Immortal Lightning – Wings of Freedom

The putrid smell filled the air. The trio moved cautiously through the tunnels of the South Wing, guided by the chalk arrows Vinícius had marked on the ground. After so many turns, they finally found a large underground chamber, partially lit by Harry's necklace, which glowed faintly in warning.

As soon as they entered, the scene froze them in place.

Corpses. Dozens of them.Mutilated rats, black blood oozing over the stones, human remains piled like rubble in a corner. Harry's eyes turned dark, his jaw clenched tight.Vinícius gagged on his own vomit, covering his mouth and turning away.Rafael didn't have the same strength — he stumbled to the corner and vomited, the sound echoing through the silent chamber like a death sentence.

"They… They were killing each other," Harry muttered, eyes fixed on the bite marks on the rats themselves. "They devoured each other to evolve…"

But before silence could settle again, a grotesque sound rose from the pile of corpses. A grinding of bones, followed by a shrill screech.

From the shadows, an abomination emerged.

A giant rat, over three meters tall and five meters long. Three monstrous tails, larger than its body, rose like whips of death — each tipped with exposed bone. Its red eyes burned with murderous hunger, and its body was covered in dried blood, open wounds, and grotesque deformities.

The monster screamed in rage upon sensing living flesh.

"If we don't fight, we'll die!" Harry shouted.

In an instant, he channeled Qi into his legs and arms, feeling the strength built over the last 20 days of training. In his left hand, a medium-sized knife. In his right, a fireball growing to the size of a human head. With a roar:

"Fireball!" — he hurled it at the monster's skull.

The rat reacted with absurd speed. One of its tails slashed the fireball mid-air. But even so, the flash of magic lit the dark chamber, partially blinding the creature.

Vinícius had already prepared his magic."Water Slash!" — he shouted, aiming at the rear leg.

The cutting jet hit dead on. Putrid blood gushed from the wound, and the rat shrieked in pain.The sound snapped Rafael back to reality. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began channeling his Earth magic.

Meanwhile, Harry dashed to the side, trying to slice the creature's other leg with the knife. But the blade barely scratched the thick hide.

The monster didn't hesitate. Its three tails lashed forward like spears, surrounding Harry in the blink of an eye.

"Stone Wall!" — Rafael shouted, raising a wall between the rat and his friend.

The tails bounced off the stone, buying precious seconds.

Harry conjured another fireball and appeared behind the rat."Now, Vinícius!"

"Water Slash!" — Vinícius shouted again, aiming at the tails.

The strike severed one completely. The monster roared, its body trembling with fury.A dark aura began to envelop its body, and its skin turned red. It turned its head toward Harry, full of hate, and charged.

"Stone Wall!" — Rafael shouted again.

But this time, the creature shattered the barrier with brutal force and continued straight ahead.Harry used the rat's momentum. As the wall broke, he drove the knife straight into one of the monster's eyes and, with his other hand, launched the fireball at the injured leg.

"Fireball!"

BOOM!

The explosion hurled Harry across the chamber, slamming him into the wall as blood spilled from his mouth. The rat screamed in agony and collapsed, one of its legs blown off.

"I won't let it escape!" — Rafael shouted, placing his hands on the ground."Stone Wall!"

This time, the stone rose not as a barrier, but as a ring. A wall encircled the rat, pinning it tightly.

Vinícius, panting, gathered what little Qi he had left and launched his final attack."Water Slash!"Another tail was severed.

The rat howled, thrashing, trying to break free from the stone prison. Rafael strained every fiber of his body to hold the structure.

Harry spat blood, slowly rising. He saw the state of the enemy, the determination of his friends, and knew what he had to do.

"Just hold on a little longer, Rafael! I'll finish this!"

Gathering all his Qi, Harry formed a new fireball with both hands raised to the sky. First the size of a head, then a watermelon… until it reached over a meter and a half in diameter. The heat rippled through the air.

"On my command… fall back!" — he shouted.

Vinícius and Rafael nodded and leaped back.

"Die! Fireball!" — Harry roared, launching the orb with all his might.

He dove to the ground, bracing for the impact.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The explosion shook the tunnels. The rat let out a final scream before vanishing in the flames. The ceiling trembled, stones began to fall.

Rafael ran to Vinícius."Let's go!"Vinícius yelled:"Harry!"

"Go! I'll find another way out!" — Harry shouted from within the fire.

With the tunnel collapsing behind them, Rafael grabbed Vinícius and ran, following the arrows drawn on the ground.Chunks of ceiling fell, smoke filled the corridors.

Minutes later, they finally burst out the exit, gasping for breath.

The tunnel behind them collapsed completely.

"HAAARRRYYYYY!" — Vinícius screamed, the echo responding only with silence.