The air around the fissure was thick with dark energy, swirling like a storm about to break. Lumumba stood at the edge, his twin swords humming in his hands as the dark magic pressed against him, pulling at his strength. Behind him, Koffi was already at work, his hands glowing with magical energy as he focused on the barrier surrounding the fissure's core.
"How's it coming, Koffi?" Lumumba called out, his eyes darting between the shadowy figures still advancing on their position.
Koffi's face was a mask of concentration. "This barrier is unlike anything I've seen before. It's tied directly to the fissure's core. If I can weaken it, we'll have a shot at shutting this thing down, but it's going to take time."
Amara stood by Koffi, her sword at the ready as she kept the advancing enemies at bay. "We don't have much time, Koffi. We're getting overwhelmed here."
Lumumba knew they couldn't hold out much longer. The dark energy from the fissure was sapping their strength with every passing second, and the shadowy figures weren't slowing down. Mamadou was already back on his feet, his daggers flashing as he cut through the enemies with reckless abandon, but even he looked tired.
"Keep them off me," Koffi said, his voice strained as he pushed more energy into the barrier.
Lumumba took a deep breath, steeling himself for the battle ahead. "Amara, Mamadou—stick close. We need to hold the line until Koffi's done. No one gets through."
With a nod, Amara moved to his side, her eyes sharp and focused. Mamadou flashed a wild grin, clearly enjoying the chaos despite the odds stacked against them.
"I was hoping for more of a challenge," Mamadou said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he threw himself into the fight.
Lumumba rolled his eyes, his grip tightening on his swords. "Just don't get yourself killed. I'm not dragging your body out of here again."
Mamadou chuckled as he ducked under an enemy's swing and drove his dagger into its chest. "Relax, boss. I'm having the time of my life."
The battle raged on, the clash of steel and magic ringing through the air as Lumumba and his team fought to keep the shadowy figures away from Koffi. The enemies were relentless, their movements eerily synchronized as they pressed in on all sides. Each blow Lumumba landed felt heavier than the last, the dark energy around them dragging him down, but he refused to give in.
This was bigger than any of them. If they didn't close this fissure, if they didn't stop the Sovereign's forces here and now, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Koffi, how much longer?" Amara shouted, slicing through another figure with a swift, precise strike.
Koffi's eyes were glowing with the effort of maintaining his spell. "Almost there. Just a little more—"
Before he could finish, a massive pulse of dark energy erupted from the fissure, knocking everyone off their feet. Lumumba hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him as he struggled to regain his bearings. His vision swam, and for a moment, everything was silent.
Then, slowly, the world came back into focus. He could see the shadowy figures advancing again, their movements jerky and unnatural, like puppets being pulled by invisible strings. But something was different—the barrier around the fissure was flickering, unstable.
Koffi had weakened it.
"Now's our chance!" Lumumba shouted, forcing himself to his feet. "We need to strike at the core before the barrier regenerates!"
Amara and Mamadou were already moving, their exhaustion forgotten as they charged toward the flickering barrier. Lumumba followed close behind, his swords ready. The core of the fissure—the swirling vortex of dark magic—was exposed, its malevolent energy pulsing in time with the beat of his heart.
Lumumba's eyes narrowed. This was it.
He charged forward, his swords raised high. The dark energy crackled around him, but he pushed through, driving his blades into the heart of the fissure with a resounding crack. The impact sent a shockwave through the ground, and for a moment, everything went still.
Then, the fissure exploded.
A blinding flash of light erupted from the core, followed by a deafening roar as the dark energy collapsed in on itself. Lumumba was thrown back, his body hitting the ground hard as the fissure imploded, the shadowy figures disintegrating into nothingness.
The air grew still. The ground stopped shaking. And the fissure, once a gaping wound in the earth, was gone.
Lumumba groaned as he pushed himself up, his body aching from the force of the blast. He looked around, seeing Amara and Mamadou struggling to their feet, battered but alive. Koffi was on his knees, panting from the effort of the spell, but he managed a weak smile.
"We did it," Koffi said, his voice barely audible.
Lumumba nodded, his heart still racing. "Yeah. But something tells me the Sovereign isn't done with us yet."
Aftermath: The Sovereign's Warning
The group made their way back to the academy, their bodies bruised and exhausted from the battle. The journey was quiet, each of them lost in their own thoughts. The fissure had been closed, but the Sovereign's presence still loomed over them, a shadow that refused to be shaken.
As they reached the academy gates, Lumumba felt a strange sense of foreboding. Something was wrong.
"Wait," Amara said, her hand on her sword. "Do you hear that?"
Lumumba stopped, listening. The academy was silent—too silent. There were no sounds of training, no chatter from the students. Just an eerie, oppressive stillness.
Suddenly, a voice echoed from the shadows, cold and mocking.
"Welcome back, Lumumba. You've been busy."
Lumumba's blood ran cold. He knew that voice.
Raven.
From the darkness, the figure of Raven stepped forward, his movements slow and deliberate. He was dressed in his usual black attire, his eyes gleaming with amusement as he approached them.
"You closed the fissure," Raven said, his voice calm. "Impressive. But did you really think that would stop the Sovereign's plan? You're only delaying the inevitable."
Lumumba's grip tightened on his swords. "What are you doing here, Raven? What do you want?"
Raven smiled, his expression cold and calculating. "What I want is irrelevant. The real question is—what are you going to do now? The Sovereign is growing stronger with every passing day. You're fighting a battle you can't win."
Lumumba took a step forward, his eyes blazing. "We'll see about that."
Raven's smile widened, his voice dripping with amusement. "Always so confident. But tell me, Lumumba—how long can you keep this up? How long before you break under the weight of it all?"
Lumumba felt a surge of anger, but before he could respond, Raven raised a hand, silencing him.
"I'll leave you with this," Raven said, his voice low. "The Sovereign's plan is already in motion. Every fissure you close only brings you closer to the truth—and when you finally uncover it, you'll wish you hadn't."
With that, Raven disappeared into the shadows, leaving Lumumba and his team standing in the eerie silence of the academy grounds.