THE LION'S SACRIFICE

The battlefield at the foot of the black tree was an inferno. The Void spores kept falling, and for every monster the team defeated, two more seemed to sprout from the corrupted earth. They were being outnumbered, pushed back, their defensive perimeter shrinking by the second.

— There are too many of them! — Luce shouted, dodging a beast's claw with a somersault. — We can't hold out much longer! —

Just as one of the larger creatures broke through their defensive line and pounced on Lyra, a massive figure fell from the sky, interposing. It was Sacres, along with a dozen elite warriors, seasoned veterans of a thousand battles.

— The cavalry has arrived! — he roared, his war hammer smashing the beast with a single devastating blow. — Reinforcements, secure the perimeter! Don't let any of these vermin near the elevator! —

A war cry echoed as the reinforcements charged, opening a path of steel and fury. Sacres turned to his team, his face stern but his eyes shining with pride.

The elevator was going up, passing through the interior of the colossal trunk. It was a silent, tense ride.

— Sacres... How? — Ikel asked, his voice full of astonishment. — We saw you... at the registry... —

— The Void did not kill in the conventional way — Sacres explained, his gaze lost in the twisted wooden walls. — I was eliminated, yes. But my consciousness did not go into the normal reappearance cycle. I was pulled into a... limbo. A silent place. There, an unknown entity spoke to me. It offered me a choice: eternal rest or a chance to return to finish the fight. —

Asimil froze. The same entity. The same limbo.

— That entity... — he began, his voice a whisper. But before he could say anything else, the elevator stopped with a jolt. They had arrived.

The entrance to the floating island was a large cavern in the heart of the tree. The air was heavy, still and smelled of decay. They advanced cautiously, their weapons held high, expecting an ambush at every corner. But, for some strange and eerie reason, they met no resistance. Not a single monster. Not a single cultist. The silence was total, unnatural.

— I don't like this at all — Luce muttered, her blue eyes scanning every shadow.

They arrived at the center of the island, an immense circular chamber whose ceiling was lost in the darkness. In the center, on a throne made of hardened black roots, Spectro awaited them.

He was not alone. He was standing, clapping slowly. His smile was visible even under his mask.

— Bravo. Truly bravo — he said, his voice echoing in the vast room. — You have exceeded all my expectations. The Second-in-Command, the hordes, the desperation... and here you are. I am truly impressed. —

— Your party's over, Spectro — Ikel snarled, his fists flaring with angry flames. — You'll pay for our clan! And for all this! —

Ikel's fury, pure and uncontainable, finally exploded. — YOU BASTARD! YOU PLAY WITH PEOPLE'S LIVES! —

With a roar that was more lion than man, Ikel launched himself across the room, a missile of fire and rage straight at Spectro.

Spectro lowered his hand and sighed in mock boredom.

— Now that we have eliminated the noisy distraction... we can begin. — He sat down on his throne and placed his hands on two runes. The heart of the tree began to pulse with a dark, devouring energy. The ground beneath his feet trembled. The walls of the chamber began to fade, revealing the starry void beyond.

The world was beginning to be absorbed. Ikel was dead. And they were trapped at the epicenter of the end of the world, in front of the monster that had orchestrated it all.