Eris raised her hands, and the air around her began to distort and ripple, as if reality itself was bending to her will. The cavern's walls started to shake, and loose rocks tumbled down, adding to the chaos. Roman's eyes narrowed, and he took a step forward, his fury intensifying.
Eris smiled, a cold glint in her eye. "The walls are coming down, Roman. Are you ready to face what's coming?"
Roman's plan revolves around using his sister Isabelle's life essence and the Vivere crystal's dark energy to control the khragixx. He's obsessed with harnessing this power, believing it'll give him the upper hand to destroy the world, not rule over the faes.
The Vivere crystal's energy is too dark, too powerful it consumes its host. But Roman's counting on Isabelle's royal light fae blood to balance the darkness. He failed with his brother, now he's fixated on Isabelle.
The air thickened with tension as Roman's intent sunk in. Eris's grip on her power tightened, her eyes blazing with fury. "He's not getting Isabelle," she growled, determination etched on her face.
Crimson stepped forward, his voice low and deadly. "We need to move, now. Get Isabelle out of here before Roman makes his next move."
Isabelle's face set in a resolute mask. "I'm not running. I'm stopping him."
Eris turned to her. "We'll stop him together. But first, we got get you safe."
Roman's eyes turned wild, his face contorting in rage. "NO! SHE'S MINE!" he screamed, unleashing a torrent of dark energy. The cavern shook harder, rocks crashing down as he lunged at Isabelle, desperation driving him.
Eris intercepted him mid-air, their powers clashing in a spectacular explosion. "You won't touch her!" she snarled.
Roman's maniacal laughter echoed through the cavern, sending chills down Isabelle's spine. As he absorbed more dark energy, his body began to glow with an eerie, pulsating light. The air grew thick with malevolent power, and the underworld itself seemed to respond to his presence.
Eris's eyes widened. "He's becoming one with the darkness... this is bad."
The ground started to crack, and shadows swirled around Roman like living things. "The underworld's feeding him," Crimson muttered. "He's becoming stronger."
Isabelle's voice was cold. "We stop him now, before he gets any stronger."
Haphaestus' eyes blazed with fury as he gripped his hammer, lava dripping from his hand like molten wrath. "Get out, now!" he growled, his voice like thunder. "I'll deal with Roman."
Eris nodded grimly, grabbing Isabelle's arm. "Let's go. Haphaestus is ending this."
Crimson fell back, eyes on the brewing storm. "He's gonna need backup."
Haphaestus faced Roman, hammer raised. "You've crossed the line, Roman. Time to pay."
Roman's laughter grew louder, dark energy swirling. "You think a hammer can stop me?"
Haphaestus smiled, a craftsman's deadly grin. "It's not just a hammer."
Haphaestus swung his hammer, and the ground shattered. Flames erupted, engulfing Roman. "You forgot," Haphaestus growled, "I'm the one who forged the gods' fury." Roman stumbled back, blinded by fire. The hammer struck, and Roman's darkness clashed with Haphaestus' lava.
Roman's eyes widened as Haphaestus unleashed a chain of forges from the hammer, binding Roman's powers. "My hammer doesn't just smash," Haphaestus said, "it unmakes." Roman's scream echoed as flames consumed him.
Roman's chest heaved, dark energy swirling around him. "You think fire can stop me?" he rasped, his voice dripping with malevolence. Haphaestus raised his hammer, ready to strike again. "Not fire," he said, "but maybe this will." The hammer glowed brighter and Haphaestus smashed the hammer so violently on Roman's head and Roman crumbled, unconscious. Haphaestus stood over him, hammer still pulsing with heat. "Underestimated the god of fire," he growled. Isabelle, Eris, and Crimson emerged, eyes on Roman's limp form. "Is he...?" Isabelle asked. Haphaestus nodded. "Won't wake till dawn."
They hauled Roman's body, and when they stepped out of the portal leading to the underworld, they met the same familiar runes, and Isabelle worked up another spell that teleported them to Atlantia. Then, they locked Roman up in the dungeon and wrapped him up with chains, enchanted chains, so he won't be able to escape. A messenger bird is dispatched, carrying a note tied to its leg: "Roman captured. Await instructions."
Haphaestus strode into the great forge, the fire crackling as he approached his father,. "Father, we've got Roman locked up in the dungeon," he said, voice firm. "Enchanted chains holding him tight." Hephaestus looked up, intrigued. "
Ankasas asked, "Roman's here?" and he looked at Haphaestus with worry in his eyes, saying, "He's not supposed to be here." Suddenly, the castle shook violently and they heard an explosion.
Ankasas bellowed with rage as Haphaestus charged forward, hammer raised. Roman's eyes glinted with a fierce, unnatural power as he squeezed tighter around Isabelle's neck. "You shouldn't have brought him here," Ankasas growled, summoning a blast of energy.
Roman's eyes locked onto Ankasas, and a flicker of terror danced across his face. The supreme ruler's gaze was unforgiving, a storm brewing in his eyes. Ankasas raised his hand, and a blast of energy shot towards Roman like a bolt of lightning. In desperation, Roman summoned the last threads of his power, conjuring a dark, smoky shield that seemed to ripple like shattered glass. The energy blast hit the shield, and for a heartbeat, the air was alive with tension. When the light faded, Roman was gone and Isabelle was gone with him.
Haphaestus spun around, his gaze landing on Eris's still form, Crimson's hands stained with her blood. He strode to her side, his voice urgent. "Crimson, what happened?" he demanded, dropping to his knees beside Eris. Crimson looked up at him, his eyes wild with worry, his face smeared with Eris's blood. "He...he hurt her, Haphaestus," Crimson said, his voice shaking. "Roman did this."
Haphaestus's face twisted in horror as Crimson's words painted a vivid picture of the chaos that had unfolded. "While you were with Ankasas, Roman woke up and started taunting them," Crimson explained, his voice trembling. "He was talking about killing his brother, and Isabelle was furious, ready to attack him, but Eris held her back. She told Isabelle that's what Roman wanted to provoke her into a reckless attack." Crimson's eyes dropped to Eris's still form, his voice cracking. "We didn't notice the dark vein, covered in dark smoke, until it was too late. It snaked its way to Eris and grabbed her, starting to drain her power. Isabelle and I rushed to stop Roman, but he blasted us away like we were nothing."
Crimson's breathing hitched as he relived the moment. "Eris...Roman was absorbing her power, like he was sucking the life out of her. When he was done, he flung her away, and I managed to catch her. But... he got to Isabelle. He got his hands on her, and..."
Haphaestus's jaw clamped shut, his eyes blazing with fury. "We'll get her back," he growled, his voice low and deadly.