As Elder Li's trembling fingers traced the symbols on the scroll, Elias suddenly let out a gasp. "I understand now! The ritual isn't just to seal the abyss—it's to..." His words were drowned out by a thunderous blast as the cloaked figure launched a massive wave of dark energy. Jack leaped in front of the group, his sword ablaze with the power of the merged orb, but the force sent him crashing into the cave wall.
Lyra, her dagger still in hand, was about to charge at the figure when she noticed something strange. The Keeper, who had been struggling to maintain her ice magic, now stood calmly, her eyes fixed on the abyss. "Keeper, what are you waiting for?" Lyra shouted, but received no response.
Just then, Elder Li let out a horrified scream. "Elias! You've been lying to us!" he cried, his face contorted with anger and betrayal. "This scroll... it's a key to unlock the abyss, not seal it!"
Elias' pale face twisted into a sinister grin. "Took you long enough to figure it out, old man," he sneered. "I've been working for the cloaked figure from the start. The Abyssal Eclipse is the only way to restore true order to this world."
The Keeper finally moved, but instead of attacking the enemy, she turned on Lyra. A blast of icy magic shot towards the unsuspecting warrior, who barely managed to dodge. "Why?" Lyra gasped, her eyes wide with shock and hurt.
The Keeper's expression was cold and detached. "The Abyssal power is the future. You're all just pawns in a much larger game."
Jack, struggling to his feet, felt a searing pain in his chest. The merged orb was going wild, and the whispers in his mind were now a deafening roar. Betrayal... the pact... broken. He finally understood—the betrayal wasn't some ancient event, but the one unfolding before his eyes.
As the group was torn apart by the revelations, the cloaked figure began to laugh. "Foolish mortals. You thought you could stand against the power of the Abyss? Now, witness the true beginning of the end."
With a wave of its hand, the figure caused the scroll to fly out of Elder Li's grasp and into the air. The symbols on the scroll began to spin, and a portal to the abyss opened wider, sucking in everything around it.
Jack knew he had to do something, but with allies turned enemies and the odds stacked against him, he wondered if this was truly the end. As he tightened his grip on his sword, he made a vow. Even if he had to face the abyss alone, he would find a way to stop the madness and restore the balance that had been so brutally shattered. But first, he had to survive the betrayal of those he once trusted with his