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KAELITH

A ragged wind tears over the broken battlements, carrying the acrid tang of spent magic and burning stone.

I stand on a ruined parapet that overlooks the shadowed valley where Nerezza’s final stronghold rises—an ancient fortress or a piece of her chaotic illusions, I can’t tell.

Crumbling walls slope away into darkness, twisted gargoyles perched upon half-toppled spires.

They watch with vacant, menacing eyes, like statues waiting for a signal to pounce.

My body thrums with tension, each breath rasping through lungs scorched by battle.

At my side, Sariah grips her staff, brand on her wrist burning with a fierce glow that cuts through the gloom.

She meets my gaze, stormy eyes reflecting worry and resolve.

We’re battered—torn cloaks, bruises, sweat, and dried blood marking every inch of us—but we haven’t wavered.

The synergy in my core hums each time our arms brush.

Her lips quirk in a tight, fleeting smile, a silent reaffirmation that we’ll face whatever horror awaits in the fortress depths.

We came here after scouring the mountains for any final clue to Nerezza’s lair.

With Drayveth’s forces scattered and the brood prowling, it took cunning and luck to arrive intact.

Now, with the sky bruised by the last vestiges of dusk, we confront the bleak citadel at the heart of Nerezza’s domain.

A swirl of black smoke wreathes its broken towers, illusions flickering across the collapsed gates.

My runes prickle as if warning me that we stand at the threshold of a final confrontation.

Sariah’s brand pulses, arcs of silver radiating around her staff.

“She’s here,” she murmurs, voice tight. “I can feel her presence… it’s suffocating.

” Her eyes dart over the cracked stones beneath our feet, tension rippling through her.

“I hate that it has to end here, but we’ve no choice.

If we don’t stop her now, she’ll unleash more atrocities on Protheka. ”

I nod, runes flaring in agreement. “This time, we seal her for good,” I say, voice echoing in the hollow courtyard.

My claws scrape the ground, remembering centuries I spent entombed with her illusions.

I refused to repeat that trap, yet ironically, a new sealing might be the only solution.

My chest aches at the memory of that ancient choice, but I feel Sariah’s synergy stirring, reminding me we’re not alone.

We pass through the fractured gate, stepping into a courtyard strewn with debris and scorched remnants of older wards.

The stench of rot mingles with the faint tang of Nerezza’s chaos magic.

Above, twisted gargoyles lurk on broken parapets, hissing softly as we pass.

Sariah’s brand glows brighter, the synergy between us crackling with each footstep.

My runes respond, fueling a shield of energy that keeps the lesser creatures at bay.

They hiss, uncertain whether to attack. I sense Nerezza’s invisible command holding them in thrall, not yet unleashing them.

Crumpled columns line a grand entry hall, walls shifting like illusions in my eyes.

A pulse of nausea hits me. She’s warping reality again.

But Sariah’s presence grounds me. I grip her hand, letting her brand’s warmth flow into my runes.

The illusions blur, revealing a corridor that likely leads to a central chamber.

We move forward, hearts pounding. Our synergy leaves a faint trail of shimmering dust in our wake.

Each time illusions scrape at the edge of my mind, I recall the vow I made: I won’t yield to guilt or illusions.

Sariah stands unwavering by my side, brand shimmering in rhythmic pulses that match my runes. We face this together.

A faint laugh drifts through the corridor.

My blood runs cold at the haunting familiarity of that sound.

Nerezza. It echoes with a teasing malice, reverberating off the cracked walls.

I sense Sariah’s grip tighten on her staff, her brand flaring.

We round a corner, emerging into a cavernous hall whose vaulted ceiling is partly collapsed, letting in a shaft of pale moonlight.

Pillars lean precariously. Broken flagstones litter the floor, forming a rough mosaic of devastation.

At the far end stands Nerezza, regal in black robes shot through with swirling illusions of starlight.

Her hair floats around her shoulders, a voidlike aura shimmering with each breath she takes.

Her eyes shine red with triumph, lips curving in a cruel smile.

Behind her, gargoyle thralls crouch in the shadows, eyes vacant and hungry.

My runes blaze, recalling how she twisted my kin into these abominations. It ends now.

