Chapter 35: The Last Steps Out

The silence after the battle was unnerving. Eryx and Ophis stood, panting, the echoes of their struggle reverberating in the crumbling chamber. The architect of the Tower was gone, swallowed by the Void they had unleashed. Yet, despite the victory, there was no sense of relief—only the oppressive stillness and the groaning of the Tower as it collapsed around them.

Eryx wiped the sweat from his brow, his hand trembling. His body was heavy, the exhaustion catching up to him after the intense battle. The Void within him still pulsed, alive with power, but it had drained him more than he had realized.

"Is it over?" Ophis asked, her voice quiet but sharp. She stood beside him, her sword still in hand, her eyes scanning the chamber with wariness.

Eryx glanced around. The walls were cracked, and the ground trembled beneath their feet, but the shadowy presence that had haunted them was gone. The Tower was in its final moments, unraveling as they stood in its depths.

"It's over for now," Eryx said, though he could feel that the end wasn't as simple as just defeating the architect. The Tower, as ancient and powerful as it was, had roots that ran deep through every layer of the cosmos.

"We need to get out," Ophis said, already taking a step forward. "The Tower is coming down. We don't have much time."

Eryx nodded. Every second they lingered was a second closer to the Tower's complete collapse, and they couldn't afford to be buried within it. Together, they ran, their footsteps echoing through the labyrinth of halls and corridors. The once grand architecture of the Tower was now nothing more than a crumbling, twisted ruin. Pillars collapsed around them, the very floor beneath them splitting open in jagged cracks.

The path ahead was chaos. Where once doors had stood, now only black voids stretched out, leading to nowhere. The twisting magic of the Tower, no longer held together by the core, spiraled out of control, warping the structure of reality.

Ophis slashed at the shadows that tried to block their path, her movements swift and precise. But even she seemed to feel the weight of the collapsing Tower pressing in on her. They were fighting not just the physical structure but the very will of the Tower, which was determined to drag them down with it.

"This place is falling apart faster than we thought," Eryx muttered, sidestepping a piece of debris that crashed to the ground beside him.

Ophis didn't respond, but her eyes flicked up toward the ceiling, where more cracks were forming. She moved quickly, guiding them through the disintegrating hallways with practiced precision. But Eryx could see the strain in her every movement—the Tower was testing them, even in its dying moments.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them gave way. The floor crumbled into dust, and they plummeted downward into the darkness below. Eryx reached out instinctively, grabbing Ophis's arm as they fell.

They hit the ground hard, the impact jarring but not enough to stop them. Eryx groaned as he pushed himself up, his body aching from the fall. Ophis was already on her feet, her eyes darting around their new surroundings.

They had landed in what appeared to be an underground chamber, far below the main structure of the Tower. It was dark, the only light coming from the flickering glow of the dying Tower's magic, which pulsed faintly in the walls.

"This must be the bottom," Ophis said, her voice low. "We need to find a way up."

Eryx nodded, but his eyes were drawn to something in the corner of the chamber. A faint, ethereal light shimmered there, almost hidden by the shadows. It was different from the magic of the Tower—calmer, more stable.

Curious, he walked toward it. As he approached, the light grew brighter, revealing a small portal, barely visible against the dark stone. It pulsed softly, as though waiting for them.

Ophis joined him, her eyes narrowing as she studied the portal. "What is this?"

"It's a way out," Eryx said, his voice filled with sudden certainty. He didn't know how he knew, but the Void inside him recognized it—a path beyond the Tower's grasp.

Ophis didn't hesitate. "Then we take it."

Together, they stepped through the portal. The air around them shimmered, and for a moment, Eryx felt weightless, as if they were passing between realities. Then, with a soft thud, they landed on solid ground again.

Eryx blinked, adjusting to the sudden brightness around them. They were no longer in the Tower. The oppressive weight of its magic had vanished, replaced by the cool breeze and the faint scent of grass and earth.

They had escaped.

Ophis looked around, her expression unreadable. They stood at the base of the Tower, or what was left of it. The once towering structure now lay in ruins, its great stone walls crumbled to the ground. The skies above were clear, but the air was thick with the remnants of the battle that had just transpired.

"It's over," Eryx whispered, though the words felt strange in his mouth. For so long, the Tower had been their entire world, and now, standing outside of it, there was an unsettling emptiness.

Ophis sheathed her sword, her eyes still fixed on the ruins. "For now," she said, her voice steady. "But there's more to come."

Eryx didn't need to ask what she meant. He could feel it too—this wasn't the end. The Tower had fallen, but its influence still lingered. The gods, the beings who had created it, were still out there, watching, waiting. The battle for the Tower may have ended, but the war was far from over.

"We've only scratched the surface," Ophis continued, her eyes narrowing as she looked out toward the horizon. "The gods won't take this lightly. They'll come for us."

Eryx nodded. He could feel the weight of the future pressing down on him, the path ahead uncertain but undeniable. "Then we'll be ready."

Ophis glanced at him, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "You better be."

They stood together in the ruins of the Tower, the wind rustling through the trees around them. The world seemed strangely quiet, as if holding its breath, waiting for what was to come.

Eryx looked down at his hands, feeling the Void still pulsing within him. It was part of him now, just as the Tower had been. But unlike the Tower, the Void wasn't a prison—it was freedom, and he would use it to forge his own path.

Whatever came next, they would face it together.

As they turned and walked away from the ruins, the sun began to set, casting long shadows over the land. But Eryx didn't look back. The Tower was gone, and with it, the chains that had bound them.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Eryx felt truly free.