valmora The crimson twilight

The chamber's air crackled with tension as the last echoes of whispers faded into silence. Ethan stood beside Selene, his breath ragged as the ember of void power smoldered faintly beneath his ribs, a constant reminder of the force he had barely controlled. The creatures had retreated into the shadows beyond the broken doorway, but Ethan could still feel their presence—watching, waiting for the final veil to fall.

Selene's crimson eyes glinted as she wiped her silver dagger clean against her cloak. Though her expression remained cold, Ethan could sense the faint stiffness in her shoulders—a sign of the strain their battle had taken. Yet her voice was steady when she spoke:

"The blood moon is nearing its zenith. When it reaches its peak, the veil will thin to its weakest point. If we can hold them back until it begins to wane, the gateway will close, and the creatures will be forced to retreat."

Ethan swallowed hard, his pulse still unsteady from the surge of void power he had unleashed. "And if we can't?"

Selene met his gaze with unflinching intensity. "Then they will tear this world apart until nothing remains."

Before Ethan could respond, the faint hum of unseen energy resonated through the air, growing stronger with each passing moment. The silver runes etched into the stone walls flickered weakly, their protective glow fading as the veil continued to thin. Beyond the broken doorway, the shadows began to stir once more, shifting like smoke as the creatures gathered unseen within the darkness.

Selene stepped forward, her cloak trailing behind her as she raised her hand toward the doorway. Darkness coiled around her fingertips, and with a sharp gesture, she sent a pulse of shadowed flame crashing into the threshold. The burst of energy struck the unseen barrier beyond the doorway, and for a moment, the creatures' whispers faltered as the flame scattered them back into the void.

But the reprieve was short-lived. A deep, resonant pulse reverberated through the stone beneath their feet, shaking the chamber as cracks splintered across the walls. The air grew colder as an unseen force pressed against the weakened veil, and the whispers returned—louder this time, carrying faint echoes of ancient words Ethan could not understand.

Selene's posture stiffened as she gripped her dagger tightly at her side. "They're coming again. This time, they won't stop until one of us falls."

Ethan clenched his fists at his sides, feeling the ember of void power stir restlessly within his chest. Sweat broke out on his brow as he forced the power back into dormancy, weaving the silver thread tightly around it as Selene had taught him. Hold it together. Don't let it control you.

A low growl echoed from beyond the doorway, deeper and more resonant than before. The shadows within the corridor shifted, and a figure stepped forward—taller and more defined than the creatures they had faced before. Its form was draped in shifting darkness, but its eyes gleamed with silver fire, and faint traces of armor glinted faintly beneath its cloak of shadows. Unlike the lesser creatures, this one did not lunge forward—it stepped deliberately into the chamber, its gaze locking onto Ethan with cold intensity.

Selene's breath caught sharply beside him. "It's a void warden."

Ethan tensed as the air grew heavier around them, pressing against his chest like an invisible weight. "What's a void warden?"

Selene's grip tightened on her dagger. "They are the guardians of the void—beings forged from the essence of the world beyond. Unlike the lesser creatures, they can think. They can hunt. And once they've marked a target, they will not stop until that target is consumed."

The warden's gaze did not waver as it stepped slowly toward the platform, its footsteps silent against the stone floor. Though its form shifted faintly with each step, its presence seemed more solid than the lesser creatures—as though it existed halfway between this world and the void beyond.

Selene stepped in front of Ethan, her posture rigid with tension as she raised her hand toward the warden. "Stay back. This one isn't like the others—you can't fight it alone."

The warden tilted its head slightly, as though studying her with faint curiosity. Then, without warning, it lunged forward with impossible speed, closing the distance between them in a single heartbeat. Selene barely had time to raise her dagger before the warden's claws slashed through the air, striking her blade with enough force to send sparks cascading across the chamber floor.

Ethan staggered back as the force of the impact sent a shockwave through the air, but Selene didn't falter. Twisting her dagger beneath the warden's claws, she drove her other hand forward and unleashed a burst of shadowed flame directly into its chest. The warden staggered back a step as the flames seared through its shifting form, but the silver fire within its eyes did not waver.

