Jason’s scream split the chamber.The cracks in his skin widened, spilling molten light. His chest burned as if torn apart from the inside. Violet fire writhed through his veins like serpents, gold struggling to hold them back.The figure advanced, each step deliberate. The ruined stones groaned under his weight, though he did not so much walk as command the ground to carry him.Jason trembled, forcing himself upright. His legs barely obeyed, but he planted his feet, raising his shaking hands. “Stay… away.”The figure tilted his head. His voice was smooth, almost mocking. “Do you even know who you are speaking to, child?”Jason spat blood, fire sparking from his lips. “Doesn’t matter.” His voice cracked. “You come for me, you’ll regret it.”The man’s chuckle echoed through the broken hall. “Bold words, from a vessel half-shattered.” He raised his hand, and violet fire surged outward like a tide, washing over the ruins.Elias leapt in front of Jason, blade glowing with his own power. H

He wanted to collapse. To give in. To stop fighting. But then, Through the storm of Kael’s fire, he heard it. A voice. Strained. Weak. But real. “Jason… you are not empty.”Elias.Jason raised his head. Through the inferno, he saw Elias’s hand reaching for him, trembling, bloodied, but unyielding. His eyes burned not with fear, but with faith.Jason’s chest convulsed. His fire flared, gold sparking violently against the violet. “I… am not… yours!”He hurled himself upward, grabbing the shard at his chest. His fingers sank into his own flesh, gripping the burning crystal.Kael’s roar shook the chamber. “FOOL! YOU’LL TEAR YOURSELF APART!”“THEN I’LL DIE FREE!” Jason screamed, ripping at the shard.The fire exploded outward, gold and violet colliding in a storm that split the ruins apart. The ground cracked, walls collapsed, air ignited.Kael shrieked, his form splintering, violet light tearing loose from Jason’s body. For the first time, he staggered back, his smile faltering.Jason col

The fire burned brighter, lashing outward. Stone cracked. Shadows warped. A storm of destruction howled. Elias screamed through the pain. He slammed his forehead against Jason’s, forcing Jason to look at him.“Listen to me! You’re stronger than this bastard! Stronger than me, stronger than anyone! You’ve carried all of us this far, don’t you dare stop now!”Jason’s body shook violently. He coughed blood, and for a moment the light in his eyes dimmed, retreating. His voice was no more than a whisper:“I… can’t…”Elias’s heart broke. He pressed Jason tighter against him, rocking him like a brother, voice cracking. “Then let me help! Take me, take everything I’ve got! Just don’t let him win!”The dagger at Jason’s side blazed suddenly, gold erupting from its edge. Its light cut through the violet chains, splintering them. The shard screamed.Jason’s hand twitched, fingers brushing the dagger. His gaze steadied weak, but no longer fading. Kael snarled. “Futile! His soul is mine”Jason’s v

The storm bent inward. The light collapsed, swallowing itself, dragging Jason, Elias, and the dagger into a chamber of endless dark. Elias blinked. The battlefield was gone. He stood in a void.Shadows stretched forever in every direction, a black mirror beneath his feet reflecting a twisted sky. Yet in the center, a pillar of fire blazed, a crucible of golden flame entwined with violet corruption.Jason hung suspended above it. Chains of shadow and light lashed around him, piercing his skin, binding his limbs. His head hung low, hair falling into his eyes, blood dripping down to vanish into the void below.And across from him, Kael emerged. No longer just a voice or distortion, he took form. A man wrought from shadow, his features sharp and cruel, violet flame blazing in his chest where a heart should be. His eyes were Jason’s… twisted.“This is mine,” Kael hissed, spreading his arms as the crucible roared. “His body, his soul, his fire. Everything he ever was belongs to me.”Jason’s

Elias’s throat burned. “Then let him try!”Kael wrenched his hand upward. Jason screamed, golden fire pouring from his chest into Kael’s grasp. It twisted into violet, feeding the monster. Kael inhaled deeply, shuddering with delight.“Ahhh,” he sighed. “The taste of divinity. He was wasted on you, Elias. Wasted on love, on mercy, on sacrifice. With me, he can be perfect.”“Perfect?” Elias spat, lunging forward to slash at Kael. The dagger cut through shadow, striking Kael’s arm, searing violet flame with gold. Kael roared, staggering back, smoke rising from the wound.Jason gasped for breath, the chains loosening slightly. Kael turned, eyes burning with pure hatred. “You dare!”He struck. A torrent of violet fire erupted, slamming into Elias’s chest. He flew back, crashing into the void’s mirror floor.The impact shattered it like glass, cracks spidering outward into endless black. Blood filled his mouth. His vision dimmed.“Elias!” Jason’s scream was raw, desperate. His chains rattl