Chapter 73

Unleashing the Power

The chamber trembled with an intensity that felt alive, its walls splitting with cracks that oozed black ichor. The pulsating veins of the Heart writhed violently, as if reacting to the tension in the room. Elene stood at the center, her skeletal frame emanating pure malice, while the Anchor watched with a calm but menacing demeanor.

Elias's glowing green eyes flickered as he slumped against his bindings. The strain of the battle had drained him, and the weight of the Architect's machinations and Elene's wrath bore down on him. Yet, his mind was racing. His only chance—their only chance—lay in Lara.

Across from him, Lara sat bound, her defiance shining through her exhaustion. She had challenged Elene's authority, even in the face of overwhelming power, but she was no match for what was to come. Not yet.

Elias clenched his fists against the ropes biting into his skin. He had held her power within himself, locked away to prevent the Architect or Elene from stealing it. It was time to release it, to risk everything on the hope that Lara could harness it and turn the tide.

"Elene," Elias rasped, his voice cutting through the cacophony of the room.

Elene turned her hollow, dark eyes to him, her grin widening. "Have you finally accepted your place beneath me?" she mocked, stepping closer to him.

Elias didn't flinch. Instead, he smirked, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "You should be afraid."

Her grin faltered slightly, her brow furrowing. "Afraid? Of you?"

"No," Elias said, his voice growing stronger. He turned his gaze to Lara. "Of her."

Lara's eyes widened, confusion flickering across her face. "What are you—"

Before she could finish, Elias closed his eyes, summoning the strength buried deep within him. A surge of green light began to emanate from his chest, swirling with an almost feral intensity.

The Architect, standing at the edge of the chamber, immediately took notice. His glowing eyes widened in alarm, his shadows recoiling as if burned by the energy. "No," he hissed. "What are you doing?"

Elias ignored him. The light expanded, tendrils of energy snaking through the air until they reached Lara. Her body tensed as the light enveloped her, seeping into her skin like liquid fire.

Lara gasped as the energy surged through her, igniting every nerve in her body. Her mind exploded with memories—fragments of her past, the photograph, and the voices from the City's whispers. For a moment, it was overwhelming, her vision blurring as she struggled to process it all.

But then, clarity.

The silver key in her hand glowed faintly, resonating with the power coursing through her veins. She felt stronger, sharper, as if a veil had been lifted from her mind. The oppressive darkness of the chamber no longer felt as suffocating, and the whispers of the Heart no longer filled her with dread.

Elene snarled, her bony fingers twitching as she watched the transformation. "What have you done?" she demanded, her voice rising with fury.

Elias slumped in his chair, the glow fading from his eyes as he smiled faintly. "I gave her back what's hers."

Elene didn't hesitate. With a shriek of rage, she extended her skeletal hand, and a tendril of black veins shot toward Lara.

But this time, Lara was ready.

She raised her hand instinctively, and a shield of shimmering light erupted around her. The tendril slammed into it, disintegrating on impact. Elene recoiled, her eyes narrowing with a mix of shock and anger.

"You think you can challenge me?" Elene spat, her voice echoing unnaturally. "You're nothing but a child playing with powers you don't understand!"

Lara stood, the ropes binding her falling away as the light burned through them. She met Elene's gaze, her expression calm but determined. "I don't need to understand it to stop you," she said.

Margot, still bound, watched in awe as Lara stepped forward. For the first time, she saw hope—a glimmer of a chance to turn the tide against her mother's tyranny.

The Anchor's crimson eyes flicked to Elene. "She is dangerous now," he said, his voice steady. "Her power rivals yours."

"Silence," Elene snapped, her black eyes glowing with rage.

As the battle between Lara and Elene began, Elias turned his attention to Margot and the others. The green light he had wielded earlier was gone, and his body felt like it had been drained of every ounce of strength. But he couldn't sit idly by.

With great effort, he twisted his wrists against the ropes, his movements slow and deliberate. Blood dripped from the raw wounds on his wrists, but he ignored the pain, focusing solely on freeing himself.

"Elias," Margot whispered, her voice trembling. "You're insane."

"Maybe," he said through gritted teeth, finally slipping one hand free. He quickly untied the rest of his bindings before moving to Margot's chair.

As he worked on her ropes, Margot glanced at Lara, who was holding her own against Elene. "Do you think she can win?"

"She has to," Elias said simply.

The chamber trembled violently as the battle escalated. Lara's light clashed with Elene's darkness, the two forces colliding in a dazzling display of power that shook the walls and sent cracks racing through the floor.

But even as Lara held her ground, the Anchor stepped forward, his presence alone sending a wave of dread through the room. His crimson eyes locked onto Elias, who was still freeing the others.

"You," the Anchor said, his voice cold and commanding. "You cannot escape what you are."

Elias froze, his body tensing as the Anchor's words resonated deep within him. The glow in his green eyes flickered faintly, and for a moment, he looked… uncertain.

---

The chamber shook violently, each pulse of the Heart sending cracks racing along the walls and floor, black ichor seeping out like an infected wound. The air was thick, suffused with the stench of decay and the cries of countless lost souls. The flickering red glow of the Heart bathed the room in an otherworldly light, casting twisted shadows that seemed to writhe on their own.

Lara stood at the center of the chaos, her body trembling but her resolve unwavering. The silver key in her palm glowed faintly, pulsing in sync with the Heart. She gritted her teeth, sweat dripping down her face as she faced Elene, who towered over her with an aura of pure malice.

Elene wasn't just powerful—she was unstoppable. Her hollow, black eyes burned with a hatred that seemed to pierce through Lara's very soul. Her skeletal frame pulsed with dark energy, her hollow chest glowing faintly with the echoes of the Heart's power. The voices of the damned whispered from the writhing strands of hair that framed her gaunt face, their pleas for release drowned out by Elene's sinister laughter.

