Chapter 1626: The Heart of Darkness

The chamber around them darkened further, the figure within the crystal taking full form, its silhouette growing taller and more imposing with each passing moment. Elara could feel the weight of its gaze, cold and predatory, pressing down on her with an intensity that seemed to hollow out her thoughts. Her fingers tightened around the relic, its hum growing louder, a powerful resonance that matched the thrumming of the crystal itself.

The figure's mouth twisted into a cruel smile, its lips parting to speak again. "You think this relic will save you?" The voice was a cacophony, not just one voice, but many, all overlapping and blending into something inhuman. "I am the beginning, and I will be the end. Your struggles are futile."

But Elara remained unshaken. The crystal, despite its power, was a prison. She could feel it—its core was unstable, its energy siphoned from the very land beneath their feet. This was the moment to strike, to break the cycle.