After Tícaros’s fall, the group celebrated with a sense of victory, none of them—nor I—expecting what was about to come. The magic forced upon me had allowed me to save Lyris, but I never thought it would also turn me against my own comrades.

I had attacked Lyris without reason... and, much as it pains me to admit, in that moment, I enjoyed it, as if the corruption of chaos had awakened something dark within me.

“What’s happening to me?” My voice sounded strange, even to my own ears, as a growing void trapped me, pulling my strings.

Lyris approached cautiously. “Darius, you have to stop this. You can’t keep using that magic. It’s... consuming you.” Her voice trembled, fear evident in her eyes, but there was something more: desperation. She didn’t want to face me.

“Zhavros, don’t attack him,” she pleaded, her voice breaking. “There has to be another way. Don’t make it worse.” I could feel the plea in her tone, as if she were begging for another option.

Zhavros replied without even looking at her, already prepared to act from his position.

“Lyris, there’s no other choice. He’s gone too far. Either we act now, or we’ll lose him forever.” His words were cold, calculated, as if he had already accepted the inevitable.

I... I didn’t want this. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn’t stop it. I tried to fight, but each effort only dragged me further into chaos.

Eldrek, who had been watching from afar, stepped forward, his face filled with worry.

“Lyris, stay back,” he warned firmly. “Darius is no longer himself... trust Zhavros.”

Even he knew that, at that moment, there was nothing more he could do but watch and wait.

Then, everything exploded.

The chaos within me overflowed, and the battle began without warning. Zhavros, already prepared, was the first to act, casting illusions that distorted reality around me. I recognized this technique; I’d seen him use it against the Chimera. But the shadows around me couldn’t affect me. The chaos granted me a fierce clarity, a feeling of absolute power, as if I could see through any trick.

Each time I got closer, Zhavros raised his energy shields with precision. My attacks were violent and uncontrolled, but his defense never wavered. Frustration built within me, and the chaos roared, demanding more destruction.

“I won’t allow this!” I screamed in my mind.

Zhavros, on the other hand, showed no fear. His face kept the calm of a strategist, watching each movement and responding with an icy precision. It was a duel of raw strength against control, chaos against strategy.

I felt the corruption spreading through my body; my muscles burned with a dark energy, and my hands were surrounded by a dense, dark mana. My face felt strange, foreign, and the more I fought, the deeper I sank into that darkness.

Eldrek, watching with growing concern, raised his voice: “Lyris, there’s no more time! You have to intervene before it’s too late!”

Lyris stepped forward, her eyes meeting mine, and I could see fear in them.

“Darius, please, stop! I don’t want to hurt you. Just... just let us help you.”

Her purification magic surrounded her hands, but her attempts were hesitant, as if she doubted her own strength.

Zhavros, hovering above the chaos, gave her a stern look. “If you don’t take this seriously, you’ll only make things worse. Attack with everything you’ve got, or we’ll lose him!”

Lyris closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “Damn it… here I go, grandpa…” she muttered, determined.

She opened her eyes, and her purification magic flared, surrounding her in intense light. “Zhavros, I need you to restrain him!” she shouted, her voice now filled with urgency.

Zhavros smirked with his usual confidence. “No problem.” He began a paralysis ritual, moving his hands quickly and precisely. A circle of light appeared above me, and for a brief moment, I felt my body freeze. The chaos within me roared, trying to break free of the binds. With a steady voice, Zhavros said, “Whatever you’re going to do, do it fast.”

Lyris didn’t waste any time. She launched herself at me, knocking me to the ground with unexpected force. She placed one hand on my chest and the other on my abdomen, and in a flash of light, she began to purify me.

An indescribable pain shot through me, as if every fiber of my being was being torn apart. I grunted in agony, trying to break free.

Seeing my resistance, Eldrek joined Lyris, holding my arms to keep me pinned down. “Hang in there, Darius!” he shouted, desperation in his voice.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The chaos within me fought back, but slowly, Lyris’s light began to break down the darkness enveloping me. My thoughts started to clear, though the pain remained.

Finally, my body stopped convulsing, and my breathing steadied. I was back, exhausted and empty, as if a part of me had faded away.

Zhavros descended slowly, a sarcastic smile on his face. “Well, Lyris. Quite the exorcism you pulled off.” His sarcastic tone annoyed me, but I was too weak and confused to respond.

Eldrek helped me sit up, handing me a mana potion.

“Drink this; it’ll help you regain strength.” His hands trembled slightly. I could see relief in his eyes, glad to have me back.

I took the potion, still feeling weak. The chaos had retreated, but the sensation of almost losing myself lingered—what would’ve happened if they hadn’t helped me?

My memories of what happened were hazy, as if the events had merged in my mind. I tried to piece them together while I attempted to recover.

The others were also regrouping. Lyris glanced at me cautiously, her eyes showing concern. She didn’t say anything, but the question lingered: Are you alright?

Zhavros was the first to speak. “We don’t have time to discuss what happened. Tícaros is still asleep, and I doubt it will be for long. Let’s use this moment to search for the artifact in the passageway.”

