26. The Final Stand

Darkness swallows us whole, but my eyes remain locked on Shadow.

We stand face to face with the wyrm, and the beast’s roar shakes the air, the ground trembling beneath our feet.

It feels like we’re about to be devoured by the darkness itself.

And yet, instead of fleeing, my body tenses—adrenaline rushing like fire through my veins.

I don’t know how, but in this moment—in the heart of all this despair—I feel more alive than I’ve ever been.

There’s something in the way Shadow looks at me, in the power that radiates from him, that tells me this isn’t the end.

And even as the shadows tighten around us, we hold onto that fragile spark of hope.

The spark that still burns—despite everything.

“I won’t let you go,” Shadow whispers, his voice low and steady, as certain as ever—even as the world threatens to fall apart.

His words sear through me.

And suddenly, everything becomes clear.

If there’s one thing this journey has taught me, it’s that no matter what the wyrm does to us, no matter what fate throws our way, we’ll face it together.

And that—that is the strength we need to endure.

The wyrm moves—slow, heavy.

Its blazing eyes never leave us.

A palpable darkness radiates from its body, as if it’s made of the night itself.

Its claws are long and razor-sharp, ready to tear through anything they touch.

And its breath smells of rotting earth—of death.

“What do we do?” I ask, my voice trembling, though my eyes remain fixed on Shadow, as if he alone holds the answer to everything.

“We fight, Eve. For us. For what we are. We won’t let it win,” Shadow replies, gripping my hand so tightly it hurts—but that pain gives me strength.

Suddenly, without warning, the wyrm lunges—its serpentine body moving with inhuman speed.

Its roar fills the air, and my heart pounds like a drum.

My legs falter—but Shadow’s grip keeps me grounded.

We can’t turn back now.

We’ve come too far.

“Now!” Shadow shouts—and before I can react, he pushes me forward.

We run—but not toward the cave.

Not back the way we came.

There’s no escape that way.

Instead, we head toward a clearing in the forest, where the trees open up and a pale light filters through the branches.

Something deep inside me knows this is no coincidence.

It’s as if destiny itself led us here—as if a higher force has drawn us to this final confrontation.

The wyrm follows, its heavy steps making the ground quake.

There’s no time to think—only time to act.

Shadow lets go of my hand and, in a swift motion, places himself between the wyrm and me—facing the beast with a determination I never knew he had.

“Eve!” he shouts—but I already know what I have to do.

Without hesitation, I draw the knife strapped at my waist—a small weapon, but sharp.

The wyrm is massive—its body so large it could swallow us whole in a single breath.

But something inside me knows: its true threat isn’t its size.

It’s the evil.

That unstoppable darkness radiating from it.

I move toward Shadow, forcing the fear down, looking into his eyes—searching for a sign that this isn’t a mistake.

But I don’t find one.

And that terrifies me more than the wyrm itself.

“Trust me,” I whisper.

He looks at me, and for a heartbeat, his eyes soften—as if grateful we’re still fighting side by side.

But just then, the wyrm unleashes a deafening screech—and we have no choice but to act.

Shadow moves, fast as lightning, engaging the beast with a speed that defies reason.

But the wyrm matches him blow for blow, its claws tearing through the air.

There’s no time to hesitate.

My heart pounds like thunder, but my body refuses to stop.

Fear has no place in me now.

Only the will to survive.

Somehow—between Shadow’s agile strikes and the wyrm’s furious attacks—I see my opening.

With a burst of speed that surprises even me, I rush in from the side and plunge the knife deep into one of its eyes.

The beast howls in agony, and the sound rips through my soul.

But I don’t stop.

I can’t.

The wyrm staggers back, lurching, its body convulsing as if the wound runs deeper than we imagined.

It glares at us, seething with rage, its wounded eye crackling with dark energy.

But we haven’t won.

This is not a victory.

This is only a moment of reprieve.

“Go!” Shadow yells, dragging me away again, his eyes never leaving the wyrm—still very much alive.

We run—faster than ever—clinging to the sliver of a chance we’ve created.

The wyrm, though wounded, doesn’t give up.

It follows, relentless, a shadow that refuses to fade, a looming terror at every step.

I don’t know how much longer I can run.

Exhaustion claws at me.

But my love for Shadow—my need to keep fighting for him—keeps me moving.

Because in this moment, in the heart of chaos and darkness, one truth remains:

I can’t lose him.