Blades flashed, fire roared, and arrows soared through the air as the Voidborn descended upon them. The creatures, twisted masses of darkness with shifting limbs and eyes that burned with unholy light, moved like living nightmares.
"Kael, watch your left!" Aleron's voice cut through the chaos.
Kael spun, his blade slicing through the clawed limb of a Voidborn. A pulse of dark energy rippled from the severed creature, sending him staggering back. He clenched his fist, feeling the power within him stir, the sigil on his palm glowing faintly.
The pull of the Void whispered at the edge of his mind—promising strength, hungering for control.
"Focus, Kael!" Seraphina shouted, hurling a burst of flame that engulfed another beast. "Don't let it take you!"
He gritted his teeth, grounding himself in the present. The power was his, not the Void's. He would not be consumed.
Aidan fired arrow after arrow, his enchanted projectiles bursting into light upon impact. "There's too many of them!" he growled.
"Hold the line!" Aleron commanded, cutting down a creature with a precise swing. His sword, forged in ancient flame, hummed with power as it met darkness.
Jareth darted between foes, daggers flashing like silver streaks. "This isn't holding! We need to move!"
As if responding to their desperation, the air around them seemed to shift. A low, haunting hum echoed through the valley, and the mist thickened into a swirling vortex. A path opened, marked by glowing runes that pulsed in rhythm with Kael's sigil.
"The Seer," Seraphina whispered. "She's guiding us!"
Aleron's eyes narrowed. "Then we follow her path."
"Now!"
They broke formation, sprinting toward the runic path as the Voidborn surged behind them. The mist closed around their enemies, howling like a banshee's wail as it swallowed them whole.
Breathing heavily, the group slowed as they reached a clearing where the air felt heavy with ancient magic. In the center, a stone archway stood, carved with symbols that shifted like living things. Beneath the arch sat a figure cloaked in black, her hood obscuring her face.
"You seek the Seer," the figure spoke, her voice a chorus of whispers.
Aleron stepped forward. "We need answers. The kingdom is falling, the Void is spreading. Tell us how to stop it."
The figure raised her hand, the shadows at her fingertips dancing like flames. "The answers you seek lie in the fragments of the past… and the future you fear."
Her hood lifted slightly, revealing eyes that glimmered with both sorrow and power. "You will face choices, heir of two fates. One will lead to salvation. The other to ruin."
Kael felt her gaze pierce through him, as if she could see the very core of his soul.
"Beware, child of shadow," she whispered, her voice echoing with terrible finality. "The power within you is both your gift… and your doom."