Chapter 9 - The Reckoning
Realizing he was completely defeated, Lord Caspian’s face twisted into an expression of manic rage. He pulled an ancient, blackened glass vial from his tunic—a forbidden potion of demonic transformation.
“If I cannot have the kingdom, no one will!” Caspian screamed, swallowing the dark sludge in one gulp.
His body instantly swelled and contorted. Black, bony spikes burst through his skin, his teeth lengthening into jagged fangs as dark shadow-fire erupted from his eyes. He transformed into a towering, twisted demon-beast, smashing through the ceiling of the vault as he lunged toward Fenris with murderous fury.
“Vana!” Fenris called out.
“I’m with you!” she answered instantly.
Side by side, husband and wife moved as a single, flawless unit.
Vana leaped into the air, using the collapsing rubble as stepping stones. Her twin daggers flashed with silver aura as she expertly sliced through the demon’s tendons, blinding its dark eyes and pinning its massive arms to the stone pillars.
Fenris stepped forward, his eyes burning with golden-silver fire. He raised his hand, gathering the infinite energy of the restored Dragon Core into his fist.
“For every life you threatened,” Fenris said, his voice echoing like thunder across the entire city, “and for every truth you twisted.”
He drove his fist into the center of the demon’s chest.
A beam of pure, blinding light shot through Caspian’s demonic form, piercing through the roof of the keep and illuminating the sky above Valoria for fifty miles in every direction.
The dark magic was vaporized instantly. The corrupted shadow-fire dissolved into harmless sparkles of light.
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Caspian’s giant form collapsed, disintegrating into fine ash before it even hit the ground, leaving behind nothing but his tarnished silver seal of office.
The blood-mages dropped their staff weapons, falling to their knees in absolute surrender. The battle for Valoria was over.
