Chapter 43 ( Part 15 )
The phantom lion roared
a storm of golden fire tearing through the ancient hall.
Heat shimmered along the cracked marble, twisting the air. The murals that lined the chamber's walls came alive, their painted warriors writhing in agony and glory, replaying the triumphs of a long-dead age.
Rihan staggered backward, armor scorched and smoking, yet his grip on his sword never wavered.
"This thing it's going berserk! We have to hold it back!"
Alok's chains lashed forward, glowing with spectral light. Each strike sparked against the lion's mane, scattering embers like shattered stars. But the beast only grew faster, stronger its molten eyes burning with an intelligence that froze his blood.
The Berserk Phase
The lion's mane blazed brighter, flames coiling around its body like serpents drunk on rage. It leapt, landing atop the ruined pillars. The impact cracked stone and sent fragments hurtling through the air.
The murals rattled with the shockwave, revealing glimpses of hidden inscriptions battles that time itself had buried.
Namea dove beneath a torrent of fire, her shield flaring as it absorbed the blast.
"It's learning from us!" she shouted. "Every move we make it adapts!"
Alok's chest burned. The pendant against his skin pulsed in time with his racing heart, the chains tugging at his arms as if alive. A whisper echoed through the metal's vibration:
"Too close… danger… pride burns the flame…"
The Father's Memory
Then vision fractured.
The chamber blurred.
For an instant, Alok was no longer among the living. He stood before the great mural behind the throne where his father's likeness emerged, glowing with chains of light and eyes both resolute and weary.
"Chains… Alok… the path… follow the flame…"
The words brushed his mind like ash on the wind.
Alok gasped, clutching his chest. "Father… I hear you."
The lion froze mid-leap, its molten gaze drawn toward the mural as if recognizing that same voice. For one trembling heartbeat, the golden flames dimmed.
Alok seized the opening.
The Coordinated Assault
"Now!" he shouted. "Focus! Hold it down! I'll weaken the throne's seal!"
Rihan, Lielle, and Serina moved as one steel and spell colliding with fire.
Sparks burst like fireworks. The sound of metal screaming against heat filled the hall.
They fought with everything left inside them blood, breath, and bone.
Alok's chains struck deep, coiling around the throne's cracked base. The pendant's glow intensified, resonating with the mural behind it.
In that light, he felt his father's strength and sorrow merge with his own.
His strikes no longer felt like his they felt like destiny moving through him.
The Lion's Struggle
The beast howled, shaking the world around them. Its mane flared violently, hurling shockwaves of fire that shattered the floor. One burning strike sent Rihan flying, smashing into the far wall.
"Rihan!"
Alok's chains whipped out, catching his friend before the collapse.
The lion turned back to him eyes blazing, but no longer purely enraged. Beneath the fury was a flicker of awareness.
The pendant hummed again.
"Bearer… the path… only courage and flame…"
Alok gritted his teeth, standing firm. "Then I'll show you both."
A Moment of Calm Amidst Chaos
Silence fell.
The lion's breath rumbled through the ruins, each exhale glowing like molten wind. The chamber trembled but the attack stopped.
The pendant's light steadied, chains wrapping protectively around Alok's body like living armor.
He exhaled slowly, eyes scanning the murals. And there, hidden beneath a swirl of painted fire, he found it
a symbol identical to the engraving on the throne's surface.
Realization struck like lightning.
Every move, every clash it wasn't a battle. It was a trial.
A message his father had left within the labyrinth's core.
Rihan's voice broke the silence. "Alok… we can do this. Just a little longer."
Alok nodded. His heartbeat steadied. The fear dissolved.
The lion isn't the enemy, he realized.
It's the key. And that key is bound to my father to the Extera to everything this labyrinth hides.
He raised his hand, and the chains flared once more
burning brighter than ever,
as courage and flame became one.