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The crater yawned before them like a wound torn open by the world itself. Black stone circled its perimeter, veins of violet corruption throbbing with a sickly glow. No birds sang here. No breeze whispered. Only silence… and the heavy breath of something ancient watching from the abyss.
Yuki stood at the edge, his cloak rustling behind him as he gazed into the descent.
"This is it," he said. "The Hollow Core."
A strange tension had wrapped around the party like a second skin. Their previous battles had tested them—but this… this felt different. This wasn't just a final confrontation. It was a confrontation with the past, with trauma, with choices they couldn't take back.
Sylvaeria floated beside him, her hands alight with gentle green flame. "The spiritual density here is... suffocating."
"Like trying to breathe underwater while someone strangles you," Elira muttered, her eyes narrowing.
"You've been strangled underwater before?" Lumi asked, blinking.
Elira sighed. "It was metaphorical—"
"I got strangled by a vine once!" Lumi grinned. "It was kinda ticklish."
Seiris let out the faintest groan, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "This is what I deal with daily," she muttered to Aeiris, who simply smiled.
Yuki's chuckle broke the tension, but only briefly.
The descent began. Steps spiraled down, black stone humming beneath their feet. Strange symbols lined the walls—ancient, not written by any human or dragon tongue. Aeiris traced one with her fingers and shivered.
"They're warnings," she whispered. "Not from the entity… from the spirits who sealed it away."
As they went deeper, voices whispered in their ears.
*Lies.*
*They will betray you.*
*You are alone.*
Yuki clenched his teeth. "Mental interference."
Seiris nodded grimly. "It's trying to divide us."
But it didn't work. Their bond—tested through battle, strengthened by trust—held firm. Elira summoned an illusionary veil, protecting their minds. Sylvaeria's spirit aura pushed back the worst of the oppressive energy. And Yuki… Yuki channeled a part of his **Warden of Kindred Flames**, letting his warmth pulse through their spiritual link like a heartbeat. A beacon in the dark.
After what felt like hours, they reached the bottom.
A vast chamber opened before them, circular, cathedral-like… and at its center floated a throne of bone and ash.
Upon it sat a twisted figure—human in shape, but with limbs that stretched too far and eyes that bled molten violet. Behind it, hanging in spectral chains, was a faint glowing figure.
Aeiris gasped. "That's—"
"Me," she whispered.
Or rather, a remnant of her—a fractured echo of who she had been before being corrupted. A piece of her spirit still chained.
Vorthyx's voice echoed not from its mouth, but from the very stone.
> "You come to reclaim what I own? You cling to warmth. But all warmth dies. All light flickers. I am what follows. I am the silence after the scream."
Seiris stepped forward, blades drawn. "No more manipulation. No more lies."
"You have no place here, parasite," Elira growled, her magic surging.
Lumi cracked her knuckles. "Time to kick a god in the teeth."
"Elegant," Sylvaeria muttered. "But accurate."
Yuki looked at them all—his friends, his companions, his kindred hearts.
"Together," he said.
The floor cracked as Vorthyx rose.
And the battle began.
---
### Combat Begins — Key Power Highlights:
* **Yuki** activated the second tier of **Warden of Kindred Flames**, allowing him to project flame auras onto allies, boosting their elemental resistance and regeneration.
* **Seiris** used **Phantom Bind**, warping behind Vorthyx and landing precise strikes that shattered chunks of corrupted armor.
* **Elira** cast **Astral Binding**, locking Vorthyx in place with lunar chains long enough for Lumi to land her enhanced **Radiant Fury** combo—ten strikes in less than a second, each one glowing with solar brilliance.
* **Sylvaeria** shielded the others with **Verdant Sanctuary**, creating a dome of life energy that negated Vorthyx's soul-shredding screams.
* **Aeiris**, awakening her latent ability **Mirror Heart**, absorbed a blast of void magic meant for Lumi and redirected it back at Vorthyx—its own power turned against it.
Despite their strength, Vorthyx wasn't falling easily. Its body twisted, reality warping around it. It split into shadow doubles, forcing the group to spread out and fight in pairs.
But they fought as one.
Every time one faltered, another stepped in. Every wound was healed. Every attack countered. They were more than strong.
They were whole.
---
As the chapter closed, Vorthyx staggered, its body cracking. From within, the true core—a glowing, cursed heart—was revealed.
Yuki stepped forward, flames dancing in his palm.
"No more silence," he said. "Only the roar of life."
He hurled his final attack.
The screen of ash shattered.
And everything went white.
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