The city's veins pulsed with battle. Sparks of fire flickered in the broken streets. Roots tore up concrete, wrapping around Sanavak's limbs, but the monster only roared louder — a shifting storm of darkness, eyes flickering open and shut like dying stars.
Zindra stood over Liyaya as she knelt in the middle of it all, her hands buried in the cracked asphalt, her eyes glowing with green fire. Her hair whipped around her face, caught in the swirl of wind and power.
The people fought on every block — you could hear their battle cries echo through alleys, on rooftops, in basements turned barricades. Yet the monster's core, hidden deep inside that writhing mass of shadows, pulsed stronger than ever.
Zindra knew what it meant — if the core wasn't destroyed, Sanavak would keep feeding, keep splitting, keep growing until even the roots could not hold it back.
He dropped to one knee beside Liyaya, placing a trembling hand on her shoulder. "It's not enough. I can feel it — we have to get to the core."
She opened her eyes — raw exhaustion and unbending defiance shining there. "Where is it?"
Zindra turned, staring into the swirling chaos. His runes pulsed — he felt the Senlord hum like a beacon inside his chest, pointing him forward. In the center of the monster's chest — a pulsing mass of black flame, a shard of the first fragment they'd ever faced. All of it bound together like a diseased heart.
He took her hand. "We do this together."
Liyaya nodded once — then stood. Together, they stepped straight into the storm.
---
Inside the Darkness
Pushing through Sanavak was like wading through liquid fear. Shadows curled around them, whispering lies in voices they almost believed: You are alone. You will fail. This is your punishment.
Zindra roared back, runes blazing bright enough to tear holes in the darkness. Each step forward left cracks of light behind him — footprints of defiance.
Liyaya pressed close to him, her hands glowing green, the roots of the city weaving through the ground, anchoring them both as they carved a path to the core.
They emerged into a chamber of shifting shadows — at the center, the core pulsed like a black sun. Mouths flickered open and shut on its surface, whispering promises of oblivion.
Zindra dropped to one knee, overwhelmed. The Senlord flickered — fighting the monster's weight pressing on his mind.
"Let me feed…" the core whispered. "Give me your power, your fear, your precious light — and you can rest…"
He almost gave in. Almost. But then Liyaya's hand caught his cheek — her touch so alive it cut through the monster's lies.
"Look at me," she whispered. "You're not alone. I'm here."
Their eyes locked. In that heartbeat, Zindra pushed all his remaining energy into his runes. Liyaya dropped beside him, pressing both palms to the broken ground. She called every root, every hidden vein of the city's soil, every heartbeat of life still willing to fight.
The core shuddered — Sanavak's voice rose in a shriek that rattled the walls.
Zindra pressed his hand to the core — his runes flaring so bright they scorched the shadows from his skin. Liyaya pressed her palm to his, binding her power to his.
Together, they poured every spark of hope, every stubborn piece of life, into that rotting heart.
---
The Breaking
The core began to crack — lines of blinding light splitting it from within. Shadows peeled away, burning in the blaze. The monster screamed, a thousand voices dissolving into silence.
But the light didn't stop. It spread through the factory ruins, flooding every broken window, every dark corner of the streets beyond. Roots burst through walls, wrapping the last shadows in a cage of living wood and stone.
Zindra felt himself fading — the Senlord's strength burning away with the monster. Liyaya's eyes shone — tears mixed with power as she held him steady.
"Stay with me…" she whispered.
He smiled — fierce and gentle all at once. "I am."
With a final roar of light and life, the core shattered — dissolving into dust that scattered like falling stars.
Sanavak's hunger screamed one last time — then was gone.
---
The Silence After
When the light faded, the city lay quiet. Fires still flickered, but the air felt different — like something wounded had finally exhaled.
Zindra slumped forward, caught by Liyaya before he could hit the ground. He was alive — barely. But his runes had gone dark, his link to the Senlord burned down to embers.
Around them, the people gathered — bruised, bloodied, but alive. They looked at Liyaya and Zindra not with fear — but with wonder.
Someone whispered, "They did it…" and another voice added, "We did it."
Liyaya cradled Zindra's face, pressing her forehead to his. Her green light flickered softly — a promise that Earth would heal him, that it would heal them all.
And above the broken city, dawn rose at last.