I nodded, ashamed of what I’d done. Stopping wasn’t an option, and I got up to continue our mission.

We approached the barely visible entrance under the ground, without a lock. Why would it need one, with Tícaros guarding it? Wasting no time, Lyris opened the trapdoor. The opening was too narrow for Eldrek, who decided to stay outside as a lookout in case Tícaros woke up sooner than expected.

One by one, we descended the dust-covered steps. The air was cold, and the silence was only broken by our footsteps. With a fluid motion of her hand, Lyris illuminated the way with a soft light that allowed us to see where we stepped.

At the end of the stairs, a small chamber awaited us. Its curved walls, made of dark, solid material, gave the impression of being inside an ancient, unchanging sphere. Everything was wrapped in a mystical silence, as if this place had remained untouched by time for centuries, immune to its effects.

In the center, resting on a carefully carved stone pedestal, lay an artifact: a small sphere, just the right size to hold in one hand. We approached cautiously, studying both the place and the object.

It was then, as the room lit up with Lyris’s light, that we noticed the hieroglyphs on the walls. They had remained hidden until that moment, veiled in shadow. They were ancient, so ancient that they could have easily gone unnoticed without her light.

Zhavros, examining the hieroglyphs closely, muttered, “This is a very old language. I don’t recognize it... but I’m almost certain it wasn’t created by anyone from this world.”

I glanced at him. Something in his tone, in his pause, made me suspicious. As if he knew more than he was letting on. But there was no time to confront him.

Lyris, observing the chamber with fascination, murmured, “How is it possible that this place is in such good condition after all this time?” Then, without taking her eyes off the artifact, she asked, “Should we remove the object? Or could there be a trap?”

“It’s possible,” I said, keeping my eyes on the sphere. “We can’t rule out something happening if we move it.”

Zhavros continued examining the hieroglyphs in silence. Finally, after a moment of reflection, he said, “I don’t think there’s a trap, but just to be safe, I’ll surround us with a magical shield before we touch it.”

We nodded, though with some uncertainty.

We prepared ourselves. The three of us gathered around the sphere, taking guard positions while Zhavros cast protective shields. His magic materialized as a thin layer of light, surrounding us with a slight vibration. I felt the energy enveloping me, shielding me.

“Lyris, move the sphere with your magic,” Zhavros instructed when everything was ready.

Lyris nodded, focusing. I kept my eyes fixed on the sphere, alert for any change. With a quick motion, Lyris pushed the sphere, which fell to the ground with a dull sound. We waited, tense, the air thick with anticipation. But nothing happened.

Zhavros smirked with his usual sarcasm. “Well, looks like the grand ancestral trap is nothing but a broken toy. I knew it would be easy.”

I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help relaxing a bit. Zhavros approached and picked up the sphere, examining it briefly before stashing it in his outfit.

At that precise moment, an urgent whisper came from above. “Tícaros is waking up!” Eldrek’s voice was clear, almost trembling.

There was no time to lose. We rushed up the stairs, adrenaline burning in my veins. Reaching the surface, I saw Tícaros staggering, struggling to free himself from Zhavros’s spell. He emitted growls of frustration and pain, moving slowly, but I knew it was only a matter of time before he regained his full strength.

Eldrek motioned for us to hurry, and we began running toward the tunnel that would lead us to Zhavros’s refuge. The ground trembled beneath my feet as Tícaros, furious, let out a roar that rumbled through the air.

However, we had barely advanced when a brutal sound snapped us to attention. Tícaros, in his fury and confusion, lunged at us with his many limbs. Before I could react, Zhavros was already in front of him, summoning shadows that twisted and rose around him, forming defenses like curtains of darkness standing between us and the colossal creature.

With supernatural precision, Zhavros deflected each blow, his movements quick and steady, though the tension on his face was evident. The shadows around him seemed to come to life, shielding him from the attacks, but Tícaros’s strength—and his speed—only grew.

Lyris and I turned instantly to help him, but without taking his eyes off Tícaros, Zhavros shouted, “Run, you idiots!”

His command struck like a blow, and though every fiber of my being wanted to jump into the fight, Eldrek held me back, firm. “Do as he says, Darius. We don’t have time.”

I glanced at Zhavros one last time, watching him face Tícaros as the colossus regained his strength. Zhavros’s dark magic flickered, as though it was starting to falter.

We reached the entrance to the tunnel, and as I turned, I saw Tícaros grab him with one of his massive arms, trapping him in a brutal grip. Zhavros cried out in pain, but he didn’t hesitate; with a swift motion, his shadows swirled, forming an illusory trap that distorted the space, briefly confusing Tícaros.

With a flash of arcane magic, Zhavros broke free, and with the momentum of the surrounding darkness, he lifted himself, launching into the tunnel with impossible agility.

As we crossed the entrance, Tícaros was left behind, roaring in fury. His bellow echoed as we ran toward the safety of the refuge.

The exhaustion on Zhavros’s face showed that, though the encounter had been brief, its intensity had left its mark. For now, we had won.