Kael and Lyra moved cautiously through Aeon’s domain, the oppressive atmosphere pressing down on them. The crimson sky above cast everything in a dim, eerie light, and the twisted black trees around them seemed to shift and whisper as they passed.

  Kael kept his grip tight on his sword, his senses sharp. Lyra walked beside him, her celestial armor dim but still carrying a faint glow.

  “How long have you been here?” Kael asked, his voice low.

  Lyra’s gaze was distant. “Time doesn’t flow here the way it does in other worlds. It could have been years, or just days. Every moment feels endless.”

  Kael frowned. “And you’ve been fighting to escape this entire time?”

  Lyra nodded, a flicker of anger in her eyes. “Aeon enjoys playing his games. He pits me against illusions, constructs of my past. Sometimes it’s shadowy versions of those I’ve lost. Sometimes... it’s you.”

  Kael’s steps faltered. “Me?”

  Lyra looked away. “He knows how to twist the knife. He wants to break me, to make me believe there’s no hope. But I haven’t given him that satisfaction.”

  Kael clenched his jaw. “He won’t get away with this. We’ll find him, and we’ll end this.”

  Before Lyra could respond, the ground beneath them rumbled. The twisted trees bent backward as a massive fissure opened in the earth, spewing forth a dense black mist.

  Kael instinctively raised his sword as the mist coalesced into a towering figure—a hulking beast made of shadows, with burning red eyes and jagged claws.

  Lyra stepped forward, drawing the Blade of Eternity. The weapon gleamed in her hand, its edge glowing with a radiant light that seemed to push back the darkness.

  “Another of Aeon’s creations,” Lyra said grimly. “They’re relentless.”

  Kael grinned, his golden aura igniting around him. “Good. I’ve been itching for a fight.”

  The beast roared and charged, its claws slashing through the air with terrifying speed. Kael met the attack head-on, his sword clashing against the creature’s claws in a burst of light and shadow.

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  “Not bad,” Kael muttered as he parried a second strike, sidestepping to slash at the beast’s side. His blade bit into its form, but the wound sealed almost instantly.

  “It regenerates,” Lyra warned, leaping into the fray. With a swift motion, she brought her blade down, severing one of the beast’s arms. The light from her weapon seemed to burn the shadowy flesh, leaving behind a glowing scar.

  Kael took the opening, driving his sword into the creature’s chest. His aura surged, and a blast of energy erupted from the blade, shattering the beast’s form.

  For a moment, silence returned. But as Kael pulled his sword free, the shadows began to reform.

  “Persistent, aren’t you?” Kael growled.

  Lyra’s eyes narrowed. “We need to find its core. These things always have one—a point where Aeon anchors them to this realm.”

  Kael scanned the creature as it fully reassembled, his cosmic awareness flaring to life. He focused on the beast’s chest, where a faint, pulsing light glimmered deep within the shadow.

  “There,” he said, pointing. “The core’s in its chest.”

  “Then we strike together,” Lyra replied, her grip tightening on her blade.

  The beast lunged again, faster and more aggressive than before. Kael dodged to the side, using his aura to create a barrier that deflected the creature’s claws. Lyra darted in, her movements fluid and precise as she struck at the beast’s legs, forcing it to stumble.

  Kael capitalized on the opening, leaping onto the creature’s back. He drove his sword deep into its shadowy flesh, anchoring himself as he reached for the core.

  The beast howled, twisting and thrashing in an attempt to throw him off. Lyra moved in tandem, slashing at its limbs to keep it pinned.

  “Almost... there!” Kael gritted his teeth as he plunged his hand into the creature’s chest, grasping the glowing core.

  The moment his fingers closed around it, a surge of energy shot through him. The core resisted, pulsating violently in his grasp.

  “Kael!” Lyra called out. “Destroy it!”

  Kael channeled his aura into the core, pouring his will into overpowering its resistance. “You’re not stopping me,” he growled. “Not now, not ever.”

  With a final burst of energy, the core shattered in his hand. The beast let out a deafening roar before dissolving into a cloud of harmless mist.

  Kael dropped to the ground, breathing heavily as the mist dissipated. Lyra sheathed her blade and approached him.

  “Well done,” she said, offering him a hand.

  Kael took it, pulling himself to his feet. “That was tougher than I expected.”

  Lyra smirked. “You’re lucky I was here to help.”

  Kael chuckled. “I won’t argue with that.”

  As they continued through the twisted landscape, Kael’s thoughts turned to Aeon. Every step brought them closer to the heart of this domain—and to the inevitable confrontation.

  “We’re coming for you, Aeon,” Kael muttered under his breath, his resolve unshaken. “And this time, you won’t win.”