Chapter 12: Chapter 12
The air cracked and hissed as the shards' energy surged through the collapsing chamber. Both Kael and Aridon froze momentarily, their gazes locked on the growing rift forming in the center of the room. The Heart of Lynthor, the ancient artifact that had anchored the city for centuries, began to pulse violently, its light becoming erratic and fractured.
"Do you feel that?" Kael asked, his voice low but steady.
Aridon gritted his teeth, his staff humming with restrained power. "Of course I feel it. The Heart is reacting… but not to us."
The rift expanded, its edges shimmering like liquid glass, and from its depths emerged something both haunting and incomprehensible. Shadows wreathed in faint, prismatic light spilled into the room, their forms shifting constantly as if struggling to hold any fixed shape. Their whispers filled the chamber, a chorus of voices speaking in an unrecognizable language.
Kael stepped back instinctively, his blade glowing brighter as he raised it in defense. "What is that?"
Aridon's expression darkened. "The Veil's guardians… or what's left of them."
The largest of the shadowed forms began to solidify, its edges hardening into jagged, crystalline shapes. Its faceless head turned toward them, and though it had no eyes, both men felt its gaze pierce through their very souls.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," Aridon muttered, his calm demeanor faltering. "The shards weren't meant to summon them."
Kael glanced at him sharply. "You knew this could happen?"
"I suspected," Aridon admitted, his voice tense. "But it's never happened before. The shards must have destabilized the Heart more than I anticipated."
"You anticipated this?" Kael's anger flared, but before he could press further, the guardian let out a bone-shaking roar, its voice reverberating through the crumbling chamber.
The creature lunged toward them, its elongated limbs cutting through the air like jagged spears. Kael moved first, meeting the attack head-on with a swift slash of his blade. The creature recoiled as the weapon connected, its form shuddering and fracturing momentarily before it reassembled.
Aridon stepped beside him, his staff raised high. "If you want to survive, you'll need to stop questioning me and start fighting."
Kael shot him a glare but said nothing. Together, they faced the onslaught.
The battle was chaos. The guardians moved like shadows, their forms twisting and reforming faster than the eye could follow. Each strike Kael landed seemed to slow them only momentarily, and even Aridon's immense power barely seemed to hold them at bay.
"We can't keep this up," Kael said through gritted teeth, dodging a sweeping attack that left a deep gouge in the chamber's stone floor.
"We don't need to," Aridon replied, his voice strained. He turned his focus to the Heart, which was now glowing faintly with an unnatural, flickering light. "The Heart's energy is feeding them. If we sever it, they'll have nothing to anchor themselves to."
Kael hesitated. "If we sever the Heart, the city will fall."
"The city is already lost," Aridon said grimly. "This is the only way."
Kael's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue. Instead, he shifted his stance, preparing to charge. "Then you'd better make it count."
Aridon nodded and raised his staff. Power surged around him, and the shards embedded in his armor glowed fiercely. As Kael darted toward the Heart, Aridon unleashed a wave of energy, driving the guardians back and creating a brief opening.
Kael moved swiftly, his blade slicing through the air as he brought it down on the Heart's protective casing. The crystal surface cracked but didn't shatter. He struck again, each blow echoing like a thunderclap.
The guardians roared in unison, their forms becoming more erratic as they tried to close the gap. Aridon gritted his teeth, pouring more of his power into holding them back.
"Hurry!" he shouted, his voice strained.
Kael delivered one final strike, and the casing shattered. The Heart of Lynthor exploded in a blinding surge of light, its energy spilling out in chaotic waves. The guardians let out an ear-piercing wail as they were dragged back into the rift, their forms dissolving into nothingness.
But the destruction of the Heart came at a cost. The ground beneath them trembled violently, and the walls of the chamber began to collapse.
"We have to move!" Kael yelled, turning toward Aridon.
But Aridon didn't move. He stood at the edge of the rift, his gaze fixed on the fragments of the Heart as they floated toward the void.
"Aridon!" Kael shouted again.
Aridon finally turned, his expression unreadable. "Go," he said quietly. "There's something I need to do."
Kael hesitated, but the ceiling began to give way, and he had no choice. He ran toward the exit, glancing back only once to see Aridon raise his staff toward the rift.
The last thing Kael heard before the chamber collapsed completely was Aridon's voice, echoing faintly over the roar of destruction.
"This isn't the end."
End of Chapter 12