The corrupted guards advanced in slow, staggering steps. Livia's chest rose and fell sharply. Her back was to the cold stone wall. She tightened her grip on her sword, forcing her trembling hands steady and preparing for the monsters closing in on her to attack at any second.
Suddenly, the great doors of the hall thundered open. A blinding, golden light poured through the gap as Aurelian charged forward with his sword ablaze, the ring on his finger glowing like a miniature sun. The shadows recoiled at once, retreating into the corners of the hall. The guards stumbled, their snarls breaking into shrieks as radiant light split the gloom. Aurelian halted as soon as he saw them, his eyes widening in horror. These were not the same foes as those that stormed the gates.
"I have no quarrel with you, brothers," he said in a strong but quaking voice. "Stand down or you will be destroyed!"
"Kill them, Aurelian!" Livia cried from the other side of the chamber. "They are beyond hope! Kill them now!"
The creatures gave no reply, only a chorus of guttural hisses as they moved in unison. Black veins pulsed under their skin, twitching in rhythm with some unseen heartbeat. The first of them lunged. Aurelian met him mid-swing, their blades crashing together in a burst of sparks. With a pivot of his heel, he let the monster's momentum carry him forward before driving his radiant sword through his chest. The light erupted outward, searing away the darkness inside. The body crumpled, smoke rising from the smoldering wound.
Two more charged. Aurelian turned the first aside with a sweeping parry, then kicked the second square in the chest, sending him skidding across the marble. The ring's glow flared brighter, scorching the tendrils of shadow that curled along the floor toward his boots. The last of them pressed in, their faces twisted into masks of horror. Aurelian's eyes narrowed, and he raised his sword high. The ring's light blazed with sudden, blinding intensity, flooding the hall in radiant light. The air itself seemed to shudder. He swept the blade in a great arc. An iridescent wave exploded outward. It tore through his adversaries, their forms disintegrating into black ash before they could even scream. The shadowy tendrils recoiled, writhing and shrieking as they burned into nothing. As the light faded, silence fell. Only drifting specks of black dust remained where the enemy had stood. Aurelian lowered his sword, his breath ragged, the ring's glow slowly ebbing.
Livia let out a heavy sigh of relief. Aurelian looked to her and gave a nod of his head. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," Livia breathed. "The men. They just turned feral, like something had control over them!"
"Indeed. The evil is evolving," Aurelian said grimly. "You know what this means."
Livia looked up at him, giving a trembling nod. "We have to leave the city."
Aurelian opened his mouth to speak, but just then, the floor beneath them began to tremble. The words died in his throat as the drifting ash around their feet began to swirl, pulled together by some unseen force.
"Stay behind me," he said, stepping in front of her, sword raised once more. The black dust gathered into a vortex, expanding upward into a twisting column of shadow. From it, a vast, shapeless form began to emerge, its edges blurring and shifting like smoke given malice and weight. Two burning crimson eyes flared within the darkness, locking onto the ring. The air pressed down on them like a crushing hand.
"Bearer of the ring…" The voice seemed to come from all around them, deep enough to vibrate throughout their bones. "You hold what belongs to me."
Aurelian clenched his fists, the golden light from the ring flaring in response to the voice. "It will never belong to you," he said, his voice low but steady.
The shadows undulated threateningly. "Every bearer has fallen. Every bearer will fall. The light will not save you. It has doomed you to eternal suffering."
"Your lies mean nothing!" Aurelian stepped forward, the ring blazing brighter. "I will vanquish you now!"
Without warning, the darkness swept across the hall. Aurelian reacted with a slash of searing light, each swing of his sword burning away the tendrils as they came. The darkness hissed, its form rippling violently. Livia pressed back against the wall, shielding her eyes from the glare as the golden light clashed with the roiling black. The marble cracked under their feet. Stone columns groaned and split. Aurelian thrust his blade forward. The ring's light flared into a concentrated beam, punching through the heart of the shadow. A monstrous shriek filled the air, a sound so deep and raw it rattled their teeth. For a moment, the darkness seemed to falter. The beam held, driving the thing back, its form buckling under the radiance. Aurelian advanced step by step, the point of his sword locked on the crimson eyes that glared through the shadow.
"Look well upon this blade," he growled, voice hard as steel. "With every bearer you have slain, the power of this ring has only grown. But it all ends here! After all these years, I will be the one to cast you back into the abyss!"
"Oh no, little light," the shadow gave a menacing laugh. "You will find that this is the end for you."
The shadows behind Livia rippled. A slender tendril, thin as a whip, lashed silently toward her back.
"Livia!" Aurelian roared.
She spun, but it was too late. The shadow vine wrapped around her torso, suppressing her screams. Aurelian moved on instinct. The ring sprung to life again as he swiped for the shadow. Several more dark tentacles erupted from the walls and pillars, lashing inward like whips. They struck with such force that chips of marble shattered into the air. One snared his arm, another coiled around his leg, jerking him sideways. Aurelian twisted, the radiant sword sending a shockwave of light. One tendril fell in two. Another shriveled away under the ring's burning glare. The darkness recoiled, but not before a third vine swept low, smashing into his ribs and sending him stumbling.
Livia crashed to the ground, clutching her chest as the severed tendril's grip vanished. She tried to rise, but a shadowy coil slammed down in front of her, cracking the marble like brittle glass. Aurelian's eyes snapped toward the source. The towering silhouette rose up at the far end of the chamber, its crimson gaze burning through the haze. Aurelian charged, batting away two more lashing vines, the light of the ring scorching holes through the writhing blackness. But before he could close the distance, the figure dissolved into a rush of swirling shadow, slipping through the cracks of the chamber like smoke driven by the wind. The tendrils collapsed into pools of fading vapor, leaving only mocking laughter reverberating in their wake.
"Coward!"
The hall quaked with the echoing laughter. Then, what remained of the shadows suddenly unraveled, scattering into a thousand black wisps that spiraled toward the cracks in the walls, fleeing into the unseen depths. Aurelian lowered his blade only when the last trace had vanished, his breath ragged, sweat stinging his eyes.
"It's gone. For now," he muttered, turning to Livia. "I've wounded it. We must press our advantage before—"
His words trailed off as he turned to face Livia, who was pulling herself to her trembling feet. There was something in her eyes now—a calm, heavy sadness that made the ring on his hand suddenly feel heavy.
"Aurelian," she said softly, almost tenderly. "You have always been brave, but I fear bravery alone will not end this fight."
Aurelian frowned, stepping toward her. "Why are you saying this?"
She didn't answer immediately. Her gaze lingered on the ring, its dim light flickering like a dying star. Then, with a measured breath, she stepped closer, her voice trembling with something that was not quite fear.
"I saw its thoughts," she uttered. "Just now. I fear it cannot truly be destroyed."
"Not yet!" Aurelian said confidently, spinning about toward the doors that had been shattered from their foundation. "That is why we must pursue it now! Finish it off while it is reeling—"
A sharp crack split the air. Pain exploded in the back of Aurelian's head. The world lurched violently, the marble floor tilting under his feet. His sword slipped from his grasp, the clatter echoing loudly in his ears. He staggered, trying to turn and see what had struck him, but his knees buckled before his mind could catch up. The last thing he knew was the cold bite of stone against his cheek and the scent of blood in his nose. And then everything went black.