Hollow Ascension

Chapter 170: A Desperate Decision

The air around them trembled as Mara's magic pulsed through the valley, twisting the very essence of the land. Trees bent unnaturally, their roots writhing beneath the ground as Mara's power surged, feeding off the weakened magic of the valley's core. The clearing had become a battlefield of wills, with the valley itself caught in the middle.

Elda stood at the center, her staff glowing with a flickering light as she struggled to maintain her connection to the valley's magic. But it was slipping, unraveling with every second that Mara's influence deepened. Elda's heart pounded as she fought to keep control, but she could feel the valley pulling away from her.

Mara stood across from her, her eyes gleaming with a cold, cruel satisfaction. "You can feel it, can't you?" Mara taunted, her voice dripping with malice. "The valley's magic... it's no longer yours. It belongs to me now."

Elda's grip tightened on her staff, her knuckles white. "You don't understand what you're doing," she said, her voice trembling with both fear and anger. "If you keep pushing the valley like this, you'll destroy it."

Mara laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. "You're so small-minded, Elda," she sneered. "The valley's magic isn't meant to be preserved. It's meant to be transformed, harnessed for something greater. The Hollow Syndicate understands that. You don't."

Elda's heart raced as she felt the valley's energy slip further from her grasp. Mara's influence was too strong—she had woven herself into the very fabric of the valley's core, bending it to her will. Elda was losing control, and she knew that if Mara succeeded, the valley would be lost forever.

Behind her, Kael and Lena were locked in a fierce battle against the Syndicate's agents. Kael's sword flashed in the dim light as he fought off two shadowy figures, his movements sharp and precise. Lena, her blade spinning in a deadly arc, had already cut down several of the Syndicate's forces, but more kept coming, summoned by Mara's twisted magic.

Elda knew she couldn't hold on much longer. The valley's magic was slipping away, and with it, their only chance of stopping the Hollow Syndicate.

A surge of desperation welled up inside her. She had to stop Mara. She had to stop this now.

But there was only one way.

Her hand tightened around the relic in her pouch, the ancient object humming faintly with untapped power. Elda had been afraid to use it—afraid of what might happen if she unleashed the full force of its magic. But now, with the valley on the brink of collapse and Mara standing at the threshold of victory, she had no choice.

"Elda, don't!" Lena's voice rang out, sharp with warning, as she realized what Elda was about to do.

But it was too late.

Elda closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she reached for the relic's power. The valley's magic pulsed weakly around her, but the relic... the relic burned hot and bright, its ancient energy vibrating through her body like a living flame.

She released it.

A blinding light exploded from her hands, the force of the relic's magic surging through the valley like a shockwave. The ground shook violently, and the air crackled with raw, uncontrolled energy. The valley's magic, fragile and broken, was consumed by the relic's power, and Elda could feel the ancient force twisting through her, overwhelming her senses.

Mara's triumphant smile faltered as the wave of energy hit her, her eyes widening in shock. "What have you done?" she snarled, her voice filled with fury and fear.

Elda didn't answer. She couldn't. The relic's magic was too strong, too wild, coursing through her veins with a force she hadn't anticipated. She could feel it—every inch of the valley's magic, every twisted thread of corruption, every broken piece of the core. The relic was connecting her to it all, pulling the valley's shattered magic into itself.

For a brief, terrifying moment, Elda wondered if she had made a terrible mistake.

The relic's power surged again, and this time, it wasn't just Mara who was affected. The valley itself began to shift, the trees groaning as their roots were torn from the earth, the ground cracking beneath their feet. Dark energy spiraled up from the ground, wrapping itself around the relic's light, creating a vortex of magic that spun wildly out of control.

Kael and Lena were thrown back by the force of the magic, their bodies crashing into the ground as the shockwave rippled through the clearing. Mara stumbled, her connection to the valley severed by the sheer force of the relic's power.

Elda's vision blurred, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she struggled to maintain control. The relic was too powerful—its energy overwhelming the valley's fragile magic, pushing it to the breaking point.

But she couldn't stop now.

Summoning the last of her strength, Elda reached deep into the relic's magic, searching for the balance she knew was there, hidden beneath the chaos. She could feel it—faint but present—the valley's true core, the magic that had once kept the land in harmony. It was buried beneath layers of corruption and instability, but it was still there, waiting to be restored.

With a cry of determination, Elda channeled the relic's power into the valley's core, weaving the ancient magic through the broken threads of the valley's energy. The relic pulsed with blinding light, its power surging one final time before releasing, spreading through the valley in a wave of pure energy.

The ground stilled.

The air grew quiet.

And then, silence.

Elda collapsed to her knees, her body trembling as the relic's magic faded, leaving behind a stillness that was both unsettling and peaceful. She could feel the valley's magic returning, slowly rebuilding itself from the chaos, but it was different now—fragile, tentative, as though it was still unsure of what had just happened.

Mara lay on the ground, unconscious, her connection to the valley severed completely. The Syndicate agents had disappeared, their forms disintegrating into smoke as the relic's magic wiped away the last traces of their presence.

Kael and Lena staggered to their feet, their eyes wide with disbelief as they looked around at the now-quiet clearing.

"Elda," Kael breathed, his voice filled with awe and concern. "What... what just happened?"

Elda didn't answer immediately. She was still trying to catch her breath, still trying to process the overwhelming power she had just unleashed. Her hand hovered over the relic, now dim and quiet, and she wondered if she had done the right thing—or if she had just unleashed something far worse than Mara or the Syndicate could have imagined.

"I don't know," Elda whispered, her voice shaking. "But it's not over yet."

The valley's magic pulsed faintly beneath her feet, fragile but alive.