over?"
Lysara's face softened with relief, but it was mixed with pain. Her hand brushed against his, her fingers intertwining with his. "You did it. You stopped it. The creature, the Revenants... they're gone."
Reazeal's gaze flickered toward the sky, but there was no triumph in his eyes. Instead, there was a deep, haunting emptiness. The battle had been won, but the world had not been saved. Not truly.
"I don't feel it," he muttered, his voice distant. "The Flame... it's dimming. I... I don't know how much longer I have."
Lysara's heart clenched in her chest, and for a moment, the weight of everything they had been through threatened to crush her. She had fought beside Reazeal, shared in his pain and his triumphs, but she had never imagined that this would be the outcome. She had never imagined that the price of victory would be his life.
"No," she whispered fiercely. "You can't give up now. We've come too far. I... I won't let you."
Reazeal's hand weakly gripped hers, and he managed a faint, pained smile. "You've always been there... always beside me. I'm sorry I—"
"Don't apologize," Lysara interrupted, her voice firm. "Don't you dare apologize."
She lifted his head gently, her eyes scanning the horizon. There was no time to waste. She knew there had to be a way to save him. They had come too far, fought too hard, for everything to end like this.
"Reazeal," she said, her tone soft but filled with urgency. "You're not alone. You never have been. We'll find a way. Together."
But Reazeal's gaze drifted, his strength waning by the second. The Eternal Flame flickered once more, a dim pulse of light that seemed to be reaching for something.
"I can feel it," Reazeal murmured, his breath shallow. "It's fading. Everything's... it's all slipping away."
Lysara's grip tightened around his hand, and she felt the stirrings of something—something far deeper than the physical world—calling to her. There was power out there, beyond the realm of what they knew, something that could save him, something that could restore the balance that had been shattered. She didn't know where it came from, but she felt its pull.
"Wait for me," she whispered. "I'll bring you back. I promise."
With one last lingering glance, she stood up, determination hardening in her chest. She knew that there was no time to lose. Whatever lay ahead, whatever it took, she would do it.
---
Lysara's journey led her through the remnants of the battle, across the ruins of what had once been a thriving land. The air still carried the faint scent of sulfur, remnants of the creature's passing. The ground was scarred, cracked open in places as though the earth itself had been torn apart. There were no signs of life. No creatures, no other survivors. It was as if the world had been left hollow, a shell of its former self.
Her mind raced as she thought of the possibilities. What could restore the Flame? What could save Reazeal? She had felt the pull of something earlier, something far beyond the power they had used to fight the Revenants. Was it a god? A force of nature? She didn't know, but she felt it beckoning her, pulling her in a direction that felt... right.
The air seemed to grow colder as she walked, the temperature dropping rapidly. Ahead of her, she saw the faint glow of something—something ancient and powerful—hidden among the remains of a ruined temple. The structure, long abandoned, was built into the side of a mountain, its once-proud walls now crumbling under the weight of centuries.
Lysara's heart quickened as she approached, the glow growing brighter with every step. As she reached the entrance, the ground beneath her feet shifted, and a voice echoed in her mind, ancient and ethereal.
You seek what has been lost. You seek to bring back the flame. But know this—what you seek comes at a cost.
Lysara didn't hesitate. "I will pay any price."
The voice seemed to smile, though it was impossible to tell. Then you shall receive what you desire. But the price will be greater than you can imagine.
Without another word, the earth trembled, and a portal of swirling light and darkness appeared before her. Lysara stepped forward, her heart filled with both dread and hope, knowing that her next steps would determine the fate of the world—and the man she loved.
---
Back at the battlefield, Reazeal lay unconscious, his body growing colder with each passing minute. The Eternal Flame was barely a flicker now, struggling against the overwhelming tide of darkness that had been unleashed.
The world was silent, save for the faint rustle of the wind, carrying with it the distant sound of something—someone—returning. Whether it was hope or doom, Reazeal could not tell. But deep within him, something stirred. A faint spark, not of the Eternal Flame, but of something more ancient, something far more powerful.
And for the first time in what felt like forever, Reazeal felt... alive.
---
End of Chapter 35.