The blinding light of Purple Fire subsided, leaving Val panting heavily in the debris-filled chamber.

The Void creature, battered but far from defeated, stood in the center of the destruction. Its body pulsated with raw, unstable energy, the veins beneath its translucent flesh glowing brighter with each labored breath.

Val staggered, his ribs aching and his vision swimming. Every inch of him felt like it had been crushed and set on fire. He tightened his grip on Reinhart's remains, his flames flickering weakly in his hands.

"Deleo," Val rasped, his voice raw. "We're out of time. Either we end this now, or it ends us."

Deleo's presence stirred uneasily within him, conflicted. "You don't understand the risk, Val. If I take over, even a little…"

Val cut him off. "I don't care! If this thing gets Reinhart, what happens then? You told me it's unstable—do you really want it out there, drawing on the Void?"

Deleo hesitated, his silence stretching painfully long. Finally, his voice returned, soft but resolute.

"You'll stay awake. I'll keep you here with me, but… don't lose focus. I'll need you to pull me back if it gets too far."

Val's grip on the remains tightened. "Deal."

Then, a cold, oppressive stillness settled over the chamber. The creature, poised to lunge, faltered, its eyeless face tilting as if sensing a change.

Wisps of black smoke began to coil around Val's feet, delicate tendrils snaking outward before curling back toward him. The tendrils thickened, crawling up his legs like living shadows, wrapping him in their chilling embrace.

The transformation began subtly—a shift in the air, a suffocating pressure that made the entire chamber feel smaller. The veins around Val's left eye darkened, spreading out like creeping cracks. His fiery red right eye glowed fiercely in contrast, while his left eye shifted, the crimson fading to an abyssal black, darker than the Void itself.

Val's breath hitched as he felt the transformation ripple through his body. Shadowy tendrils pooled at his feet, writhing and wiggling as if awaiting command. The smooth, smoke-like tendrils swirled with an eerie calm, a quiet malice radiating from their movements.

The Void creature let out a guttural growl, its limbs twitching as it took an uncertain step back.

"What's the matter?" Deleo's voice spoke aloud for the first time, resonating with an ancient, otherworldly timbre. "You wanted power, didn't you? Come and take it."

Val's consciousness remained sharp, his awareness fully intact, even as Deleo's power coursed through him. He glanced down, noticing the shadowy smoke weaving across his skin, seeping into his open wounds. The gashes along his side closed slowly, the pain ebbing away as his body knit itself back together.

"What the hell, Deleo?" Val muttered inwardly, his tone incredulous. "You let me get thrown around like a damn chew toy, and now you decide to heal me?!"

Deleo chuckled darkly, a sound that reverberated through Val's very soul. "Consider it motivation. You needed to understand what happens when you hold back."

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Val snorted. "Yeah, well, message received. Next time, maybe don't let me break half my ribs to make a point."

"Duly noted," Deleo replied, his tone almost playful, though it carried an undertone of unrelenting rage.

The Void creature snarled, its limbs twitching erratically as it charged.

Deleo didn't flinch. The shadowy tendrils at Val's feet surged forward, slamming into the creature's chest with enough force to stop it mid-stride.

The tendrils coiled around the creature's limbs, dragging it to the ground with a sickening crunch. It thrashed violently, but the shadows only tightened their grip, constricting like serpents.

"Pathetic," Deleo muttered aloud, his voice dripping with disdain. "You don't even understand the power you tried to steal."

The tendrils began to move, pulling the creature's limbs at unnatural angles. A grotesque snap echoed through the chamber as one of its arms was ripped clean off, black blood spurting from the wound. The creature screamed, a sound so guttural and raw that Val felt it in his bones.

Val, still fully conscious within his own body, shuddered at the sheer brutality. "Deleo, what the fuck are you doing?"

"Ending this," Deleo replied coldly.

The creature's remaining limbs flailed desperately, but the tendrils didn't relent. They slammed it into the ground repeatedly, each impact shaking the chamber and sending cracks spidering across the floor.

Deleo's voice grew louder, more menacing. "You dared to desecrate Reinhart Bellator's remains. You dared to twist my power into this… abomination. Now, you pay the price."

The tendrils writhed with a life of their own, slicing through the creature's translucent flesh, severing veins and exposing corrupted Void energy that hissed and crackled in the air.

Deleo stepped forward, forcing Val's body to move, his left eye glowing with an otherworldly darkness.

He raised a hand, and the tendrils responded instantly, coiling around the creature's neck. With a single, deliberate motion, they yanked upward, tearing the creature's head from its body.

The headless form convulsed, its unstable energy surging wildly. Deleo tilted Val's head slightly, observing the creature with a detached curiosity.

"Even in death, you're a mess."

The tendrils slammed the severed head into the ground, crushing it into a pulpy mass of blood and bone. The rest of the creature's body began to disintegrate, its unstable energy collapsing in on itself.

As the creature's remains dissolved into a dark, viscous puddle, the tendrils slowly receded, curling back into the shadows at Val's feet. The oppressive energy in the chamber began to lift, though the air remained thick with the stench of decay and blood.

Val staggered slightly, regaining full control of his body as Deleo's power withdrew. His left eye remained black, the surrounding veins still dark and pulsing faintly.

"Was that really necessary?" Val asked aloud, his voice hoarse.

"Absolutely," Deleo replied, his tone unrepentant. "It sent a message."

Val let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. "Yeah, the message being: 'Don't mess with the guy who's possessed by a grumpy primordial.'"

Deleo chuckled darkly. "Grumpy? Try vengeful. Now, let's get us and Reinhart's remains out of here."

Val took a steadying breath, the weight of Reinhart's remains still secure in his grip. He tapped into the Mind Link, feeling the static buzz as he forced his connection through the lingering Void interference.

HQ, Val rasped, his voice strained but steady. Do you copy? This is Umbra.

The response came almost immediately, a mix of relief and urgency.

Umbra! Dr. Lewis's voice crackled through the comms, heavy with tension. You've been radio silent for hours! Are you—what's your status? What happened to you? Are you okay?

Val exhaled, wiping a streak of blood from his temple as he surveyed the destruction around him. I'm alive. Mission complete.

He paused, glancing at the remnants of the Void creature. But there was… something else. I'll explain later. Status on Clareo's borders?

Dr. Lewis's voice was tight. It's brutal. The team is holding, but reinforcements have only just managed to stabilize the worst areas. Ember's been asking for you.

Val's expression darkened. Don't tell them anything yet. I'm heading back now.

Val steadies himself, his mismatched eyes—one a fiery red, the other an abyssal black—flashing with resolve. The faint tendrils of shadowy smoke still lingered around him as he prepared to teleport, his focus unwavering despite the toll the battle had taken.