"Ethan, move!" Selene shouted, her voice sharp with urgency.

Before he could react, the warden lunged toward him with blinding speed, its silver eyes locking onto the ember of void power within his chest. Time seemed to slow as Ethan raised his hands instinctively, feeling the heat of the void surge through his veins as the silver thread of control began to fray beneath the pressure.

Not yet. Hold it together...

But the warden was too fast. In the space of a breath, it was upon him—its claws striking toward his chest with lethal precision. Ethan barely managed to throw himself aside as the warden's claws sliced through the air where he had stood, but the force of its presence sent him sprawling across the stone floor, gasping as the void's heat burned through his veins in response.

"Ethan!" Selene shouted as she drove her dagger into the warden's back, her blade flashing with silver light as it pierced through its armor of shadows. The warden shrieked in a voice that seemed to echo from beyond the veil, but instead of retreating, it twisted around and struck Selene with enough force to send her crashing into the far wall.

Ethan's breath caught in his throat as Selene collapsed to the ground, unmoving. The ember within his chest flared hotter, pushing harder against the silver thread as the warden advanced toward him once more—its silver eyes gleaming with cold purpose as whispers filled the air like distant echoes of the void.

No... not now... not again...

Clenching his fists against the burning pressure beneath his ribs, Ethan forced himself to stand. His breath came in ragged gasps as the ember pushed harder against his control, demanding to be released—but he gritted his teeth and wove the silver thread tighter around it, refusing to let it overwhelm him.

The warden's footsteps slowed as it drew closer, its silver eyes narrowing as though sensing the struggle within him. Yet it did not strike—it waited, as though testing Ethan's resolve.

Ethan took a step forward, his heart hammering against his ribs as the ember burned hotter with each breath. Sweat dripped from his brow as he forced the power back into dormancy, locking it behind the silver thread with sheer force of will.

Not yet... Not until I choose to use it.

The warden's eyes flickered faintly as though recognizing his defiance—and then, without warning, it lunged forward with lethal speed, its claws reaching for his chest.

Ethan moved faster than thought. Releasing the silver thread in a single burst, he let the void's power flood through his veins, burning away the chill that clung to his skin. The air around him seemed to ripple as unseen energy resonated from his core, and with a surge of will, he met the warden's charge head-on.

Their clash sent a shockwave of force through the chamber as void energy collided with the warden's shifting form. The silver fire within its eyes flared brightly as its claws raked against Ethan's arms, but the void's heat burned through its shadows with each strike. Ethan's breath came in ragged gasps as the strain of holding the power threatened to overwhelm him, but he forced himself to push forward, driving the warden back with bursts of void energy that tore through its armor of shadows.

For a moment, time seemed to stretch as Ethan and the warden clashed in a storm of silver flame and void energy—each strike resonating through the air like the toll of distant bells. Sweat dripped from Ethan's brow as his vision blurred at the edges, but still he pushed forward, refusing to yield beneath the weight of the void's power.

Finally, with one last surge of will, Ethan seized the warden's arm and poured the full force of the void directly into its core. The warden's silver eyes flared wide with shock as the energy consumed it from within, tearing through its form until nothing remained but a faint echo of whispers that faded into silence.

As the warden dissolved into nothingness, Ethan collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath as the void's power faded from his veins. The ember beneath his ribs flickered faintly, then settled into dormancy once more—hot and dormant, but no longer overwhelming.

Silence fell over the chamber as the last echoes of whispers faded into the distance. Ethan's pulse still thundered in his ears as he forced himself to stand, staggering toward Selene as she pushed herself upright against the far wall.

"You... controlled it," she said softly, her crimson eyes meeting his with faint surprise.

Ethan wiped the sweat from his brow, his breath still ragged from the strain. "Yeah... I think I did."

Selene's gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before she nodded faintly. "Good. Because the blood moon hasn't set yet—and this fight isn't over."