Chapter 15: Zilá's betrayal

Zilá had used it from the beginning. He was not just an ally, but an instrument, a tool to activate the artifact and release the true power.

— You trust people too much, Akira, — Zilá sneered, his voice icy and full of contempt. — It was only a matter of time before you gave me what I wanted.

Akira, with the artifact in hand, felt an overwhelming force when Zilá extended his hand towards him. The artifact began to glow violently, trying to be snatched from his hands.

He struggled, his muscles burning with the effort of maintaining control, but it was in vain. Zilá was stronger than he ever imagined. And then, with one last tug, the artifact was free from his hands.

— Now, with the artifact in my hands, I can finally accomplish what I was destined to do, — Zilá said, raising it above her head. — With this, I will not only control the dimensions... I will dominate everything.

Akira fell to his knees, his mind spinning with the magnitude of what was happening.

— You... will destroy the balance... between dimensions. — he managed to mutter, struggling to catch his breath.

Zilá laughed, a maniacal laugh that echoed through the deserted streets of the City of Shadows.

— Destroy the balance? No, Akira. I'm creating a new one! A balance where I'm the only one who holds the power. And Yumi... oh, Yumi is the final key. The power she carries, combined with the artifact, will allow me to rewrite the laws of all dimensions.

— You never cared about balance. All of this... was for your own gain. — Akira said, his voice filled with anger.

Zilá took a step forward, his expression now full of contempt.

— It always has been, Akira. I just needed someone to carry the artifact here. Now that I have what I need... you're just an obstacle in my path.

Zilá raised the artifact, his eyes burning with euphoric fury. With an agile and quick movement, she channeled the power emanating from the object, and an overwhelming wave of energy erupted from her hands, hitting Akira like deadly lightning.

The impact threw him backwards like a puppet without strings, his body colliding hard against the hard ground of the City of Shadows.

Akira let out a muffled scream as he felt the pain pulsing through every fiber of his being. An intense, cutting pain radiated from his back, spreading like fire through his limbs. He tried to stand up, his muscles shaking under the crushing weight of the wound, but he couldn't. The ground beneath him seemed to become part of his body, and darkness enveloped his vision like a veil.

Zilá, holding the artifact like a trophy, gave it one last look. Her smile was a mix of triumph and contempt, her features cold and impenetrable. And the laughter... that manic laughter, deep and sinister, echoed through the deserted and dark streets of the city. A laugh that Akira would never forget.

— Goodbye, Akira. — Zilá whispered, before disappearing into the shadows with a graceful movement, their forms dissolving into the darkness like smoke. The artifact was hers.

Akira, panting in pain, tried to focus his eyes on the void where Zilá had disappeared. Each breath seemed to cost him a gigantic effort, and the air around him was heavy, almost suffocating. The sound of Zilá's laughter still haunted his mind, echoing like an ominous omen of what was to come.

His hands shook, stained with blood, as he tried to move. But the wound was too deep. He felt the life draining from his body, the relentless cold of the City of Shadows enveloping his soul.

— I... can't... leave it like this... —he whispered.

But before he could complete his thoughts, a shadow passed through his peripheral vision. His body was about to give in to exhaustion when he spotted something — or someone. A female silhouette approached slowly, shrouded in shadow, her footsteps barely audible in the oppressive silence. Akira tried to focus his blurred vision. Each movement was a monumental effort, but he saw it—the outlines of a woman.

She had short hair, which swayed gently in the city's freezing wind. His eyes tried to fix her, desperate to understand. Who was that person? Why was it there? Would it be an ally? Or another threat?

— W-who... are you? — Akira tried to speak, but his voice came out as a mere weak whisper, almost inaudible. His lips were dry, and each word seemed to take a little more strength from him.

The woman did not respond immediately. She approached, her footsteps now audible on the stone floor, and then knelt down beside Akira. Her eyes shone for a moment as they reflected the faint light of the stars that tried to pierce the city's cloudy sky.

Akira tried to move, but his body refused to obey. Pain overcame him, and his vision began to darken more and more.

But his strength abandoned him, and before he could get any response, darkness finally enveloped him completely. His mind was sucked into a vortex of shadows, and the last thing he saw before passing out was the face of that mysterious woman, whose identity remained hidden in the depths of his confused mind.

A desolate cold took over his body, but deep within his soul, a weak but determined flame still burned.