The winds howled like vengeful spirits, and the ground beneath Varek and Zera's feet trembled, as if the very earth was warning them of the horrors to come. The sky above was an endless chasm of darkness, pierced only by cracks of blinding, unnatural lightning. Every step they took seemed to reverberate through the world itself, a constant reminder that they were no longer on the mortal plane, but standing on the edge of oblivion.
Selina, standing a few paces ahead, spoke with a calm, almost cruel clarity. "This is where gods and mortals meet their end. Beyond this point is nothing but the void. Do you understand the consequences of failure?"
Varek looked out across the twisted landscape, where jagged mountains seemed to scrape against the very heavens, and rivers of molten fire carved through the land. His mind raced, but his heart remained steady. There was no turning back. "I understand," he said, his voice unwavering.
Zera's grip on her staff tightened, and she swallowed hard, looking over at Varek. "Are we ready for this?"
Varek's eyes hardened. "We have no choice. We survive, or we die."
Before they could brace themselves, the ground beneath them shook violently. A deep, guttural roar echoed from the distance. The air crackled with ancient fury as something impossibly massive began to emerge from the shadows.
A Titan.
It rose like a nightmare made flesh—an ancient behemoth, its body an unholy fusion of molten stone and searing fire. Its eyes burned like twin suns, seething with an unholy rage. The Titan's enormous body towered over them, easily twice the size of any creature they had ever faced. It lifted one colossal hand and swung it down like a hammer, the air around it distorting from the sheer power.
Zera barely managed to dodge, but the shockwave of the Titan's strike slammed her into the jagged rocks, cracking the stone beneath her. She let out a strangled gasp, blood streaming down her forehead as she struggled to rise.
"Zera!" Varek shouted, rushing to her side.
She raised a hand, her eyes burning with a mixture of defiance and exhaustion. "I'm fine. We need to finish this."
But Varek's heart raced as he saw the blood dripping from her wound. No. She couldn't fall here. Not like this.
The Titan's laughter rumbled from the depths of its throat. "Foolish mortals," it growled, its voice like the grinding of rocks. "You dare to challenge the gods themselves?"
Varek gritted his teeth, the Ashen Blade pulsing with fire in his hand. "We are no fools," he muttered, his voice laced with fury. "We fight to live."
With a roar, Varek surged forward, his blade crackling with fury. He slashed it against the Titan's chest, but the strike barely left a mark. The Titan's fiery skin seemed impervious to his blows. It retaliated with a sweeping motion, its hand descending like an avalanche. Varek dove to the side, narrowly avoiding being crushed, but the Titan's fingers scraped against his shoulder, tearing through his armor and leaving a deep, bleeding gash.
He stumbled back, the pain sharp and unforgiving. "Damn it…" Varek grunted, pushing through the pain.
Zera raised her staff, summoning a torrent of magic that surged toward the Titan, her voice ringing out in a guttural incantation. Arcane bolts shot toward the Titan's face, but it merely swatted them aside like flies, unfazed by the attack.
"We need to do more," Zera hissed, her breath ragged from the exertion. "This thing's a damn mountain."
Varek's blood burned in his veins. The Ashen Blade roared to life in his grip, its flames dancing with violent intent. "We'll tear it down," he growled, his voice shaking with fury. He charged forward again, his movements fluid but desperate. Each swing of his blade brought him closer to the Titan, but the creature's movements were faster than expected. Its massive hand came down like an unstoppable force, smashing into the ground with a thunderous crack.
Varek barely managed to leap to the side, but Zera wasn't as quick. The Titan's foot came crashing down on her, pinning her beneath it. Her scream was cut short as the ground caved under the weight of the Titan's monstrous leg. Varek's heart stopped.
"No!"
His body moved of its own accord, his rage blinding him to everything but the need to save her. He rushed forward, the Ashen Blade singing as it cut through the air. The Titan's foot was too large, too heavy, but he didn't care. With a scream, Varek threw himself at the Titan's foot, stabbing the Ashen Blade deep into its thick, fiery flesh.
The Titan roared in pain, its body rearing back as it ripped its foot from the ground, tossing Zera's broken form aside. Blood—dark and black—spilled from the wound, sizzling as it hit the earth.
"You will regret that, mortal," the Titan snarled, its molten eyes burning with hatred. It reached down and grabbed Varek by the throat, lifting him off the ground as if he were nothing more than a ragdoll.
Pain exploded in Varek's skull as the Titan squeezed tighter, its grip like iron. He gasped for air, the darkness closing in. But the Ashen Blade flared to life once more, the fire within it burning hotter than ever. With all the strength he had left, Varek plunged the blade into the Titan's hand, his grip slipping from the sheer force of the Titan's grip.
The Titan howled in agony, its molten skin cracking and sizzling around the blade. But even as the creature struggled, it didn't release him.
"Varek!" Zera cried out, blood pouring from her body as she crawled toward him, but she was too slow. The Titan lifted Varek higher, its fiery eyes burning with unrelenting malice. It lifted its other fist, preparing to crush him with its sheer weight.
And then, in the blink of an eye, the world shifted.
Varek's heart raced, his breath coming in sharp gasps as the Titan's grip tightened further. He could feel the pressure building, the life being crushed out of him. And in that moment, everything went dark.
His vision faded to black, and for a moment, he felt weightless. His body no longer felt like his own—like it had been torn from the very fabric of reality. The pain was gone, replaced by an overwhelming sense of... nothingness.
But just before he lost consciousness, he heard it. A voice.
"Varek…"
It was familiar, soothing, but filled with an undeniable sorrow. He blinked, struggling to see through the fog of pain and confusion.
"Don't let go. Don't let it win."
It was Selina's voice, her calm presence cutting through the chaos like a beacon. He tried to reach out to her, to call out, but his body refused to move. The shadows around him closed in, whispering, gnawing at his will to survive.
And then, like a storm breaking over a calm sea, the world erupted in a fiery roar. The Titan's scream was the last thing Varek heard as he was consumed by the blackness, the ground beneath him crumbling away into oblivion.
Narration
Varek's journey had only begun. But even in the face of death, a power lay dormant within him—a power that the gods feared, one that would awaken when the time was right.