Aaron lay on the ground, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath. His legs were still wrapped around the now-dead attacker, and he struggled to push himself up. Despite the pain in his impaled thigh, he managed to hobble over to Zeva, checking to see if she was still alive. To his relief, she seemed to be breathing a little better, with her dusken cheeks looking healthier by some miracle.
The shadows still surrounded them, and the distant sounds of fighting had died down. Lightning lit up the night sky, and Aaron noticed thunder for the first time. He wondered if this place had rain and thought it would be nice to feel the rain after being covered in so much blood and grime. Despite everything that had happened, Aaron felt strangely calm. He had accepted a part of himself that he had been denying for so long.
As he looked towards the shadows, he knew the battle wasn't over. Suddenly, hundreds of shapes materialized out of the darkness, with glowing red slits staring at Aaron. He stilled his breathing and raised his hands in a boxing stance, ready for death to come for him once again. But life had other plans. Aaron could feel a great power gathering near Zeva, and he had the inexplicable ability to sense this unknown form of energy.
A tendril of water rose from her back, rapidly gaining mass until a large, man-sized blob hovered in front of him. It rapidly transformed into the familiar figure of Arjun, the large, smiling man who had dropped onto his newly formed feet. His warm and inviting smile turned into a rictus grin, signaling impending bloodshed. A murderous aura burst forth from the previously scholar-like man as he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A small whirlpool of blood-red water swirled around his feet.
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In an instant, a massive area around them turned into a sea of blood-red spikes, impaling every single shadow dweller. It was a massacre. Arjun snapped his fingers again, and the spikes turned to water as hundreds of corpses hit the ground. "Aaron?" he asked, his concerned scholar persona returning. Aaron gave a thumbs up as he felt his world spin sideways and he passed out on the ground.
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As Aaron's consciousness returned, he found himself in a world of grey. The skies were a dull, overcast shade of grey, and the ground was a barren expanse of grey dirt. There was no sun to be seen, and the only light came from a faint glow on the horizon. In this bleak and monochromatic world, Aaron found himself standing in front of a large throne. It was roughly hewn from obsidian, with jagged edges and a crude, primitive appearance. The throne seemed to radiate a sense of power and authority, and Aaron felt a strong desire to approach it.
As he took a step closer, he noticed that the throne was surrounded by a number of strange symbols and markings. They were etched into the obsidian in a way that seemed almost ritualistic, and Aaron couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. He had the sense that this throne was not a place for the faint of heart.