The floating platform trembled under the core remnant's fury. Gravity twisted up became sideways, down became nowhere. Stone shards from broken bridges orbited the vortex like shattered moons. Lightning from nowhere struck randomly; frost clung to edges; silence swallowed sound in patches. The Devourer's core had become a living storm of every fragment they had faced memory, silence, storm, time, scream woven into one insatiable whole.
Elara stood at the platform's edge, golden chains extending from her palms like roots seeking soil. Thorne flanked her wings spread wide, curse-flame roaring in defiance. Seraphine and her warriors formed a defensive ring, violet barriers flickering under the onslaught.
The remnant pulsed voice a cacophony of every queen it had ever consumed.
You return what is mine. Six pieces. One whole. Give them back.
Elara felt the absorbed shards stir inside her pulling toward the vortex. Pain bloomed in her chest, sharp and deep. She staggered; Thorne caught her waist.
"Hold on," he growled. "They're yours now. Not its."
Seraphine thrust her staff forward violet energy lancing into the vortex. "We end this here!"
The warriors charged blades flashing, echo wards blazing. Tendrils met them snapping one warrior off the platform into the void. His scream cut short.
"No!" Veyra cried lunging after him, only for Seraphine to haul her back.
The remnant laughed multilayered, deafening. One falls. More will follow. Sever the bond, Anchor. Save him. Or lose everything.
A massive tendril storm and silence fused slammed toward Thorne.
He met it head-on flame roaring, talons raking. The impact threw him back; he hit the platform hard, wings crumpling. Blood trickled from a gash across his side.
Elara screamed his name chains snapping out, wrapping the tendril, burning it away. She dropped to his side hands pressing the wound, golden light pouring in.
"Stay with me," she whispered.
His hand found hers weak but steady. "Always."
The remnant coiled tighter vortex growing, pulling the platform inward.
Seraphine fought to her feet staff cracked but still glowing. "The core is the orb at the center. Destroy it, and the merge collapses."
Elara looked up. Deep in the vortex, a violet-black sphere pulsed heart of the remnant.
She rose Thorne struggling up beside her.
"Together," she said.
He nodded flame reigniting despite the pain.
They advanced Elara's chains weaving a path through the storm, Thorne's fire burning a corridor. Seraphine and the remaining warriors covered their flanks violet barriers holding just long enough.
The remnant lashed out tendrils wrapping Elara's legs, pulling her toward the orb.
Thorne roared diving forward, curse-flame searing the tendrils. He caught her pulling her free.
They reached the core.
Elara thrust both hands forward golden chains piercing the orb. Thorne added his flame black fire pouring in.
The orb cracked violet light bleeding.
Seraphine joined them staff slamming into the sphere, violet energy merging with gold and black.
The remnant screamed platform shaking, void widening.
With a final, unified surge chains, flame, violet light the orb shattered.
Light exploded white-hot, blinding.
The vortex collapsed inward sucking shadows, lightning, frost, silence into nothingness.
The platform steadied. Gravity normalized.
Silence fell true silence.
A single, final shard hovered small, dark, pulsing once… then dimming to nothing.
Elara reached out. The resonance absorbed it.
[Devourer Core Remnant – Neutralized][Eternal Resonance Fully Evolved: Complete Harmony – All prior upgrades fused. Bond unbreakable. Devourer threat ended. Echoes purified.]
The Voidscar began to close edges knitting together, light fading to soft gray.
Seraphine sank to her knees exhausted, tears streaking dust. "It's… gone."
Thorne pulled Elara close forehead to forehead, breathing hard.
"We did it," he whispered.
She smiled tired, radiant. "We did."
The warriors gathered silent, awed.
The rift sealed with a final, gentle sigh.
They stood on solid ground once more stars emerging above the plateau.
The Devourer was no more.
And the realms breathed free.
[End of Chapter 10 – Volume 2]