Marlin and Ryan stood on a rocky cliff far away, watching the dark cottage from above. The sky was thick with smoke, and flames danced inside the shadows, where an epic battle raged between three conflicting powers.
Inside the cottage, Malcos stood in the heart of the living darkness he had conjured. His demonic limbs had fully regenerated, covered in thorns and black wires that writhed like snakes. He let out a loud scream, making the shadows explode around him like a storm ravaging everything in its path.
Toberos, the cardinal with a commanding presence, stood against the storm, summoning a wall of pure darkness. It seemed as though he merged with the surrounding forces of darkness, absorbing parts of the attack and reshaping them into a massive spear, which he hurled toward Malcos's heart. But Malcos, with a devilish smile, summoned his demonic limbs to block the spear, which exploded with force, shaking the entire room.
On the other side of the cottage, Alythia moved with deadly silence. She vanished in a moment, only to reappear behind Malcos, using her hands, coated with mysterious energy, to slice off one of his demonic legs. Despite this, Malcos didn't fall. Instead, he smiled and summoned energy from the depths of the Abyss, quickly regenerating his leg, but now it was more monstrous, covered in terrifying black flames.
Marlin stood frozen as he watched from afar. His body trembled while the forces of darkness and mystery collided in the cottage. It seemed as if the entire place would collapse.
"Can… can we really escape this?" Marlin asked with a trembling voice.
Ryan grabbed his shoulder, his face a mixture of concern and determination. "Don't look back. This fight is not ours. We need to survive first."
But Marlin couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene.
Toberos slowly raised his hand and unleashed a series of dark orbs, which transformed into fine threads, binding the shadows around the cottage, making movement more difficult for Malcos.
But Malcos, with a terrifying smile, cut the threads with his demonic limbs, then leaped high into the air, releasing an explosive burst of shadow that engulfed the entire cottage.
Alythia, with her usual calm, moved with lightning speed and appeared directly in front of Malcos. In a decisive strike, she drove her hand into his chest, trying to reach his heart. But the shadows around him moved to protect him, pushing her back with force.
"You won't bring me down that easily, Shadow of Silence!" Malcos screamed, then let out a demonic roar that caused the walls to collapse around them.
As the battle escalated, Marlin and Ryan felt the ground trembling beneath them. "We need to move now!" Ryan yelled, pulling Marlin away from the edge.
They started running on the rocky path, but Marlin felt the weight pressing down on his chest. The images of the battle, the destruction, and the power of Malcos that seemed endless were consuming his thoughts.
"What if they're after me?" Marlin mumbled in a shaky voice.
"What if there's no escape? What if they target Ryan because of me?"
Ryan suddenly turned around, grabbing Marlin with force. "Listen to me, Marlin. I'll keep you safe no matter what. Don't think of anything else right now. Just trust me."
The Conclusion: The Cottage's Collapse
As the brothers moved further away, Marlin glanced back one last time. He saw the cottage completely collapse, with terrifying energy exploding into the sky, painting the clouds black.
"This isn't the end..." Marlin whispered to himself.
But deep inside, he knew this was just the beginning of an even greater confrontation.