**Chapter 20: Keeper’s Reckoning**

**Chapter 20: Keeper's Reckoning**

The moment fire met darkness, the chamber erupted in chaos.

Jack braced himself as the wave of shadows collided with the golden flames surging from his gauntlet. Sparks and embers flared, twisting violently against the tide of void-like energy. Shadow growled, baring his teeth, his stance unwavering as the force of the impact sent ripples through the air.

The Last Keeper remained unmoving, watching from atop the obsidian throne. Their presence was suffocating, an unseen weight pressing down on Jack's chest. The shadows that surged toward him weren't just attacking—they were **testing.**

Jack gritted his teeth, pushing back against the overwhelming force. **I won't break.**

The gauntlet burned hotter, responding to his resolve. He shifted his stance, grounding himself, and thrust his free hand forward. The flames roared, expanding outward in a furious burst. The shadows recoiled for the first time, writhing as if in pain.

A deep chuckle echoed through the chamber.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Something funny?"

The Last Keeper's voice was neither male nor female, yet it carried the weight of ages. **"You wield Eldrin's fire well, but fire alone will not save you."**

Jack barely had time to react before the shadows coiled again, this time forming a solid mass. A figure stepped from the darkness—**a warrior, clad in ancient armor, its body flickering between form and nothingness.**

Jack's breath hitched. It was another Keeper. Or rather… **what remained of one.**

The spectral warrior raised a weapon, its blade crackling with raw energy. Jack's fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword. The message was clear—**fight, or fall.**

The warrior moved first, faster than Jack anticipated. A blur of steel and shadow streaked toward him. He barely had time to block, the impact sending a jarring vibration up his arm. Sparks danced between their weapons as Jack was forced back a step.

Shadow darted to Jack's side, ready to intervene, but Jack raised a hand. "No. I have to do this."

Shadow hesitated but obeyed, watching intently.

Jack exhaled sharply, refocusing. The warrior lunged again, its movements precise, relentless. **Not just an echo. A memory. A lesson.**

Jack adjusted his stance. The fight was more than just reflex—it was understanding. He didn't need brute strength; he needed control. 

The next strike came, but this time, Jack didn't block. He sidestepped, feeling the shift of energy around him. He moved **with** it, not against it, letting the fire guide his instincts. He countered swiftly, his blade slicing through the spectral armor.

The warrior faltered.

Jack pressed forward, striking again. The fire within him burned brighter, the gauntlet channeling its energy into every movement. With a final decisive blow, he severed the warrior's form, and it dissolved into a burst of light and shadow.

Silence.

Jack's chest heaved. The Last Keeper remained still, unreadable. Then, slowly, they descended the steps of the throne, their movements deliberate.

**"You are learning."**

Jack's fingers twitched against the hilt of his sword. "Was that another test?"

The Keeper stopped a few feet away. **"That was a truth. The Keepers before you fell not because they lacked power, but because they did not understand it. They fought fire with fire. You must learn to wield both light and shadow."**

Jack swallowed hard. He thought back to the visions, to the fall of Eldrin, to the warriors burning bright before they were consumed. **They hadn't lost because they were weak. They had lost because they didn't adapt.**

The Keeper raised a hand. A small tendril of darkness curled in their palm, shifting, waiting.

**"Take it."**

Jack hesitated. Every part of him screamed against it. The shadows had been his enemy since the beginning.

But he had been wrong before.

Slowly, cautiously, he extended his gauntleted hand. The darkness slithered toward him, coiling around his fingers. **It was cold. Not evil. Not corrupting. Just… another force.**

The moment it made contact, a sharp jolt ran through Jack's arm. He gasped, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he breathed through it, letting the two energies—**fire and shadow**—settle within him.

The Keeper watched. **"Balance, Keeper. Only then can you face what is coming."**

Jack exhaled, steadying himself. He flexed his fingers. The darkness remained, entwined with the fire, neither consuming the other.

For the first time since entering Eldrin's ruins, he felt **ready.**

The Last Keeper turned toward the far side of the chamber. A new doorway had appeared, its entrance lined with glowing symbols of **both** fire and shadow.

They gestured. **"Then walk forward, and see what awaits."**

Jack met their gaze one last time before stepping through.

**To be continued...**