The air was thick with tension as Leon and Kaelis stood facing Darius and Kel. The silence in the room was suffocating, only broken by the sound of their labored breaths and the faint crackle of distant flames. The battle had left them both bloodied and battered, but neither of them flinched. They knew this was far from over.
Suddenly, Kel raised his hand, and the temperature in the room dropped. A chill ran down Leon's spine as an ice-cold wind swept through the chamber, freezing the very air around them. Before they could react, shards of ice shot from the ground, striking both Leon and Kaelis with devastating speed. The force of the attack sent them crashing to the floor, their bodies locked in a sudden, painful stillness.
Kaelis groaned, pushing himself up, his hands trembling from the cold. Leon, however, recovered faster. His mind sharpened, the familiar surge of power from his shadow army rushing to his aid. His shadow shard materialized in his hand, its jagged form glowing with dark energy as he forced himself back onto his feet.
"You're not the only one with tricks, Kel," Leon muttered through gritted teeth.
The battle resumed with a new intensity. Kel's ice magic clashed against Leon's shadows, creating an eerie dance of darkness and frost. Every movement from the cloaked figure seemed to freeze the very air, sending waves of icy energy that threatened to shatter everything in its path. Kaelis fought alongside Leon, his blade a flash of silver as he parried and dodged, slashing at the ice shards that tried to impale them both.
Leon's shadow army swirled around him, but the ice was relentless, creating barriers that blocked their every advance. Kel's ice magic was not just a weapon, it was a fortress. He manipulated the cold with precision, forcing Leon and Kaelis to keep their distance, but the two were not so easily outmatched.
Kaelis darted forward with lightning speed, his blade flashing as he cut through the ice with practiced ease. At the same time, Leon harnessed his shadow shard, slashing it through the air. Each strike was an explosion of darkness, countering the ice with an intensity that matched the freezing storm Kel summoned.
The battle was fierce, each side locked in a deadly dance. Leon was injured, his body bruised, his movements sluggish from the icy wounds that Kel had inflicted, but his will remained unbroken. He could feel the shadows inside him, stretching, reaching, becoming one with him. He focused, calling upon the deepest part of his power.
With a roar, Leon launched forward, the darkness of his shadow shard converging into a single, concentrated point. It was a direct hit, Kel's ice wall shattered, his control over the cold broken by the raw force of Leon's power. Kel staggered, clearly surprised, but he wasn't done yet. He tried to raise his hand to summon more ice, but his energy was fading fast.
Kaelis seized the opportunity. With a battle cry, he lunged, striking Kel across the chest with a brutal blow, leaving the figure gasping for air. The moment of weakness was all Leon needed.
Leon stepped forward, his shadow shard raised, the dark energy coiling around him. He plunged it into Kel's chest, the force of the strike pushing the life from the commander's body. Kel fell to his knees, his body convulsing as the last of his strength left him. His hood fell back, revealing the cold, lifeless eyes of the Eternal Empire's lower-rank commander.
But even in death, Kel's presence didn't fade. Leon stood over him, watching as the last traces of life left the man's body. Without hesitation, he consumed the commander, his power enveloping Kel's very essence. The shadows around him thickened, and Kel's form twisted into the dark energy, merging with Leon's being.
Kel's shadowy form flickered, kneeling before Leon as the energy surged through him. Leon stood tall, his gaze cold.
"Kel," he whispered, his voice quiet but full of command. "You're mine now."
A strange, eerie silence followed as the shadows around Kel solidified. He was now part of Leon, his very existence absorbed into Leon's dark power. With a casual motion, Leon extended his hand. The shadows around him pulsed, and he extracted Kel's essence, pulling it into himself completely.
Leon watched as the last vestiges of the commander's will bent to his own. "You will serve me now," he said coldly, watching Kel's spectral form kneel in submission.
Leon closed his eyes, and with a mental command, the familiar voice echoed in his mind. System: Gain Ice Ability Mastery 1.
Leon froze at the words, his heart skipping a beat. System? He had no time to dwell on it. The sudden rush of ice abilities, now flowing through him as part of the shadowy power he commanded, was undeniable. He could feel the coldness shifting inside him, but it was faint, like a whisper in the storm.
Kaelis looked at him, his expression confused and wary. "What just happened?"
Leon's eyes narrowed, trying to focus. "I'm not sure," he muttered, shaking his head. "But... I can feel it now. Ice." His voice trailed off as the cold energy settled deeper within him. There would be time to figure out what this "system" was later. For now, they had more pressing matters at hand.
His attention turned sharply toward Darius. The time for answers had arrived.
"Darius," Leon called out, his voice laced with cold fury, "Tell me everything. Why did the Eternal Empire bury me? Why did you let the world forget about Leon Ashbourne?"
Darius's twisted grin widened, though a hint of unease lingered in his eyes. "You were a threat, Leon. The Eternal Empire couldn't allow someone like you to continue. You were the greatest weapon the world has ever known, but your power was uncontrollable. You were too dangerous, even for us."
Leon's eyes burned with fury. "So you buried me. Wiped my existence from history, just to protect yourselves?"
Darius's grin widened into something cruel. "You were never meant to return. The Empire has always been about control. Your existence was an anomaly, something that threatened the very foundation of everything we built. We needed to ensure the world forgot about you, before you became a weapon we couldn't control."
Leon's heart burned with rage, but there was a cold edge to his voice as he spoke next. "You won't be able to escape the consequences of your actions. The Empire will fall, Darius. And I'll be the one to bring it down."
Darius's smile faltered, but he quickly regained his composure. "You think you can stop the Eternal Empire? You're nothing but a shadow now, Leon Ashbourne. A ghost from the past."
Leon's eyes glinted with deadly intent as he stepped closer. "I'm not a ghost, Darius. I'm the one who will burn your Empire to the ground."
With that, the final confrontation was set in motion.