“Sariah. Kaelith,” Nerezza calls, voice laced with mocking warmth. “You come unannounced. No matter—I prepared a welcome.” She snaps her fingers. The thralls stir, hissing. Sariah tenses, but the brood doesn’t leap. They wait, as if Nerezza wants to savor this.

I step forward, runes spitting sparks. “We’ve come to end your reign,” I say, forcing my voice to resonate. “No illusions, no half-measures. You’ve bled this world enough.”

She laughs, illusions rippling around her.

“Bled this world? I offer it salvation. If they kneel, I spare them. Didn’t you once want that same unity for gargoyles?

” She glances at me with feigned tenderness.

“We can still rule, you and I, if you cast aside this purna’s illusions. She’s no match for my true power.”

Sariah stiffens, brand glowing fiercely. “Your illusions can’t fool us anymore,” she declares, voice crisp. “We know the truth. You’re a shell of the woman you once were, feeding on chaos to mask your hollow core.”

Nerezza’s lips peel back in a snarl, illusions twisting into ephemeral serpents around her ankles. “You dare. I am the first Nyxari. I am power incarnate.” She flings a hand outward. A wave of black-laced lightning arcs across the hall, sizzling with chaotic force.

I roar, wings snapping open to shield Sariah as we form a synergy barrier. The bolt crashes against our joined power, sending shards of energy skittering over the flagstones. Dust showers us, but we remain steady. She’s strong, I realize with dread, perhaps stronger than she was centuries ago.

Sariah’s gaze meets mine, brand pulsing a question. We must seal her. I clench my fists, nodding. She chants under her breath, weaving a swirl of purna magic. My runes flicker, responding with earthen might. “Now,” I say through gritted teeth, “we form the seal.”

“Pathetic,” Nerezza hisses, illusions intensifying around her.

She conjures orbs of swirling darkness, hurling them in rapid succession.

Each orb splashes against our synergy field, forcing us to pour more power into defense.

My arms ache, wings shaking from the strain.

Sariah gasps, eyes narrowed in concentration.

If we can’t counter soon, she’ll overwhelm us.

We shift tactics, letting one orb slip past to explode behind us while we launch a retaliatory bolt.

Sariah’s staff glows white-hot, arcs of silver lightning coiling with the stone force I provide.

The combined pulse tears a chunk from the floor near Nerezza’s feet, sending her illusions reeling.

She snarls, momentarily stumbling. An opening.

Sariah and I surge forward, synergy blazing.

My wings thrash, tail lashing to clear a path through thrall gargoyles that leap to defend their mistress.

Sariah blasts them aside with arcs of luminous magic, each strike rippling with fury.

My runes feed her raw power, forging a swirling vortex that cracks pillars and shatters illusions. Nerezza howls, illusions faltering.

But then she unleashes a new wave— voidlike power so dense it warps the air.

My runes recoil, a primal terror stirring in my gut.

She’s tapping into a deeper reservoir. A maelstrom of swirling blackness envelops the chamber, the walls shuddering as illusions bleed into reality.

I see ghostly shapes—fallen gargoyles from centuries past, battered purna illusions, all swirling in a nightmare tapestry.

Sariah lets out a choked cry, brand flickering erratically.

She staggers, illusions clawing at her mind.

I wrap an arm around her waist, runes blazing with defiance.

“Hold on,” I whisper, pushing synergy into her.

She steels her jaw, tears glistening, and our combined power flares anew, slicing through illusions.

Nerezza stands at the center of the swirling void, eyes blazing with triumphant malice. “You cannot stand against the raw void,” she roars, voice echoing with ancient wrath. “Protheka will be reborn in darkness!”

My heart pounds. We have only one choice: a new seal, stronger than before.

But forging that seal might cost everything.

I recall the centuries I spent entombed in stone, sacrificing my life to keep her contained.

Could I do it again? My runes flicker, glancing at Sariah.

She can’t be trapped with us. But maybe we can create a seal that binds Nerezza alone.

Sariah senses my turmoil. She raises her staff, voice shaking with determination.

“I can channel a pure surge of purna magic,” she says, breath ragged.

“But it’s not enough alone. I need you, Kaelith—your gargoyle essence, your willingness to cede that old power.

” Her eyes meet mine, heartbreak shining.

“If we combine them, we might contain her. But you’ll lose what remains of your gargoyle might. ”