Hollow Ascension

Chapter 171: Unleashing the Relic

The air crackled with energy, charged and volatile. Elda's heart raced as she stood in the center of the clearing, her staff glowing with the relic's magic, the energy swirling around her in waves that pulsed and shifted, far beyond her control.

The relic's power had surged through her, more than she could have ever anticipated. The ground beneath her feet trembled violently, and the once-familiar magic of the valley now felt foreign—twisted, unpredictable. She could barely hold onto it.

Kael and Lena were on the other side of the clearing, recovering from the force of the magical eruption. Lena pulled herself up, shaking off the dirt and debris, her eyes wide with disbelief as she took in the scene.

"What did you do, Elda?" Lena's voice was sharp with both fear and frustration. Her hand rested on the hilt of her sword, as if she wasn't sure if she needed to fight something—or someone.

"I didn't... I had no choice," Elda stammered, her hands trembling as she tried to rein in the relic's power. The energy was wild, unstable, lashing out in bursts of light and heat. It felt as though the valley itself was slipping away from her grasp. "I couldn't let Mara take control."

Kael stepped forward, his face etched with concern. "Elda, you tapped into the relic. Its power—it's changing everything. We don't know what we're dealing with."

Elda nodded, her breath shaky. "I know. But... Mara had the valley. If I hadn't stopped her—"

Her words were cut off by a loud crack as the earth split open a few feet away, dark energy spilling from the rift like a poison. The relic's magic was seeping into the valley's core, disrupting its natural flow. Elda could feel it—the valley's resistance, the way its magic struggled to fight back against the relic's influence, but it was too weak.

Lena's eyes narrowed as she looked at the growing rift. "We're running out of time. If this keeps up, the valley's magic could collapse."

Elda's heart pounded in her chest as she desperately searched for a way to control the energy she had unleashed. The relic's magic surged through her, powerful and overwhelming, but it was also dangerous—far more than she had realized. "I can stop it," she said, her voice filled with uncertainty. "I have to."

Kael moved closer, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're not alone in this. We'll figure it out. Just don't push yourself too far."

But Elda could feel the strain already. The relic's magic was relentless, filling her with more power than she could handle. Every second that passed, the valley's magic grew more unstable, the once-familiar energy turning against them.

"We need to contain the damage," Elda said, her voice steadier now, but her hands still shook as she focused on pulling the relic's energy back, trying to force it into something manageable. "We can still save the valley."

Lena stepped forward, her expression hard. "Then let's move. We can't afford to wait."

The three of them spread out, each taking a part of the valley where the relic's magic had begun to spread uncontrollably. Elda focused on the center, where the rift had opened, her staff glowing as she tried to calm the storm of energy that whirled around her. Kael and Lena worked on the edges, using their own magic to reinforce the valley's defenses, but it was clear that the damage had already been done.

The relic's power had changed the valley. It wasn't just the magic that had been altered—Elda could feel something deeper, a shift in the very essence of the land itself. The valley was no longer the place she had once known, the sanctuary she had always trusted.

It was becoming something else.

The ground beneath her feet trembled again, and Elda felt a surge of panic rise in her chest. The rift was growing wider, the energy inside it more dangerous, more unstable. She had to stop it—but the relic's power was too strong, too chaotic.

"Elda!" Kael's voice rang out from the other side of the clearing, his face pale with fear. "Something's coming!"

Before Elda could respond, the rift pulsed, and a wave of dark energy erupted from the ground. The force of it knocked her back, and as she struggled to regain her footing, she saw something rising from the rift—something born of the relic's corrupted magic.

A figure, twisted and dark, emerged from the crack in the earth. Its body was made of swirling shadows, its eyes glowing with an unnatural light. It was like nothing Elda had ever seen before—a creature born from the relic's magic, pulled from the depths of the valley's corrupted core.

Lena's sword was already drawn, her eyes locked on the creature as it moved toward them. "What the hell is that?"

Elda's heart raced as she stared at the creature, her hands trembling with fear. "It's... the relic," she whispered, her voice filled with dread. "It's manifesting."

Kael drew his sword, his jaw clenched. "Then we fight."

But Elda knew this was no ordinary enemy. The creature was a manifestation of the relic's power, a force of magic that had been twisted and corrupted by the energy she had unleashed. It wasn't something that could simply be cut down.

"We need to contain it," Elda said, her voice firm despite the fear in her chest. "It's connected to the relic. If we destroy it, the magic might stabilize."

Lena nodded, her sword flashing in the dim light. "Then let's end this."

As the creature moved closer, the valley's magic pulsed violently, and Elda could feel the weight of the relic's power pressing down on her. This was the cost of unleashing the relic's energy, and now, they had no choice but to face the consequences.