The final countdown had begun.
Forty-seven hours. Forty-six. Every passing minute was a reminder that the world was on the verge of being upended. Valerian felt the pressure mounting with each tick of the clock, each second that brought him closer to the inevitable confrontation with the Obsidian Gate. But more than the Gate itself, it was the unknowns that haunted him—the hidden creators of his soul, the Hollow Flame, and the consequences of whatever he chose to do next.
He had never felt more alone.
The campus seemed different now, as if it too sensed the coming storm. The usual hustle and bustle of student life had quieted. The air felt thick, charged with an ominous energy that made even the most mundane tasks seem fraught with danger.
Valerian had spent the past day in solitude, retreating into his dormitory with only the medallion and the vial for company. The vial. He had not touched it again, but it called to him. Each time he glanced at it, his heart raced, and his mind screamed for him to drink it, to embrace whatever power it offered. But he knew that power came at a cost. He wasn't sure what that cost was, but he was afraid it would be more than he could bear.
---
"Valerian."
He turned, startled by the voice. Standing in the doorway of his dorm was Mila, her brow furrowed in concern. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest, and her usual cocky demeanor was replaced by something softer, more vulnerable.
"I thought you'd be in the library or training," she said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.
"I needed space," Valerian replied, his voice hollow. He hadn't expected her to visit, not after their last conversation. Not when everything felt so... uncertain.
Mila eyed him for a moment, then walked over to the table where the vial lay, its dark liquid shimmering faintly in the dim light. She picked it up, studying it with a mixture of curiosity and caution.
"Have you made a decision yet?" she asked.
Valerian didn't answer immediately. He sat down on the edge of his bed, running a hand through his hair. The weight of the situation pressed down on him, and for the first time, he realized just how much he hated this feeling of being out of control. The path before him was blurry, like trying to walk through a fog that refused to lift.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do," he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. "The Gate... The Hollow Flame... it's all connected, isn't it? And everything I've done so far—everything I've learned—has led me to this moment. But what if... what if I'm not ready? What if the cost is more than I can handle?"
Mila set the vial down carefully. "No one's ever ready for something like this," she said, her voice softer now. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't act. You're not alone in this. Whatever happens, we'll face it together."
Valerian glanced at her, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "Together? Mila, I barely know who I am anymore. How can I expect anyone else to understand? I'm... I'm not the person they think I am. I'm not the person I thought I was."
"You don't have to be perfect," Mila replied, her tone firm. "You just have to be you—whatever that means. And right now, you're the only one who can stop this. Everyone else is just... waiting. Hoping."
"Waiting for what?"
"To see if you'll save them, or destroy them." Mila's gaze hardened, the determination in her eyes a sharp contrast to her usual carefree attitude. "But that's your choice. And if you don't make it, the Gate will make it for you."
Valerian fell silent at her words. The weight of his decisions, his past, and his future all seemed to press in on him at once. It was suffocating. Every choice he made felt like it could lead to his destruction—or the destruction of everything he cared about.
"You've already made one decision," Mila continued. "You didn't drink the vial. You're facing this as you are. That's strength, Valerian. You can't let fear hold you back now."
Her words echoed in his mind, stirring something inside of him. He couldn't run from this. The Obsidian Gate was opening, whether he was ready or not. And the Hollow Flame—whatever it was—was coming through. If he didn't act, if he didn't face it now, the consequences could be catastrophic.
---
Later that evening, Valerian stood once again in the Headmaster's Sanctum, his mind clearer than it had been in days. The medallion around his neck pulsed softly, its faint glow guiding him as he descended into the depths of the Sanctum. The air grew colder the deeper he went, until it felt like the very walls themselves were alive with dark energy.
At the bottom of the stairs, he found the hidden chamber—the chamber where the Obsidian Gate had been sealed for centuries. The great door stood before him, its surface covered in strange symbols that shifted and warped as though the very fabric of reality around it was being twisted.
Valerian's heart pounded in his chest as he approached the Gate. The symbols on the door shimmered, reacting to his presence. The air hummed with a low, vibrating sound that seemed to come from the Gate itself. He could feel the power, the hunger, just beyond the threshold.
And then, the Gate began to open.
Slowly, agonizingly so. The heavy door creaked and groaned as it parted, revealing the swirling darkness within. At first, there was only blackness, an endless void that seemed to stretch beyond the limits of his comprehension. But then, something began to move within the darkness—shifting, writhing, as if something vast and incomprehensible was stirring, awakening.
Valerian took a step back, his breath coming in sharp gasps. He reached for his staff, instinctively drawing on whatever power he could feel inside of him. His fingers brushed the medallion once more, and a jolt of energy surged through him, reminding him of the choice he had made.
He wasn't going to drink the vial. He wasn't going to be a puppet to whatever force had created him. This was his fight, his responsibility. And he would face it on his own terms.
A deep, guttural voice filled the chamber, reverberating through the very air around him.
"At last, you have come."
Valerian's heart froze. The Hollow Flame. It was here.
And it was waiting for him.
[System Alert: Hollow Flame Entity – Full Awakening In Progress. Immediate Action Required.]