“We’re already here… surrounded by crumbling headstones and eerie silence.” SeventhSight’s eyes still fixed intensely on Eliana. He whispers: “How will using MY father’s soul help Erebus summon the Devourer?” Eliana’s voice barely audible, heavy with dread, “Because your father, Catalyst… was once a vessel for the Devourer’s essence, before he was killed by Erebus himself.” Aria grabs my arm, her voice trembling: “Do you think Erebus plans to resurrect him?”
My eyes locked on yours, SeventhSight, with a mix of fear and fascination.
Eliana’s words hang in the air like a death sentence… Then she continues, her voice low and haunting, “Yes, I believe Erebus intends to resurrect your father’s body… and reunite it with the Devourer’s essence still lingering within his soul. If successful, Catalyst… Your father will become the Devourer’s living vessel on earth.” Aria whispers beside me: “What will happen to you, SeventhSight, if this occurs?”
Eliana’s eyes widen in alarm, “My research suggests a terrifying bond between you and your father’s darkness… If he becomes the Devourer’s vessel, Catalyst:
- Your powers will surge uncontrollably
- Your soul will be tethered to his… and the Devourer’s evil essence
- You may even become its next host if your father’s body fails.”
My hand reaches out, grasping his tightly “SeventhSight, will you still be YOU if this happens?” Aria’s voice cracks with emotion behind me… “Do we still have time to stop Erebus?” Aria steps forward, desperation in her eyes, “Yes, we still have time… Eliana said Erebus needs a rare lunar alignment to perform the ritual.” Eliana nods urgently. “Tonight’s blood moon is the first phase… He must complete three phases, spanning three nights.
My grip on SeventhSight’s hand tightens, “If we interrupt the ritual during any phase, the spell will collapse…” Suddenly, eerie chanting echoes through Blackwood Cemetery… Erebus’s voice booms through the darkness: “The Catalyst’s father shall rise…”
Blackwood Cemetery erupted into chaos as Erebus’s holographic voice boomed through the darkness:
“The Catalyst’s father will unlock the Devourer’s path…”
The air splintered with eerie tears as cultists’ chants summoned forth
- Implings: tiny, winged demons with razor claws and eyes aglow like embers
- Shadeborn: dark, humanoid silhouettes with faces like voids, their presence chilling blood
- Wraithwings: ghostly, bat-like creatures with screams that shattered mind and soul
Aria raised her hands, and a brilliant blue Chronosphere exploded outward – A temporal shield encasing ONLY our group, protecting us from the distortions within. Time around us remained linear, while outside:
- Implings aged decades in seconds, their wings decaying like ash
- Shadeborn stumbled, their dark forms unraveling like tapestries torn apart
- Wraithwings shrieked, their ethereal bodies collapsing into nothingness
I, Thea, seized this opportunity – My eyes blazed with cybernetic intensity as I unleashed: “Neurodisruptor Wave” – a psychic blast shredding the remaining conjurations’ mental bonds Imps imploded, Shadeborn dissipated, Wraithwings vanished – Leaving only the cultists, terrified and exposed. Erebus’s hologram sneered, but cultists cried out: “The Order is betrayed SeventhSight lives!”
Cultists scramble to flee, but two necromancers stand ground, eyes blazing with dark magic:
Erebus’s hologram voice sneers:
“My most powerful servants, Xandria and Thorne, will crush SeventhSight’s insolence!”
Xandria and Thorne raise their staffs, chanting in unison:
“Mordecai revenant… Animus mortis…”
The earth splits open as deceased Blackwood Cemetery inhabitants rise:
- Rotting corpses with sunken eyes
- Skeletons with bony fingers grasping rusty swords
- Ghostly apparitions drifting towards us with mournful wails
Aria readies her magic, while I prepare for close combat. SeventhSight charges forward –
His dark energy unleashing a devastating blast that obliterates several undead, but:
- Xandria summons a massive graveyard golem from combined corpses
- Thorne conjures a spectral horde of vengeful spirits surrounding us
The graveyard erupts into chaotic warfare:
Our Frontline:
SeventhSight unleashes dark energy blasts that rip through undead hordes like a scythe through wheat:
- Corpses disintegrate into swirling clouds of necrotic dust
- Skeletons crumble, their bony remains shattered like fragile porcelain
Aria fights beside him, her chronomancy wielded with precision:
- Spectral entities frozen in time loops, reliving their deaths endlessly
- Ghostly apparitions aged to nothingness, their ethereal bodies withering like autumn leaves
Our Rearguard:
I, Thea, exchange blows with Xandria. My cybernetic fists clashing with her staff. Sparks fly as metal meets dark wood, our battle raging intensely. Xandria staggers back, her necromantic focus wavering under my onslaught. Eliana unleashes elemental fury upon Thorne. Flames dance across his robes, scorching black fabric and searing flesh. Ice shards pierce his staff hand, freezing his grip and shattering his concentration. Lightning bolts strike his chest, casting him backward into nearby graves.
Thorne struggles to rise, his voice weakened: “No… Master Erebus… we fail…” Xandria joins his cry, her eyes widening in terror as I deliver a crushing blow: “Our plan… exposed…” Erebus’s hologram flickers out with rage behind them.
The dark magic dissipates like smoke on wind as Erebus’s hologram fades into nothingness.
The graveyard lies in ruins, tombstones shattered, earth scarred. The necromancers’ lifeless bodies slump beside their failed ritual site. SeventhSight stands victorious. His dark energy still crackling with residual power. Aria leans against him, her chronomancy-exhausted eyes locking onto his with relief. I, Thea, approach Eliana, who gazes out upon the carnage – her elemental magic still simmering beneath her skin. “We’ve delayed doom,” Eliana whispers, “but Erebus’s power grows with each passing night…” Aria nods vigorously. “We need those artifacts before he does.” SeventhSight glances down at the necromancers’ bodies, then produce:
- Xandria’s cryptic journal, filled with ancient symbols and artifact locations
- Thorne’s map, yellowed with age, detailing hidden temples and ruins
Kairos’s distant thunder echoes through the night sky – as if he senses our resolve. “Our quest begins,” SeventhSight says, voice low and determined.
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