Chapter 10: The Divine Awakening.

The shadow's attack was sudden, its limbs crashing into the ground with a force that shook the chamber. Trevor dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the impact. Beatrice rolled in the opposite direction, her divine blade flaring brightly as she slashed at the creature's outstretched limbs.

"Focus on its arms!" She shouted. "Keep it from spreading!"

Trevor didn't need to be told twice. He charged forward, his sword cutting clean through one of the shadow's limbs. The severed darkness evaporated into smoke, but the creature didn't stop. It reformed almost instantly, its red eyes blazing with fury.

Ardyn, meanwhile, was at the altar. His great-sword crackled with energy as he slammed it into the stone surface, sending arcs of blue lightning across the runes. The chamber trembled, the corruption fighting back against him.

"Keep it busy!" Ardyn shouted.

Trevor gritted his teeth, lunging at the shadow again. His movements were quick, precise, but the creature was relentless. It lashed out, its attack faster and stronger than before. One strike caught Trevor's shoulder, sending him sprawling across the floor.

"Trevor!" Beatrice shouted, racing toward him.

"I'm fine!" Trevor growled, pushing himself up. He glanced toward Ardyn, who was still battling against the altar. 'Hurry up,' he thought bitterly.

The creature roared, the sound splitting the air as its form expanded, tendrils of darkness spreading across the walls. Trevor's pulse quickened as he felt the energy pressing against him, clawing at the edges of his mind.

"Not again," he muttered, his grip tightening on his sword.

And then, without warning, the creature's eyes turned to him.

"You are ours."

The voice echoed in his mind, twisting and coiling, an undeniable force that scraped against his will. Trevor staggered, clutching his head as the whispers surged louder, drowning out everything else.

"Trevor!"

He heard her voice, faint and distant, but he couldn't respond. The shadows pressed closer, their tendrils slithering across the ground, reaching for him like hands pulling him into the dark.

"You cannot fight what you are."

Trevor fell to his knees. The whispers clawed deeper, dragging him down into a darkness that felt familiar, terrifying, alive. He squeezed his eyes shut, his fingers digging into the stone floor.

"No," he ground out through gritted teeth. "Not again…"

But the force wouldn't relent. It surged through him, cold and hungry, prying into the corners of his mind where he kept the memories buried. He saw flashes of fire and blood, the faces of those who had cast him aside. And through it all, there was the darkness…. whispering, waiting, watching.

And yet… beneath the darkness something else stirred. A flicker of warmth, faint but growing, like light bleeding through cracks in a wall.

The creature lunged. Its massive limbs heading toward Trevor, the air vibrating with the force of its attack.

"Trevor, move!" Beatrice screamed.

And then… everything stopped.

A brilliant light exploded outward, so bright it turned the chamber white. The creature's roar of fury turned into a shriek of pain, its massive form recoiling as the light cut through its shadows. The runes on the walls dimmed, their crimson glow drowned by the pure radiance.

At the center of it all, Trevor rose to his feet.

His body moved without his command, his form bathed in blinding golden light that crackled like lightning across his skin. His sword was no longer the simple steel blade he had carried, it pulsed with energy, its edges glowing as though forged from the sun itself.

Beatrice shielded her eyes, her breath caught in her throat. "What… what is that?"

Ardyn froze at the altar, his gaze snapping toward Trevor. For the first time, his confident expression faltered, replaced by shock.

"Impossible," he muttered.

Trevor's eyes opened, glowing with a light that was no longer red, but gold, fierce and brilliant. He turned to the creature, his expression unreadable. The shadows around it writhed and recoiled as though afraid.

The creature roared, its voice laced with panic.

"You do not belong to them!"

Trevor raised his sword. When he spoke, his voice was layered, his own, and something older, more powerful.

"Be silent."

He moved, the light followed him, crackling and humming with a force that shook the chamber. In a single, fluid motion, Trevor swung his sword. A blinding arc of golden energy erupted from the blade, slamming into the creature's chest. The impact shattered the ground beneath it, sending shock-waves rippling outward.

The creature screamed, its massive form writhing as the light burned through it. The crimson glow of its eyes flickered, dimming as its body began to crumble.

Trevor raised his sword again, and this time, the light engulfed him entirely… a storm of divine energy that tore through the darkness like a cleansing fire.

"Trevor!" Beatrice's voice cut through the chaos. "Stop! You'll destroy everything!"

But Trevor couldn't hear her. The power surged through him, overwhelming and absolute. The golden light blazed brighter, pushing Beatrice back as the chamber shook violently.

The creature let out one final, deafening shriek before it shattered into smoke and ash. The runes along the walls dimmed, their glow extinguished. The ground stopped trembling.

And then… the light faded.

Trevor fell to his knees, his sword clattering to the ground beside him. The golden energy vanished, leaving only silence and the faint glow of the altar's cracked surface. His breathing was ragged, his body trembling as though he'd been wrung dry.

Beatrice rushed to his side, dropping to her knees. "Trevor!" she grabbed his shoulders, shaking him gently. "Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

Trevor's eyes flickered open. The glow was gone, replaced by the familiar, stormy gray. He blinked slowly, his expression dazed.

"What… happened?"

Beatrice exhaled, relief flooding her face. "You… you saved us. But what was that? What did you do?"

Trevor looked down at his hands, his skin still faintly warm, as though the light had lingered beneath the surface. "I don't know," he said quietly.

A slow clap echoed through the chamber.

Both Trevor and Beatrice turned sharply to see Ardyn standing at the edge of the room, his greatsword slung casually across his back. His expression was unreadable, though his eyes burned with something between curiosity and calculation.

"Well," Ardyn said, his voice smooth but edged with something dark. "That was unexpected."

Trevor pushed himself to his feet swaying slightly. "What do you know about this?"

Ardyn tilted his head, his smirk returning faintly. "Not much apparently. But that power you just used… that wasn't yours."

Trevor's fists clenched. "What are you talking about?"

"You felt it, didn't you?" Ardyn stepped closer, his gaze sharp. "That wasn't your darkness. That was something else. Something older."

Trevor's pulse quickened, the whispers clawing faintly at the edges of his mind again. He shoved them down. "Stay out of my head."

Ardyn chuckled softly. "I don't need to be in your head to see what's happening to you. Whether you like it or not, you're tied to this place. And whatever you're running from…." He gestured toward the altar. "It's catching up."

Trevor glared at him. "What's your point?"

Ardyn's smirk faded. "You're not ready for what's coming."

The words hung in the air like a blade. Before Trevor could respond, Ardyn turned and strode toward the far side of the chamber, disappearing into the shadows without another word.

Beatrice stepped beside Trevor, her voice low. "He's lying. He has to be."

Trevor stared at the cracked altar, his expression blank. "No," he said quietly. "He's not."