Lara lunged forward, her blade of light forming in her hand. She slashed at Elene, her strikes swift and precise, but Elene moved with an inhuman grace, her skeletal hands deflecting the blows as if they were nothing.

"You think your newfound power will save you?" Elene sneered, her voice echoing unnaturally. "You're a mere speck of light in an ocean of darkness."

Lara gritted her teeth, summoning another surge of energy as she pressed forward. Her blade clashed against Elene's clawed hand, sparks flying as the two forces collided. The ground beneath them cracked and splintered, the chamber groaning under the strain of their battle.

But no matter how hard Lara fought, she couldn't shake the feeling that Elene was toying with her. Each strike, each counter, only seemed to amuse the monstrous woman, her cruel laughter echoing through the room.

As Lara fought desperately, her eyes flicked to Elias, slumped against the wall. His once-glowing green eyes were dim, and his body was battered and bloodied. He had barely been able to hold his ground against Elene and the Architect, and now he looked utterly drained.

"How did this happen to you?" Lara thought, her heart aching at the sight of him. This was the same Elias who had fought the guardian for three days and emerged victorious. The same Elias who had stood between them and death countless times. Yet now, he was barely holding on.

Something was wrong. Deeply wrong.

But there was no time to dwell on it. The Anchor stepped forward, his crimson eyes burning with intent as he approached Elias.

"You are the last piece," the Anchor said, his voice cold and measured. "The tether holding this fragile rebellion together. Once I eliminate you, the City will truly belong to us."

The Anchor reached out, his pale hand gripping Elias's arm. But the moment their skin touched, the Anchor froze. His crimson eyes widened, flickering with shock.

"What are you?" he hissed, his voice trembling for the first time.

Elias smirked weakly, his head tilting to the side. "What's the matter?" he rasped. "See something you don't like?"

The Anchor staggered back, his composure shattered. Whatever he had seen in Elias's essence, it had unnerved him to his core.

While the Anchor was distracted, Margot's gaze locked onto the Heart. It pulsated erratically, black veins writhing across its surface as if alive. The bleeding wound at its center dripped thick, dark ichor onto the floor, the cries of the damned growing louder with each pulse.

Margot's mind raced. She recalled fragments of Elene's and the Anchor's conversations, the cryptic clues that had hinted at the Heart's vulnerability. And then Elias's earlier words echoed in her mind:

"You're the key that leads backward."

It clicked.

With newfound determination, Margot lunged toward the Heart. She grabbed a shard of broken metal from the ground, her hands trembling as she raised it high.

The Architect, sensing her intent, roared in fury. His shadows lashed out, reaching for her, but Margot was faster. She drove the shard into the Heart's bleeding wound, the force of her strike reverberating through the chamber.

The Heart let out a deafening shriek, its pulsating slowing as black ichor gushed from the wound.

"No!" Elene screamed, her skeletal frame convulsing as the Heart's power faltered.

Margot didn't stop. She stabbed the Heart again and again, each strike releasing more ichor and weakening the oppressive energy in the room.

The Architect lunged for her, but it was too late. The Heart ruptured, its surface splitting open as a surge of blinding light erupted from within.

The moment the Heart shattered, the entire building began to tremble violently. Cracks raced along the walls and floor, and pieces of the ceiling began to fall. The cries of the damned grew deafening, mingling with the sounds of groaning metal and shattering stone.

Elene let out a blood-curdling scream, her body convulsing as black veins erupted from her chest. "You fools!" she shrieked. "You've doomed us all!"

The Anchor staggered back, his crimson eyes flicking between Elene and the collapsing chamber. "This isn't over," he said coldly. With a final glare at Elias, he disappeared into the shadows, vanishing without a trace.

Andy and Lyn tried to flee, but Roman and Jack tackled them to the ground. Roman's face twisted with rage as he broke Lyn's leg with a brutal kick, while Jack pinned Andy down and twisted her arm until it snapped.

"You're not going anywhere," Roman growled, his voice dripping with venom.

Elias pushed himself to his feet, his body screaming in protest. He grabbed Lara, who was bleeding heavily, and pulled her to her feet.

"We have to go," he said urgently, his voice strained.

Margot stumbled toward them, her face pale but resolute. "The building's collapsing," she said. "We need to move. Now."

Elias nodded, his green eyes glowing faintly as he cast a glance at the ruined Heart. "A portal will open," he said. "When it does, you have seven seconds to get through it. If you miss it, you'll be trapped here forever."

The group hurried toward the exit, dragging Andy and Lyn with them. The building groaned ominously, pieces of the ceiling crashing down around them as they raced through the collapsing corridors.

Zombies poured out of the walls, their grotesque forms screaming as they scrambled to escape.

"Keep moving!" Elias shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.

As they reached the main hall, a swirling vortex of light appeared before them, its edges flickering and unstable.

"Go!" Elias yelled, shoving Margot toward the portal.

One by one, the group dove through the vortex, each of them narrowly avoiding the collapsing debris. Roman dragged Lyn through, followed by Jack and Andy.

Elias hesitated, his gaze flicking to Lara. She looked at him, her face pale and bloodied, and nodded.

Together, they jumped through the portal, just as the building collapsed behind them in a deafening roar.

The group tumbled onto the pavement outside, the cool night air hitting their faces. The building behind them was gone, reduced to rubble.

But the City was trembling. The ground beneath them pulsed faintly, and the clouds above swirled ominously.

In the distance, a sharp, eerie shriek echoed through the streets, sending a chill down their spines.

"This isn't over," Elias said, his voice grim. "Not yet."