The golden embers of the shattered throne still smoldered in the vast chamber, casting faint, flickering light across the fractured floor. Ravok stood in the center of the wreckage, his crimson eyes glowing with unyielding resolve. The god's light had been extinguished, but the air thrummed with an unspoken tension, the calm before the storm.
Lara leaned against a cracked pillar, breathing heavily. "Well, that's one throne down. How many more to go?"
Ravok's lips curved into a faint smirk, though his tone remained cold. "Enough to make them tremble."
Before Lara could respond, the chamber shuddered violently, and a surge of golden energy erupted from the throne's remains. The once-dim embers flared brilliantly, illuminating the chamber in blinding light as the runes on the walls came alive, their intricate patterns glowing with an ominous rhythm.
"You just had to poke the hornet's nest, didn't you?" Lara muttered, straightening and gripping her daggers.
"Let them come," Ravok said simply, his voice like steel.
---
The Avatars of Light
From the cracks in the chamber walls, radiant figures began to emerge, their forms ethereal yet brimming with lethal energy. These were Avatars of Light—beings forged from the fragments of divine power left behind by the shattered throne. Their glowing forms moved with unnatural grace, and the weapons they carried pulsed with an intensity that made the air hum.
"You have desecrated this sanctum," one of the Avatars intoned, its voice a haunting blend of fury and lament. "Your defiance is an affront to the Pantheon. You will be purged."
Lara took a step closer to Ravok, her eyes narrowing. "Why do they always sound so dramatic before they try to kill us?"
"They think it will intimidate us," Ravok replied, his smirk faint but confident. "It won't."
The Avatars moved in unison, their attacks precise and unrelenting. Their blades of light sliced through the air, leaving trails of searing energy in their wake. Ravok deflected the first strike with his Void-infused dagger, the collision sending shockwaves rippling through the chamber.
Lara darted between two Avatars, her daggers flashing as she struck at the glowing cores embedded in their chests. Her attacks disrupted their movements briefly, but the cores pulsed, regenerating the damage.
"These things are tougher than the Sentinels!" Lara shouted, narrowly dodging a blade aimed at her head.
"They're tied to the throne's remnants," Ravok said, his tone steady. "Break the source, and they'll fall."
---
Unraveling the Connection
As the battle raged, Ravok's sharp gaze locked onto the remains of the throne. The faint embers pulsing within the wreckage mirrored the rhythm of the Avatars' movements. It was clear: even in its shattered state, the throne was feeding them power.
"Lara, keep them distracted," Ravok ordered, his focus shifting entirely to the remnants.
"Distracted?" Lara scoffed, narrowly avoiding another strike. "I'll just casually fight glowing murder-beings while you do the fun part."
Her sarcasm didn't stop her movements. She darted through the battlefield, her strikes aimed to disrupt and disorient. The Avatars, forced to adjust their focus, faltered briefly, giving Ravok the opening he needed.
---
Breaking the Throne's Remnants
Ravok approached the throne's shattered remains, his dagger glowing with concentrated Void energy. The whispers of the Void surged in his mind, their fragmented words now a unified command.
"Consume. Break. Leave nothing."
He raised his hand, channeling the Void into the embers. The light resisted fiercely, flaring brighter as it fought back against the encroaching darkness. The air crackled with raw energy, the clash of opposing forces creating a vortex of light and shadow.
Lara glanced toward him, her daggers parrying another Avatar's strike. "Whatever you're doing, do it faster! These things aren't slowing down."
"I'm not stopping," Ravok said, his voice unwavering.
With a final surge of power, the Void overwhelmed the remnants of the throne. The embers shattered completely, their light extinguished in an instant. The room was plunged into darkness, broken only by the faint glow of Ravok's crimson eyes.
---
The Avatars' Collapse
The Avatars froze mid-attack, their forms flickering as their connection to the throne severed. Lara took the opportunity to strike, her daggers piercing the cores of two Avatars in quick succession. They dissolved into shards of fading light, their energy dissipating into the air.
Ravok turned back to the battlefield, his dagger glowing faintly as he moved with lethal precision. The remaining Avatars fell quickly, their weakened forms no match for the combined assault. Within moments, the chamber was silent once more.
Lara leaned heavily against the wall, catching her breath. "I'm starting to think they don't want us here."
"They don't," Ravok replied, his gaze fixed on the spot where the throne had once stood. "But it doesn't matter. This is only the beginning."
---
The Next Step
As the dust settled, the runes on the walls dimmed, and a hidden doorway materialized at the far end of the chamber. Its surface shimmered faintly, the golden glow of the Pantheon's power still lingering.
Lara eyed the doorway warily. "Another door. Let me guess—more traps, more glowing light monsters, and another god waiting to kill us?"
Ravok smirked faintly. "Likely."
"Great," Lara said, pushing off the wall. "Let's not keep them waiting."
The whispers of the Void returned as they approached the doorway, their voices triumphant and commanding.
"One falls. More await. The Sovereign rises."
Ravok stepped through the doorway without hesitation, his crimson eyes gleaming. Lara followed close behind, her daggers at the ready. The war had only begun.