Chapter 21: THE HERO’S SACRIFICE
Smoke and fire stitched the battlefield into a portrait of madness. Hollowspawn rampaged like unleashed nightmares, their tendrils and fangs soaked in blood. The cries of dying men mingled with the screeches of burning goblins. And at the center of it all stood Reed, eyes fixed on the altar, where Shia knelt in a pool of her own blood.
Her body trembled, charred and broken. The wound from Kheldrin’s blade had cut deep. But she had bought him time. Reed clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his blade until his knuckles turned white.
"Shia... Hold on."
A wave of pain surged through his chest, not from injury—but from the countdown.
00:00:26
The Soul Anchor flared. The bond tethering them shimmered with golden veins of energy, unstable, cracking. It was fraying fast. Reed could feel her thoughts in flashes: pain, rage, love, defiance.
Twenty-six seconds left.
He turned away from her and faced the approaching figure—the coalition’s leader, Lord Helcran. His armor was forged obsidian, each movement a hymn of power. His blade radiated divine authority, anointed with the blood of saints and sinners alike.
"You think this corruption can win?" Helcran’s voice boomed, unshaken. "You defy the Domain. You mock the System."
Reed spat blood. "The System’s broken. I’m just the error it made."
They charged.