"You know, I haven't always been this way," Malachi said, voice echoing over the battlefield. "Once, I was just another man. Another fleeting spark in the dark. But I wanted more. I craved answers, power, the kind of knowledge that could unravel the very seams of this world. So I made a pact with the devil himself. Traded in my mortality for centuries of life, and every secret I could get my hands on."
His eyes glinted, cold and hungry. "That bargain twisted me into something more than human, and less. I've watched this world change. Watched it fall, rise, and fall again. And through it all, I learned this, the truth, the power I seek, is worth any price."
He turned his gaze to Eldo, Kyo, and Winter, a cruel smile playing at his lips. "You three are just another step on my path. I'll use anyone, any way I see fit, to get what I want. Don't take it personally—it's simply the cost of progress."
The Tinkerer's dark purple flames swirled and coiled around them, forming a lethal barrier that encircled Winter, Eldo and Kyo. The oppressive heat pressed in from every side, the air thick with crackling energy and the scent of brimstone.
Winter was the first to act, eyes narrowing as he summoned a volley of metal spikes from his arm. He sent them flying at the Tinkerer, but with a slow, deliberate motion, the sorcerer opened his cloak, and the spikes phased harmlessly through him.
Before Winter could react, the Tinkerer gathered the spikes, infusing them with dark energy, and hurled them back at the group. Each spike exploded on impact, sending shockwaves through the air. The three of them barely dodged, but the reverberations left them staggered, pain flickering across their skins.
"Oh, Chefera... a fool to the bitter end, It must run in the family." the tinkerer said with a broad, mocking grin. "Finding the perfect host for Barbaros wasn't easy, but you Cheferas... you've got just the right affinity for it. Your uncle? Just another cog in the machine. No more precious than you are now."
Eldo clenched his fists, concentrating the hellfire in his palms. With a roar, he dashed forward, flames trailing behind him like a comet's tail. As he charged, Winter froze the ground beneath the Tinkerer, hoping to trap him.
But the cloak faded and the Tinkerer vanished, leaving Eldo to crash onto the ice, confusion flashing across his face. Suddenly, the Tinkerer reappeared behind Kyo, and with a whisper close to his ear, he cast a veil of purple ice that spread rapidly, freezing Kyo solid.
"I've been watching all three of you since you entered hell," the Tinkerer hissed. "I know your weaknesses. Ice renders you vulnerable." Kyo's body stiffened, his limbs locked in frozen paralysis.
"Next..." came the Tinkerer's cold voice as Winter charged recklessly at him.
"Oh, did that upset you that much?" the Tinkerer taunted, snapping his fingers. The ring of dark purple fire tightened, the flames crackling with deadly promise.
Eldo flared his infernal flames, dashing at the Tinkerer with mach speed, aiming to catch him off guard. His flaming fist grazed the sorcerer's side, but before he could follow up, the Tinkerer vanished again inside his cloak.
Reappearing above them, the Tinkerer took to the air, unleashing massive bolts of dark thunder that rained down on the shrinking fiery arena. Winter quickly barricaded them with steel and reinforced ice, forming a shimmering dome between the attack and their battered bodies.
"You're running out of time!" the Tinkerer laughed, snapping his fingers once more. The flames contracted, closing in like a collapsing star, burning them from within.
Eldo broke through Winter's protective barrier, his molten infernal form blazing hotter than ever. He flew straight at the sorcerer, fists blazing with all his might.
But dark tendrils erupted from the Tinkerer's cloak, wrapping around Eldo's body and restraining him inches from delivering a devastating blow.
"Ooooh, so close..." the Tinkerer taunted, before striking Eldo down with a searing bolt of lightning that lit the entire sky purple for a brief, blinding moment.
Eldo plummeted to the ground, limp and broken. Kyo, still frozen, lay beside him, both out for the count.
Winter's breath hitched as he watched the scene unfold, the crushing weight of power difference sinking in.
The Tinkerer's voice cut through the silence, dripping with cruel satisfaction. "Do you now realize the magnitude of the mistake you've made?"
Winter's mind raced. Fight on with impossible odds or retreat with the cabin and regroup. Seconds stretched like lifetimes as doubt gnawed at him.
Then, from the depths of his soul, a voice echoed—soft, familiar, and long missed...
Strider's voice resonated deep within Winter's mind, steady and unwavering. "There is one way you might defeat the Sorcerer before him, but it comes at a cost...Your elemental powers, at the very least. And at most, your life."
