Chapter 93: The Unraveling

The air itself seemed to bend and ripple, a sickening pressure building with every passing second. Evryn’s heart raced as she felt the dark force surge from the rift, its presence like a tangible weight pressing down on her chest. The figure beside her staggered back, his face contorted in shock and disbelief.

“No,” he whispered, his voice full of despair. “It can’t be…”

But before he could finish, the rift pulsed once more, and from it, a terrible roar echoed—a sound that seemed to shatter the very fabric of reality. Something massive, something far beyond the guardian, began to emerge.

The ground trembled violently beneath their feet, and the air grew thick with a suffocating energy. The figure beside Evryn gripped her arm, his hand cold with fear. "You have to stop this! Now!"

Evryn’s eyes were wide, her mind reeling. She hadn’t meant to open the rift further. She hadn’t meant to unleash whatever it was that was coming through. But the power inside her—this unnatural force—had seemed to take on a life of its own. She couldn’t control it. Not yet.

The figure’s voice cut through her confusion. “Evryn, listen to me. This is what you were warned about. You can’t fight it alone.”

The monstrous form from the rift continued to take shape. It was massive, far larger than the guardian, its body made of shifting shadows and jagged, fractured light. Tendrils of pure darkness reached out, writhing in the air like living serpents. The air hummed with its power, a deep, resonating thrum that made Evryn’s skin crawl.

The figure pulled her away, his grip tightening around her arm. "We need to close the rift before it’s too late. We can still stop it."

Evryn’s mind was a blur. She could feel the rift’s energy surging through her, and yet she couldn’t stop it. The power inside her had awoken—awakened far too early—and now it was spiraling out of control. She was the key to both the rift’s destruction and its expansion, but she didn’t know how to wield the power.

Another roar, deeper and more powerful, shook the ground. The creature emerging from the rift began to take form, its eyes blazing with a crimson light. It was humanoid, but its features were twisted, contorted—something monstrous, something that didn’t belong to this world.

It stepped forward, its movements slow and deliberate, its eyes locked on Evryn with an intensity that made her blood run cold. It was drawn to her. It knew she was the one who had opened the rift.

“Evryn,” the figure gasped, his voice filled with fear. “You have to listen to me. If you don’t do something, it will consume everything. This is the end.”

The monstrous entity took another step, and Evryn felt a pulse of energy shoot through her—something raw and untamed. It wasn’t her power—it was the rift’s power, and it was far too strong for her to control. Her body shook as the energy crackled around her like an uncontrollable storm.

"I can’t… I can’t control it," she whispered, her voice breaking. “I—I don’t know what to do.”

The figure’s face twisted with a mix of regret and desperation. “You have to trust yourself, Evryn. Trust the power inside you. You were chosen for a reason. You are the one who can close the rift, but you have to believe it.”

Evryn closed her eyes, focusing on the energy coursing through her. She could feel it—raw, unfiltered, wild. It was overwhelming, but somewhere deep inside, she knew that the power had always been a part of her. She had just never known how to use it.

But now, with the creature drawing closer, there was no time for hesitation. She had to act.

The rift pulsed again, its edges splintering as the creature stepped fully into the world. Its form was massive, its twisted limbs stretching toward her as if to claim her as its own. Evryn could feel the darkness clawing at her soul, an icy grip pulling at her very essence.

In that moment, the world around her seemed to explode with light.

Without thinking, Evryn reached out, her hands glowing with a fierce, burning energy. She could feel the power within her responding to her will, answering the call, and before she knew it, a bolt of pure light shot from her fingertips, striking the creature.

It screeched, its body writhing in agony as the light burned through the darkness. The ground beneath them cracked open, and the rift itself seemed to shudder, as if fighting against the energy Evryn was releasing.

The figure beside her shouted, “You’re doing it, Evryn! Keep going!”

But as the creature recoiled, something changed. The rift trembled, its edges flickering as though it were trying to pull itself back together. The creature, though writhing in pain, began to push forward again. Its power seemed endless, and despite Evryn’s best efforts, it was clear that this fight was far from over.

The figure beside her let out a curse, his eyes darkening. “We’re not going to win this way,” he said. “There’s only one thing left we can do.”

Evryn turned to him, confusion written across her face. “What do you mean? What are you talking about?”

He hesitated, his gaze flicking between her and the creature. “You’re the key, Evryn. But not just to close the rift. You can control the power of the rift itself. You can harness it and send it back—but you’ll have to sacrifice something.”

Her breath caught in her throat. “What kind of sacrifice?”

He didn’t answer immediately, his eyes distant. Finally, he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. “Your connection to the rift. If you close it completely, if you seal it forever, the power within you—the power of the rift—will be gone.”

Evryn’s heart dropped. “You mean… I’ll lose my power?”

He nodded grimly. “Yes. You will never be the same again.”

The creature howled, its form now more solid than ever. It was almost upon them. “There’s no more time,” he said urgently. “You have to make your choice. Close the rift, and you close yourself off from this power forever. But if you don’t—if you let the creature through—it will consume everything.”

Evryn looked back at the rift, her chest tightening. She could feel the power inside her—a connection to something ancient, something dangerous. But was it worth the cost?

For a moment, she considered the possibility of keeping the power—of using it to control the rift and all that it could bring. But as she glanced at the creature, its eyes burning with hatred and hunger, she knew what the right choice was.

She closed her eyes, her decision made.

With a cry of determination, Evryn thrust her hands forward, her palms glowing with a blinding light. The rift trembled, the darkness recoiling as if it were alive and afraid. She felt the power surge within her, stronger than it had ever been before.

And then, with one final push, she forced the rift closed.

The creature let out a deafening scream as the light consumed it, its form disintegrating into nothingness. The ground shook violently, and for a moment, everything seemed to freeze.

But as the rift closed, so too did the connection within her. The power—the darkness—began to recede, leaving her feeling hollow, empty, as if something vital had been taken from her.

The world around her was silent.

And then, the figure beside her spoke, his voice soft, filled with sorrow. "You did it, Evryn. But at what cost?"

Evryn stood there, her heart heavy, the weight of her decision pressing down on her chest. She had closed the rift—but in doing so, she had lost the very thing that had defined her.

And the question lingered in her mind: Had she made the right choice?

As Evryn collapsed to her knees, exhausted and empty, a shadow fell over her. A voice—one she hadn’t heard in years—whispered in her ear.

"This isn’t the end, Evryn. You’ve only just begun.