The Ash-Eater's roar was a physical force, a wave of raw, malevolent power that ripped through the crypt. It wasn't the sound of a controlled weapon, but of a wild, ancient entity breaking free. The corrupted runes on the walls flickered, and the binding magic holding Lyra and Rhydian wavered, momentarily weakened by the sheer, untamed fury emanating from the manifested beast.
"What is this?" Thorne shrieked, his face contorted in disbelief. "It should be bound! It should obey!"
The shadowy entity pulsed frantically, its form flickering as if struggling to maintain control. It lunged at the Ash-Eater, attempting to reassert its dominance, but the skeletal beast, now fully formed and terrifyingly real, swatted the entity aside with a clawed limb, sending it crashing into the crypt wall. The entity shrieked, a sound of pure pain, its shadowy form momentarily dissipating.
"He never controlled it," Rhydian growled, pushing against the weakening magical bonds with renewed force. "He merely awakened it. The Heartstone is whole, but it is not Thorne's to command."
Lyra, seizing the opportunity, focused her will. The lingering cold from the Ash-Eater's previous touch still clung to her, but now, instead of weakening her, it ignited a fierce defiance. She channeled her Star-Born essence, pushing back against the oppressive magic. With a gasp, the invisible bonds around her snapped, sending a jolt of pain through her limbs, but she was free.
"Rhydian!" she cried, reaching out.
Rhydian, his golden eyes blazing, let out a guttural roar of his own. His body shimmered, and a faint, golden aura erupted around him, shattering the remaining magical bonds. He was free, his draconic power surging, raw and untamed.
Thorne, recovering from the shock of the Ash-Eater's rebellion, turned his furious gaze on them. "No! You will not interfere! The ritual must be completed!" He lunged, not at the Ash-Eater, but at Isolde, who lay unconscious on the dais, the Heartstone pulsing ominously beside her. He intended to finish whatever twisted process he had begun.
"Isolde!" Lyra screamed, her heart seizing with fear. She scrambled forward, but Thorne was closer.
Rhydian moved with impossible speed, intercepting Thorne with a powerful shove that sent the Chancellor sprawling. "She is not yours to command, sorcerer!" he snarled, his voice laced with venom.
The Ash-Eater, ignoring Thorne, began to move, its skeletal form gliding towards the crypt entrance, its eyes fixed on the world beyond. It was free, and it sought to consume.
Lyra rushed to Isolde, kneeling beside her. The young woman was pale, her breathing shallow, but she was alive. The glowing pendant, now reattached to her neck, pulsed faintly, as if exhausted. The Heartstone on the dais, however, glowed with a terrifying, unstable green light, crackling with uncontrolled energy.
"The Heartstone is unstable," Lyra murmured, her hand hovering over the artifact. She could feel its immense power, but it was wild, untamed, a raw nerve exposed.
"It needs to be sealed," Rhydian said, his voice grim, his eyes fixed on the rampaging Ash-Eater. "Or it will tear this world apart."
They had stopped Thorne's twisted ritual, but they had unleashed something far worse. The Ash-Eater was free, and the Heartstone, the very tool meant to contain it, was a ticking time bomb.
As the crypt began to tremble, Lyra knew they had only moments. The fate of Serendahl, and perhaps the world, rested on their ability to master an ancient power they barely understood, and to somehow re-bind a creature of pure void.