Winter's breath hitched, the weight of the choice settling like stone in his chest. There was no time to hesitate.
"I accept," he said without pause, determination sharpening his tone.
"Very well," Strider replied, admiration threading through his ethereal voice. "Your sacrifice is valiant. I will guide you through the of process: Elemental Burnout."
Winter's eyes narrowed, every muscle tensed as Strider explained. "Elemental Burnout is the act of using every ounce of elemental energy within you, pushing beyond limits by tapping directly into your life force."
Strider continued, "Elemental energy is intrinsically tied to your lifeforce. They grow together, but this method burns both simultaneously. For every element you burn to its utmost, your power surges, but you risk permanent loss."
"The more elements you burn at once, the greater the power you'll wield. In your case, potentially tripling your strength momentarily. But even that might not be enough."
Winter's resolve hardened. "I'm committed. It's this or everyone falls."
A vibrant glow pulsed beneath Winter's skin as veins bulged, flooding with swirling hues of grey, light blue, and deep purple. His eyes shifted fluidly between those colors, radiating energy so intense it even drew a startled gasp from the Tinkerer overhead.
"How... is this...?" The Tinkerer's voice cracked, disbelief turning to fury. "YOU FOOL! To go to such lengths!"
Strider's voice was the last Winter heard before the connection severed, fading like a whisper carried on the wind. "You have one minute. I wish you the best... and It was an honor to have you as an ally."
Winter's body radiated with blinding light as he shot skyward at a speed no human could track. Ice spikes and steel shards materialized and whirled around him, while a dark, shadowy aura spread outward—a terrifying fusion of all his powers unleashed.
Winter and the Tinkerer clashed amid the roiling storm clouds, lightning crackling and thunder roaring all around them. The air was alive with raw power as Winter weaved steel, ice, and dark energy into a lethal dance, his movements fluid and precise against the sorcerer's own barrage of dark purple flames, corrupted lightning.
Winter unleashed a whirlwind of steel shards, spinning them like deadly blades slicing through the air. The Tinkerer countered with a torrent of twisted flames that melted and deflected the shards, then sent a hail of razor-sharp ice spikes hurtling toward Winter. Winter twisted midair, conjuring ice walls to shield himself, then shattered them with bursts of dark energy that surged outward like tendrils, lashing at the sorcerer and forcing him to retreat.
The sorcerer's retaliations came fast, bolts of dark lightning that cracked the sky, shadow orbs that pulsed with malevolence, and cursed flames that seared anything they touched. Winter blocked and dodged, sliding across frozen cloud patches, his steel blades flashing with every parry and counter. He coated his weapons with frost, sending icy spikes to freeze the Tinkerer's limbs, only to be met with a brutal blast of fire that melted the ice away.
Their battle was a fierce ballet, each strike shaking the sky and leaving trails of shattered clouds and crackling energy. Both bled, their bodies scarred but neither yielding an inch.
Then Winter saw it, the Tinkerer's strength lay in keeping distance, in controlling the space with relentless projectiles. To win, Winter needed to close the gap, to bring this battle to close quarters.
With a fierce cry, Winter spiraled down through the storm, weaving between dark lightning bolts and fireballs. The Tinkerer screamed in frustration, summoning a wall of shadowy energy, but Winter drove his steel and ice sword through it, slicing open an opening.
Closing the gap, Winter's body pulsed with raw power, veins glowing as his eyes flickered between grey, blue, and purple—the colors of his burned out elements. Drawing deep from the life force fueling him, "Dynamic Victory Cannon." He shouted with all his might.
A searing beam erupted from his outstretched palm, millions of gleaming shards of ice and steel fused with intense dark energy, swirling and compressing into a blinding lance of destruction. The beam tore through the air, striking the Tinkerer point-blank.
The sorcerer's scream echoed as his form began to crack and vaporize, shards of his dark essence scattering like ash in the wind. His voice, laced with rage and desperation, hissed through the fading storm: "I will haunt you... and your bloodline... for eternity..."
Winter's strength ebbed as the beam dissipated—his body trembling violently. He plummeted through the clouds, crashing onto the ground below, coughing up thick, dark blood. Winter bled from his eyes and nose, staining his pale skin.
He lay there, breath shallow, the world around him fading, slipping into silence.
With a final shudder, Winter closed his eyes.
Everything went black.