The two cautiously approached the rift, braving the waves of scorching heat as they entered. Along the way, they encountered no servants of Mordor, which brought both of them a measure of relief.
Inside the Rift, darkness and heat intertwined. The air was suffocating, the temperature unbearably high, pressing in on them from all sides. Frodo and Sam quickly retrieved fire-resistance potions from their spatial pouches and drank them down. Only then did the oppressive heat ease slightly.
Even the light Frodo used to illuminate the way, drawn from Eärendil, had changed. Its glow turned pale and icy white, cold to the eye and incapable of truly lighting the surroundings. From time to time, a violent crimson beam shot upward from deep within the rift, surging briefly before vanishing back into the darkness. At the same time, a constant buzzing and rumbling echoed from below, as though vast machinery were grinding relentlessly in the depths.
Molten lava and raging flames erupted from the fissure beneath their feet, scattering fiery light in all directions. It became the only source of illumination in this accursed place.
When they finally reached the end of the path, both Hobbits felt a surge of excitement.
"This is it! We finally made it!" Sam exclaimed, his exhausted face breaking into a radiant smile.
"Frodo," he urged eagerly, "take out the Ring and throw it straight into the lava! Then our mission will be complete!"
"All right," Frodo replied, managing a faint smile. At last, the burden he carried seemed to ease, as though half the crushing weight upon his soul had lifted.
But just as he was about to retrieve the Ring from his spatial storage, a sudden chill washed over him, like being dragged from a blazing furnace into the depths of winter.
His body tensed instantly.
Frodo drew his barbed sword and spun around.
Behind Sam stood a dark figure clad in black robes. Its eyes burned with an evil red light, blazing like hellfire in the darkness.
A Ringwraith.
One ink-black hand rested firmly on Sam's shoulder. In its other hand, the creature held a Morgul blade, the cold edge pressed against Sam's throat, holding him hostage.
Before Frodo could react, his thoughts consumed by fear for Sam, a chilling presence surged up behind him.
A shiver ran down Frodo's spine. He turned sharply and thrust his sword backward.
Clang!
A tremendous force struck the blade, knocking it from his grasp. The weapon flew from his hand and clattered to the ground.
In the next instant, a cold, pitch-black hand seized Frodo by the throat and lifted him into the air.
Another Ringwraith.
Its eyes glowed with malevolent red light as it stared coldly at the struggling Hobbit. In a hoarse, rasping voice, it demanded,"Halfling… where is the Ring? Hand it over."
Frodo felt an icy grip tightening around his neck. No matter how he struggled, he could not break free. The Ringwraith's terrifying aura crushed down on him, suffocating his breath and flooding his heart with fear.
He forced himself to resist the terror, clinging desperately to his composure.
"It's… on… me…" Frodo gasped. "If you release… us… I can… give it to you…"
"Frodo! You can't give it to him!" Sam shouted.
Before Frodo could respond, the Ringwraith restraining Sam tightened its grip. Sharp claws crushed into Sam's shoulder, tearing through flesh. Sam cried out in pain, blood soaking through his clothes as he collapsed to one knee.
Trembling violently, Sam half-knelt on the ground. His mouth opened as if to call Frodo's name, but no sound came out.
"Hand over the Ring," the Ringwraith snarled again.
"Otherwise, you and your companions will all die."
Seeing Sam's agony, Frodo's heart twisted in panic.
"As long as you don't harm my companions," Frodo said urgently, "I'm willing to hand over the Ring!"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a spatial bag.
"The Ring is in here… Take it."
Just as the Ringwraith reached out, Frodo suddenly hurled the spatial bag off to the side.
The unexpected move caught the creature completely off guard. Instinctively, it turned its head toward the thrown bag.
That instant was all Frodo needed.
In a flash, he drew a dagger from another pouch and drove it straight into the Ringwraith's head.
The moment the dagger pierced its skull, the creature let out a shrill, agonized scream. Its grip loosened, and Frodo fell heavily to the ground.
The Ringwraith's body twisted violently, warping and writhing before shattering into nothingness and dissolving into the air.
At the same time, Sam endured the pain and seized the opportunity. Drawing his own dagger, he plunged it into the back of the second Ringwraith.
Arrogant and unprepared, the creature had never expected resistance from a mere Halfling, let alone from one wielding a blade capable of destroying it.
The second Ringwraith screamed once before collapsing and vanishing, just like the first.
With both enemies destroyed, Frodo and Sam finally let out a breath they hadn't realized they were holding.
Frodo hurried to Sam's side and examined the wound on his shoulder.
"Sam, how are you?"
Sam's face was pale, but he still managed to shake his head.
"Don't worry about me, Frodo," he said weakly.
"Quickly, throw the Ring in and destroy it."
Understanding the urgency, and seeing that Sam's injury wasn't immediately fatal, Frodo nodded. He reached inside his coat and pulled out another spatial pouch.
Only then did the truth become clear. Frodo carried two spatial pouches.
One held The One Ring. The other contained nothing more than food and water.
Just moments earlier, Frodo had thrown aside a spatial pouch that drew the attention of the ringwraiths, it had merely been one of his food containers.
Now, Frodo reached into his system storage and withdrew a small silver box. He opened it.
The venom that once sealed it, extracted from a monstrous serpent, had long since dried and faded, revealing what lay within.
The One Ring.
The instant the box was opened, the Ring released its will. Its seductive power surged outward, reaching its peak in a single, overwhelming wave.
Frodo's expression wavered.
His eyes became unfocused, clouded with fascination as he stood there, frozen, struggling silently against the pull of temptation.
Seeing this, Sam's heart leapt into his throat.
"Frodo! Frodo!" he cried out anxiously. "Are you all right?!"
The sound of Sam's voice cut through the haze.
Frodo startled, his eyes clearing as he snapped back to himself. He lowered his gaze to the Ring in his hand, then looked at his companion's stricken face. After a moment, he shook his head firmly.
"Don't worry about me, Sam," Frodo said quietly. "I won't be tempted. I'll destroy it."
With that, he tightened his grip on the Ring, pushed himself back to his feet, and walked toward the edge of the Rift of Misfortune.
At the same moment, as the Ring's presence flared without restraint, the baleful gaze of Sauron, the Eye atop his tower, snapped instantly toward the Rift.
But it was too late.
Sauron's true form was still bound in the West, and the Eye alone was powerless to intervene.
Seized by terror, he poured his will outward, commanding every dark creature near the Volcano of Doom to charge toward the rift at any cost, to stop the destruction of the Dark Lord's world.
Far to the west, Sauron, hemmed in by Gandalf and their allies, descended into complete frenzy. Caring nothing for the consequences, he began burning his own power recklessly, desperate to return and prevent the Ring's destruction.
Within the Volcano of Doom, tens of thousands of dark creatures surged forward in a black tide, flooding toward the crater.
At the edge of the Rift, Frodo came to a halt.
He looked down at the churning lava and roaring subterranean flames below.
Then he looked once more at the Ring in his hand.
It throbbed with manic temptation, radiating a will that clawed at his heart.
For a brief moment, his eyes reflected conflict, desire, greed, hesitation, and pain warred within him.
But in the end, Frodo's gaze hardened.
Resolve replaced doubt.
He opened his hand and gently turned his palm.
The Ring slipped free.
Falling from his grasp, The One Ring plunged straight into the molten lava below.
...
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