Theo ducked beneath a crumbling archway, panting hard. His ribs ached where the Surnok's tail had clipped him earlier, but he pushed the pain down. He couldn't afford to slow.
"Here!" Veyra hissed, waving him into a sheltered alcove where the walls still stood.
Theo stumbled in beside her. Veyra's hands moved in rapid circles, weaving spells into the stones around them. Glyphs sparked into life — barriers, alarms, traps. She was setting a perimeter faster than he could even follow.
"How long do you need?" he asked, wiping blood off his cheek.
"Three minutes," she said grimly. "Maybe less if you keep them busy."
Theo's stomach twisted. "You're insane."
"Then it's a good thing you like me," Veyra snapped, her tone razor-sharp but her eyes gleaming with determination.
Theo managed a strained grin. "That's a strong word."
From outside, the ground trembled. Heavy footfalls. A low, rattling growl.
More Surnoks ,at least two, maybe three.
Theo tightened his grip on his spear.
He wasn't Nathan. He didn't have light blazing in his veins. No secret weapons.
But he had training. He had stubbornness. And right now, that would have to be enough.
The first beast lunged into view. A Scarspawn this time, its misshapen body writhing like smoke. Theo didn't flinch. He pivoted, using the force of its charge against it, and drove his spear clean through its chest.
It screeched, falling hard.
Theo pulled his weapon free, spinning to face the next one. His arms burned. His lungs screamed. But he stayed standing.
"You good back there?" he shouted toward Veyra.
"Almost!" she yelled, her voice tight with concentration. "Buy me ten more seconds!"
Theo turned back just as a Surnok loomed in the mist — a smaller one, maybe an adolescent, but still twice his size. Its violet eyes locked onto him, and it charged.
Theo didn't hesitate. He dropped low, sidestepping the first slam.
Basic Fire Magic: Engulf
Theo's spear light on fire, jabbing it into the joint of the beast's leg. It stumbled but didn't fall.
It turned, snarling, ready to crush him under its bulk.
"Veyra!" he shouted, digging deep for one last burst of strength.
Behind him, there was a sharp crack — a pulse of magic igniting the air.
The glyphs she'd carved into the ruins blazed to life.
Chains of brilliant force lashed outward, snaring the Surnok mid-charge. It roared in fury, struggling against the bindings, but the magic held.
Theo staggered back, breathing hard. Veyra ran up beside him, still chanting under her breath, her hands glowing with residual power.
"You good?" she asked without looking at him.
Theo gave a breathless laugh. "Yeah. You?"
"Ask me when we're out of here."
Together, they turned — just in time to see Nathan reappear through the swirling dust.
He was bloodied, battered, but standing tall, his sword dragging a thin line of scorched earth behind him.
"We found the nest," Theo said, voice hoarse.
Nathan nodded once. "Let's go"
He glanced at the snarling Surnok, still pinned by Veyra's magic — and the hard light in his eyes said exactly what he planned to do next.
They ran into the nest, it was dark. The surrounding walls were muddy and slimy yet they were firm.
The tunnel narrowed around them, the air turning hotter, heavier. Nathan pressed forward, sword drawn, the faint shimmer of Nova curled tight around him.
They burst into the cavern almost at once.
And froze.
The Egg.
It dominated the space , monstrous and terrible, pulsing like a second, dark sun. Its shell was black, streaked with molten red veins that writhed like living things. The very ground seemed to hum under it.
Nathan felt the wrongness, like a hand pressing against his ribs.
Theo tightened his grip on his spear. "We have to destroy it. Fast."
Nathan nodded, stepping forward — when the shadows around the walls stirred.
Figures peeled free from the darkness — a dozen at least — humans, but barely. Their faces were stretched, hollowed by demonic magic, their eyes burning an unnatural crimson. Symbols glowed faintly on their skin, stitched by pacts far older than anything natural.
The Demon Faction.
One stepped forward — a woman with silver hair and a deep scar slashed across her neck. She smiled, slow and cruel.
"You shouldn't have come," she said.
Nathan raised his sword. "Too bad."
The attack came without warning.
A spear of black fire launched straight at them. Nathan twisted aside — but not fast enough to block the second one.
It hit Veyra squarely in the chest.
She cried out — sharp and raw — and collapsed.
"Veyra!" Theo shouted, catching her before she hit the stone. He knelt, frantic, trying to shield her limp body.
Nathan turned back toward the cultists, fury rising like a storm inside him.
"You made a mistake," he said low.
The woman laughed — until Nathan lunged.
He slammed into the first wave of attackers like a force of nature, blade wreathed in blinding Nova.Steel clashed against dark magic; the cavern lit up with the violent flare of battle.Theo fought to protect Veyra, every jab of his spear desperate, savage.
But there were too many.
Nathan fought like a man possessed, cutting down cultists two at a time — but for every one that fell, two more pressed forward.
A whip of shadow lashed across Nathan's ribs. He grunted, staggering, catching himself before he fell.
The silver-haired woman sneered. "Nova or not, you can't stop this."
Nathan wiped blood from his mouth. His body screamed for release, for more power — not just Nova.The other side of him.
The forbidden side.
But not yet.
Instead, he unleashed everything he could safely pour into the Nova — his sword blazing pure white as he charged forward.
The battle blurred into chaos.
Nathan threw spells after spells.
Light against darkness. Fury against cruelty.
When it ended, the cavern was scorched — blackened by the aftershocks of Nova. Bodies littered the ground, some groaning, some utterly still.
Nathan stood there, chest heaving, smoke rising from his blade.The cultists that could still move fled into the tunnels, disappearing into the dark.
Theo staggered toward him, blood streaking down his temple.
Nathan turned immediately to Veyra. She was breathing — shallow, but alive.
Theo wiped his face, voice ragged. "We need to end this. Now."
Nathan's gaze lifted to the egg.
Still pulsing.
Still waiting.
"This was just the beginning," Nathan said.
He gritted his teeth.
"And whatever's inside that egg — it's worse."