The ancient, binding magic slammed into Lyra and Rhydian, pinning them against the cold crypt wall. It was not a physical force, but a crushing weight on their very essence, suppressing Lyra's latent magical sensitivity and Rhydian's burgeoning draconic power. They struggled, muscles straining, but the invisible bonds held firm.
Chancellor Thorne's laughter echoed, a chilling symphony of triumph. "Struggle all you wish, Prince and Princess. Your power is useless against the will of the Ancient One." He gestured to the shadowy entity, which pulsed with dark energy, its tendrils already coiling around Isolde. "Lady Isolde here is merely the conduit. Her lineage, a forgotten branch of the Star-Born, carries the last fragmented piece of the Heartstone's essence. A piece I have long sought, a piece that will complete the artifact and allow the Ash-Eater to truly manifest."
Isolde whimpered, her eyes wide with terror as the shadowy tendrils began to seep into her skin, making the glowing pendant around her neck pulse with a frantic, desperate light. She was not being sacrificed to banish the Ash-Eater, but to empower it, to tether it fully to this realm.
"You fool!" Rhydian roared, his voice strained, a guttural sound that vibrated through the crypt. "You cannot control the Ash-Eater! It will consume you, and then all of Serendahl!"
"A risk I am willing to take for true power!" Thorne shrieked, his eyes gleaming with mad ambition. "The weak will perish, and a new order will rise from the ashes, an order forged in strength and absolute control!"
As Thorne spoke, the shadowy entity began to draw Isolde closer to the pulsing Heartstone on the dais. The fragment around Isolde's neck detached, floating towards the main artifact, drawn by an unseen force. As it neared, the Heartstone, once dull and inert, began to glow with a malevolent, sickly green light, pulsing in time with Isolde's weakening heartbeat.
Lyra watched in horror, a desperate plea forming in her throat. She could feel Isolde's terror, a raw, primal fear that resonated with her own. This was her cousin, a forgotten part of her family, being used as a living battery. She pushed against the invisible bonds, a surge of pure defiance coursing through her veins. Her own Star-Born essence, though suppressed, fought back against the magic.
Rhydian, seeing her struggle, mirrored her intensity. A low growl rumbled deep in his chest, and his golden eyes flared, a faint, almost imperceptible shimmer of scales appearing on his skin. He was pushing against the binding magic with sheer, draconic will, his power threatening to erupt.
The shadowy entity, sensing their defiance, pulsed again, tightening its grip. The pressure on Lyra and Rhydian intensified, forcing a gasp from Lyra's lips. Thorne merely laughed, reveling in their torment.
"The ritual is nearly complete!" Thorne cried, his voice triumphant. "The Heartstone will be whole, and the Ash-Eater will be ours!"
The fragment of the Heartstone clicked into place, seamlessly merging with the main artifact. A blinding flash of green light erupted, engulfing Isolde, who let out a piercing scream. The Heartstone pulsed violently, its malevolent glow intensifying, and the ethereal form of the Ash-Eater above it solidified, its skeletal form growing more defined, its eyes burning with an unholy fire.
But as the light faded, a tremor ran through the crypt, stronger than before. Thorne's triumphant smile faltered, replaced by a look of confusion. The shadowy entity pulsed erratically, and the Ash-Eater, now fully manifested, let out a deafening, guttural roar that was not one of subservience, but of pure, unbound rage.