The cave trembled violently as the abyss let out another ear - splitting roar, sending jagged shards of crystal raining down from the ceiling. Jack shielded his head with his arm, his eyes fixed on Elias, who was still struggling to decipher the scroll despite his scorched palm. The whispered warning of "Betrayal... the pact... broken" echoed louder in Jack's mind, making his every instinct scream that something was horribly wrong.
Lyra, her dagger dripping with the black ichor of the shadow tendrils she'd severed, limped towards Jack. "We're running out of time," she gasped, her breath ragged. "The Keeper's magic is almost gone, and Elder Li looks like he's about to collapse." Her gaze flicked to the old man, who was leaning heavily on Elias, his face ashen.
Just then, The Keeper let out a pained cry. Her ice shield shattered into a million pieces as a tendril of shadow pierced through it, grazing her shoulder. She stumbled backwards, clutching the wound. "It's no use," she moaned. "I can feel the abyss... it's sapping my strength from within."
Elias suddenly looked up, his eyes wild. "I think I've got it!" he shouted. "The scroll... it requires a sacrifice of—" His words were cut off by a deafening blast of dark energy from the cloaked figure. The force sent him flying across the cave, the scroll slipping from his grasp.
Jack leaped forward, but a shadowy tendril snaked around his ankle, yanking him to the ground. He landed hard, his sword skidding out of reach. Panic surged through him as he watched the cloaked figure glide towards the fallen scroll. This can't be how it ends, he thought, struggling against the tendril's grip.
Lyra, seeing Jack in trouble, launched herself at the cloaked figure. Her dagger flashed in the dim light, but the figure merely waved its hand, sending her crashing into a wall of crystal. She crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
The Keeper, driven by a last - ditch effort, summoned a final burst of ice magic. But instead of attacking the enemy, the ice shot towards Elder Li and Elias. "No!" Jack screamed, his voice filled with horror. "What are you doing?"
The old man's eyes widened in shock as he realized what was happening. With a strength born of desperation, he pushed Elias out of the way just in time. The ice missed the young mage but struck Elder Li's leg, shattering it with a sickening crack. He let out a scream of pain and crumpled to the ground.
Elias stared at The Keeper, his face a mask of betrayal. "Why?" he croaked.
The Keeper's expression was blank, her eyes glazed over. "The abyss... it commands," she murmured in a monotone voice.
Jack finally managed to break free from the tendril's grip. He retrieved his sword and charged at The Keeper, his heart heavy with grief and anger. But as he neared her, a strange sensation washed over him. The merged orb in his chest flared, and images flashed through his mind - images of an ancient pact, of a group of mages who had sacrificed everything to seal the abyss, and of a traitor who had betrayed them at the last moment.
Just then, the cloaked figure reached the scroll. It let out a laugh that filled the cave with dread. "At last," it hissed. "The time has come to fulfill the true purpose of the scroll - and you, foolish mortals, will be the first to pay the price for your hubris."
As the figure began to chant in an ancient, guttural language, the abyss roared in response. The ground beneath the group began to 裂开,and tendrils of dark energy shot up from the pit, ensnaring them one by one. Jack struggled against the energy, his mind racing. We have to stop it, he thought. But how?
Amidst the chaos, Elias managed to crawl towards the fallen Elder Li. "I'm sorry," he whispered, tears streaming down his face. "I should have seen it sooner."
The old man grasped Elias' hand weakly. "It's not too late," he gasped. "There's... there's still a chance. You must... find the true meaning of the scroll... before it's..." His voice trailed off, and his eyes closed.
Elias let out a sob, but then he steeled himself. He looked up at the cloaked figure, determination replacing the grief in his eyes. "I won't let you win," he vowed. "I'll find a way to stop you, even if it's the last thing I do."
With that, he rose to his feet and charged towards the cloaked figure, leaving Jack and the others to fight for their lives against the encroaching